Where it is
The municipality is situated in the high Trebbia Valley in the Ligurian Apennines and together with other municipalities, it is part of a large area called “L’appennino delle 4 province( The Apennine of the 4 Provinces)”, where the mountains of the provinces of Piacenza, Genoa, Alessandria and Pavia meet.
Corte Brugnatella refers to a municipal territory scattered between the two valleys of Trebbia and Aveto, a tributary of Trebbia.
Marsaglia is the main administrative centre and holiday resort.
The name of the town derives from the family name of the owner, that lived in the area from the IX until the end of the XIV century. Their stronghold was the castle of Brugnello, from which they ruled over the surrounding territory.
Why visit it
Marsaglia is the point of confluence of two valleys and two rivers and in the past had a strategic function of connecting both valleys to the Po Valley and to the Mediterranean sea.
These settlements played an important role in controlling the flow of merchant caravans and groups of pilgrims, who passed on the mule tracks and paths, which constituted the ancient ways of salt, wood and oil and which partially still exist today.
Right here, you can choose whether to continue to follow the State Road 45, that leads through the Scoffera Pass and then to Genoa or deviate on the Provincial Road 586 of the Aveto Valley that leads to Chiavari.
The stretch of the Trebbia in the municipality of Marsaglia offers tourists the most beautiful beaches, which are most stormed by visitors for the beauty of the landscape and the presence of deep “pools” where to take a dip.
When to go and what to see
The area offers good reasons for a visit in all seasons.
In autumn, the still mild climate allows you to enjoy the landscape: the woods offer to qualified seekers mushrooms and chestnuts and to fishermen two rivers to fish in.
Spring and summer are the seasons when the Trebbia River is most beautiful.
The most evocative stretch is between Marsaglia and Bobbio with the recessed meanders, where the river seems to be a large wavy blue ribbon that digs into the mountains.
Don’t miss
One of the reasons worth visiting is precisely Brugnello, a small and charming village, which rises on a rocky spur: behind the apse of the church dedicated to Saints Cosma and Damiano you can overlook a natural balcony on the picturesque meanders of the Trebbia.
To get to Marsaglia you drive along the road that offers another viewpoint of exceptional beauty in San Salvatore, where the meanders give life to the shape of a sleeping elephant called Surus, the elephant of Hannibal.
In the town of Marsaglia there’s an old part, that still preserves picturesque stone houses with roofs covered with slate, leaning against each other and separated by narrow cobbled streets.
On the table
The restaurants in the area offer typical Emilian cuisine.
Note that in this area there are family-run farms which offer organic products and provide restaurants and sell retail.
Keeping fit
In Marsaglia there is a small sports centre with a football pitch, tennis courts and an area for beach volleyball, just outside the town and reachable both by car or on foot.
There is a walk along the Trebbia river, where you can jog, and there are many marked hiking trails, which lead to the nearby towns.
The Trebbia and Aveto valleys are a destination for cyclists because in Marsaglia there are the less busy stretches of the State Roads 45 and 586, moreover the side valleys offer spectacular views.
The main resource for sports is still the river, where it is possible to swim or go kayaking or canyoning.
Significant appointments
The Local Association (Pro Loco) works in the territory and enlivens the social life of the village throughout the year.
Nowadays two religious festivals are celebrated, the one of Patron Saint Joseph and the other one of Saint Rita.
Among the liveliest festivals there are the “Festa al campo” in Ozzola on 14th August and the Salamino Fair in Marsaglia on 1st-2nd November.
An event that comes from the popular tradition is the one called “Calendimaggio” with the participation of the whole village: the choir of singers brings the wish for the arrival of the good weather season. It’s a sort of collection during which people, passing homes, collects eggs in exchange for the greeting song.
In the surroundings
Also worth visiting are the ancient churches of the hamlets Pieve di Montarsolo and Ozzola.
The Pieve parish church was an ancient monastic cell of Saint Columbanus and it is possible to admire the Church of Saint Jack also named Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Guard dating back to the IX century.
In Ozzola, it is possible to visit the Church of Saint Anthony built on the remains of an ancient church, whose work began in the XV century using the remains of a nearby castle.
