Torre pentagonale e resti del castello di Vezzano Ligure

Vezzano Ligure's pentagonal tower and castle remains recall the medieval defences of the settlements above the meeting of the Vara and Magra valleys. The tower belongs to Vezzano Inferiore, while the upper settlement preserves remains of a separate fortified nucleus.

Why it matters

The unusual five-sided tower is part of a wider defensive arrangement rather than an isolated monument. It illustrates the connection between lordly residence, fortified settlement and control of the surrounding valleys.

What to notice

The pentagonal plan directs a vertex towards the area to be watched. Rubble-stone masonry is laid in horizontal courses, with narrow arrow slits and an elevated doorway formerly reached by retractable wooden stairs. These features contrast with the ruined square tower associated with the upper castrum.

Context and history

An imperial diploma of Otto I recorded Vezzano and its castle in 963; that reference predates the surviving pentagonal tower, assigned to the thirteenth century. The lords of Vezzano, the Fieschi and Genoa shaped the later medieval history. The lower fortification was transformed in the sixteenth century into the fortified residence known as Palazzo Giustiniani. Vinzoni's map of 1752 already depicted the pentagonal tower in a derelict state.