Beautiful beaches to the south, a green hill overlooking the city to the north and interesting religious and medieval architecture spread throughout the city make Noli, less than three thousand inhabitants in the province of Savona, a must-see stop for lovers of small coastal towns. Here the air smells of the sea and freshly caught fish, but also of forests and pine forests, and every corner of the city offers picturesque views and enchanting panoramas.
Thanks to its beautiful beaches and cozy atmosphere, Noli is today a popular place. Spa, highly appreciated by tourists who return here year after year to spend their holidays. Despite this, the town has not been distorted by tourism and preserves almost unaltered the characteristics of a coastal town that make it so fascinating that it earned it a place in the club of the most beautiful towns in Italy according to the Association of Municipalities Italians.
Even before reaching the town of Noli, it may be interesting to leave the state road just after passing the Bagni Nirvana, the first to arrive from Genoa, to visit the Castillo de Ursino, built to defend the town at the top of the mountain of the same name. The castle, consisting of a tall cylindrical tower surrounded by massive walls and accommodation for troops, and its surrounding walls are among the best preserved examples of medieval fortifications in western Liguria.
Once you reach the town, it is best to park your car and enjoy the pleasure of a walk. The main street dividing the historic center from the seafront is the Aurelia State Highway, a road with a large arcaded frontage. Behind him the Old neighborhood of Noli, made up of narrow and winding streets, called caruggi, often dominated by stone arches and decorated with balconies of various flowers.
In the historic center, a pleasant walk will take you to discover the most interesting historical and religious buildings in the country and other fabulous medieval architecture. Among these, the beautiful towers for which Noli is well known. Of the 72 mentioned in the tradition, however, only 4 are perfectly preserved and are clearly visible, in their full height, in addition to the roofs of the houses.
The first one you find when entering from the north is the Torre Tabana, with the gate of the same name, built in the 13th-14th centuries outside the old walls of the town and connected to the walkway that descends from the castle of Monte Ursino. Continuing south, not far from the seafront and the Loggia della Repubblica, and right next to the town hall, you will find the Town Hall Tower. Built at the end of the 13th century, it is still almost intact today and is easily recognizable by its swallowtail-shaped battlements.
Right next to the Tower, the Square gate, which was once the main and central access to the town and the Municipal Palace of Noli, one of the most beautiful civil architectures in the town. Built between the 14th and 15th centuries, over time it was the seat of the consuls and the government of the Maritime Republic of Noli. Inside the Council Chamber from the 17th century, fragments of fresco cycles from the late Middle Ages from the Porta di San Giovanni are preserved.
A few blocks later, a little further towards the center, at the confluence of four streets you can admire the Tower of the Four Canti, or Torre del Canto. Built on a trapezoidal base perhaps to adapt to the layout of the city, at 38 meters this tower is the tallest and its façade is entirely covered in bricks. Continuing along Via Cristoforo Colombo you will find the San Giovanni tower, built on the outer walls of the town, exactly above the northern access gate to Noli.
The rest of the towers were integrated into buildings of a later period, after having been demolished to reuse the material in new constructions. However, the bases of the structures were still recognizable. If you are not tired of seeing towers yet, then they still remain there. Peluffo Tower, on the same road that leads to the Cathedral of Noli, not far from the Torre del Canto, and the Transylvania Tower, on the street of the same name, to the left on the perimeter walls of the Palazzo Viale-Salvarezza.
The seventeenth century Palacio de Viale-Salvarezza, built on pre-existing medieval buildings, was built by the will of the senator of the Republic of Genoa Antonio Viale, and inhabited by his descendants for more than a century, and then sold to the Salvarezza family. Despite some restoration interventions, until not long ago the façade still retained a cannonball fired by the English fleet in 1808 and still preserves several remains of the exterior decoration.
