Busalla

Centre of the Upper Scrivia Valley at the foot of the Giovi hill, it developed to the West of the ancient nucleus already documented in the Middle Ages.

Mentioned for the first time in a document from 1239, it was an imperial fief of the Spinola di Luccoli family, who had built a castle there. The Genoese Guelphs besieged and conquered it in 1252. As fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines flared up again, it was seized and sacked several times over the centuries until the Spinola family ceded it to the Republic of Genoa in 1728. In 1944-45 it was a reference point for the partisan formations operating in the Scrivia Valley.

Situated on important communication routes between Genoa and the Po Valley, it was a natural point of passage for trade and a wordly place frequented by the Genoese bourgeoisie. In fact, Busalla is particularly famous for the presence of sumptuous villas, built in the early 19th century, including Villa Borzino, the most beautiful, owned by the municipality. The villa has more than 50 rooms and an immense botanical park. Also of note is the 17th-century Church of San Giorgio, with paintings by Luca Cambiaso.

Today Busalla is a centre of industrial settlements and a starting point for various interesting excursions. The aforementioned village is also part of the Antola Regional Natural Park: one of the most enchanting areas of the Apennines and the Ligurian hinterland, thanks to the extraordinary panorama of the 1600 m Mount Antola and the activities of the nearby Brugneto Lake.