What is Millesimo known for?

Black and white truffles from the Val Bormida hills, recognized by the Città del Tartufo network and celebrated at the September fair. Napoleon defeated the Austro-Sardinian army here on 13-14 April 1796, using the Del Carretto palazzo as headquarters. Twelfth-century fortified bridge over the Bormida, one of the few of its kind still standing in Italy.

Millesimo is a comune in the province of Savona, Liguria region of Italy, about 83 kilometers from Genova.

Liguria · Savona

Millesimo

A fortified Del Carretto borgoin the upper Val Bormida, where Napoleon broke the Austro-Sardinian army in April 1796.

83 km / 52 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

3,185

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Millesimo sitsin the upper Val Bormida, sixty kilometers inland from Genoa over the Apennine watershed. Enrico II Del Carretto turned the village into a fortified borgo in 1206; the castle was raised later in the thirteenth century by his successors and the oldest fabric, the tower, keep and east wall, still dates from then. The signature monument is the Ponte della Gaietta, also called the Ponte Vecchio, one of the few fortified bridges in Italy, with its original twelfth-century body still spanning the Bormida. Millesimo entered military history on 13-14 April 1796, when Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the combined Austro-Sardinian forces here at the cost of more than three thousand casualties on each side; the Del Carretto palazzo on the central piazza served as his army headquarters and now houses the comune. The commune carries the Città del Tartufo mark for both black and white truffles, celebrated at the September fair.

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Gallery

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Known for

Ponte della Gaietta
Fortified medieval bridge over the Bormida, original body from the twelfth century, one of the few surviving examples in Italy.
Castello Del Carretto
Thirteenth-century stronghold of the marquis line, with the original tower, keep and east wall still standing above the village.
Palazzo Del Carretto
Family palazzo on the central piazza, used by Napoleon as headquarters for the Army of Italy in April 1796, now the town hall.
Centro storico
Triangular layout of stone houses around the central piazza, on the right bank of the Bormida below the castle.
Santuario di Nostra Signora del Deserto
Pilgrimage sanctuary on the outskirts, the religious focal point of the Val Bormida calendar.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the dry months in the upper Val Bormida. The interior of Liguria runs cooler than the coast at this elevation, with mild days and chilly evenings; the rivers run higher in spring after the watershed melt. July and August warm up but Millesimo's 429 meters stay tolerable. The biggest event is the National Truffle Fair in September, when restaurants pivot to black and white tuber dishes and the centro storico fills with stalls. Winter is quiet and damp, with low cloud often filling the valley below the castle.