Liguria · Genova
Campo Ligure
A Spinola borgo in the Stura valley north of Genova, the last working center for gold and silver filigree in Italy.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Campo Ligure is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 41 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 2,796
- J8°
- F11°
- M12°
- A16°
- M19°
- J24°
- J27°
- A28°
- S23°
- O18°
- N12°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Campo Ligure sits on the right bank of the Stura, twenty-five kilometers north of Genoa where the Apennines start to climb. The Spinola family took the fief in the thirteenth century and built the hexagonal castle on the hill above the village; the cylindrical tower is more than twenty-two meters tall and six across. The first filigree workshop opened in 1884.
Within a generation Campo Ligure had become the national center for the craft, fine gold and silver threads twisted with pliers called bruscelle and welded under a torch. It remains the only working filigree center in Italy. The Museo della Filigrana, founded in 1984 around the Pietro Carlo Bosio collection, holds filigree work from across the world. A medieval stone bridge over the Stura, originally ninth-century and rebuilt several times from the eighteenth century onward, anchors the lower end of the borgo.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 36 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 3 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 1 h 40 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Genoa, Milan or Turin?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Campo Ligure is about 40 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Spinola
Twelfth and thirteenth-century hexagonal fortress on the hill above the village, cylindrical tower 22 meters tall, residence of the Spinola fief.
Museo della Filigrana Pietro Carlo Bosio
Founded 1984 around the Bosio collection, filigree work from across the world, the only museum of its kind in Italy.
Ponte medievale sullo Stura
Stone bridge over the Stura with ninth-century origins, rebuilt several times from the eighteenth century, marks the southern entrance to the borgo.
Chiesa della Natività di Maria Santissima
Eighteenth-century parish church in Baroque style on the main piazza, frescoes by Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, marble altar from Carrara.
Centro storico di Campo Ligure
Tight grid of three parallel medieval streets along the river, filigree workshops still operating between residential houses.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Caccia C'à BuggeTrattoria
Caccia C'à Bugge holds two Gambero Rosso prawns and a Slow Food snail.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Campo Ligure is at the end of the road.
- A village of 2,796. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Ovada, is 23 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Genova, a city of 564,080, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 2,796, down 6.3% since 2015
- Nearest city Genoa, 41 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Ovada, 11 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €680 to €1,000 per m² to buy, €3.20 to €4.70 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 37% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 36 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 41 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Nigeria, Morocco and Ecuador, against 9% across Italy. There are 299 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 35% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Genoa province ranks 43rd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Ovada, 11 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Genoa, 19 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Genoa, 19 km away. The nearest IB school is Deledda International School, 25 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.02% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Liguria spends about €2,230 a month, €490 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €552 a year for water, on the Liguria average. In Genoa, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.28, a meal in a pizzeria €11.86 and a man's haircut €17.37.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 17% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 25% in a high or medium one. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
FILIGRANA
Gold and silver thread twisted with pliers called bruscelle and welded under torch, the first workshop opened 1884, the only surviving Italian center.
SPINOLA CASTLE
Hexagonal medieval fortress with a 22-meter cylindrical tower, residence of the Spinola counts who controlled the Stura valley trade route.
MUSEO DELLA FILIGRANA
Founded 1984 around the Pietro Carlo Bosio collection, filigree pieces from across five continents in a single ground-floor exhibition.
Common questions
- What is Campo Ligure known for?
- Campo Ligure is a Spinola borgo at 342 meters in the Stura valley north of Genova, the last working center for gold and silver filigree in Italy.
- Where is Campo Ligure?
- Campo Ligure is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria.
- What is the nearest airport to Campo Ligure?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 36 min by car.
- Can you get to Campo Ligure without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Milan to Campo Ligure?
- About 1 h 40 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Campo Ligure?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Campo Ligure?
- Murlo, Genga and Fossato di Vico.
- How many people live in Campo Ligure?
- 2,796 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Campo Ligure a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Campo Ligure is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Ovada, is 23 min away. The nearest city, Genova, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Ovada, 11 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 37% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 342 m
- Population: 2,796
- Surface area: 23.74 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Campo Ligure appears in
- The 6 best towns inside a nature park in the province of GenovaGenova provinceinside a park6 towns · smallest 351 residents
- The 6 best towns you can reach by train that sit inside a nature park in LiguriaLiguriainside a parkby train6 towns · smallest 2,796 residents
- The best hidden towns that eat well in the province of GenovaGenova provinceeats wellhidden6 towns · smallest 2,796 residents
- The best small towns inside a nature park that eat well in LiguriaLiguriainside a parkeats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 351 residents
- The prettiest villages inside a nature park in LiguriaLiguriainside a parkprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 389 residents
- The 8 best small towns you can reach by train that eat well within 90 minutes of GenoaNear Genoaby trainwithin 90 mineats wellsmall8 towns · smallest 553 residents · closest 16 min away
Similar
Towns like Campo Ligure
What all six share with Campo Ligure: under 3,000 people · hill towns
Murlo
Province: Siena
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Genga
Province: Ancona
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Fossato di Vico
Province: Perugia
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Sassello
Province: Savona
both inland, away from the coast
Cortemilia
Province: Cuneo
both inland, away from the coast
Samugheo
Province: Oristano
The letter
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Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
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