

Liguria · Genova
Campo Ligure
A Spinola borgo in the Stura valley north of Genova, the last working centre for gold and silver filigree in Italy.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 41 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 2,777
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 centre.
SPINOLA CASTLE
Hexagonal medieval fortress with a 22-metre 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.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J8°
- F11°
- M12°
- A16°
- M19°
- J24°
- J27°
- A28°
- S23°
- O18°
- N12°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Maria Maddalena, 22 July
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 metres tall and six across. The first filigree workshop opened in 1884.
Within a generation Campo Ligure had become the national centre for the craft, fine gold and silver threads twisted with pliers called bruscelle and welded under a torch. It remains the only working filigree centre 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.
The Sunday letter
Campo Ligure is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Campo Ligure comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Campo Ligure in our articles
The 6 best towns inside a nature park in the province of Genova6 towns, Campo Ligure among them.
The best small towns inside a nature park that eat well in Liguria6 towns, Campo Ligure among them.
The prettiest villages inside a nature park in Liguria6 towns, Campo Ligure among them.
The best hidden towns that eat well in the province of Genova7 towns, Campo Ligure among them.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 36 minutes by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 hours away.
By car from the centre of Milan 1h 40m.
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 minutes away by road.


What to see
Castello Spinola
Twelfth and thirteenth-century hexagonal fortress on the hill above the village, cylindrical tower 22 metres 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.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Campo Ligure fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
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.
Caccia C’a BuggeRistorante
A Slow Food snail, at Caccia C’a Bugge.
Living here
- Population 2,777
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 36 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 41 min drive
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 centre 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?
- Genoa (GOA), about 36 minutes 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 1h 40m 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.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Campo Ligure?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Maria Maddalena, 22 July.
- Which other towns are like Campo Ligure?
- Murlo, Genga and Fossato di Vico.
- How many people live in Campo Ligure?
- 2,777 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 342 m
- Population: 2,777
- 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.
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