by Paola Iacona

For centuries they guarded secrets and riches, controlled roads, protected borders, and watched the sea from the top of their walls. Today, the castles of Finale Ligure come back to life.

No longer just monuments to visit and testimonies of the past, but meeting places, spaces open to the imagination, stages for concerts, shows, exhibitions, immersive experiences, and outdoor activities.

Thus Summer in the Castles was born, a project that unites Castel Gavone, Forte San Giovanni, and Castelfranco in a single narrative weaving together history, landscape, and contemporary culture.

A journey through seven centuries of history

Few territories can tell their story through such a complex system of fortifications.

Perched on the hills behind Finalborgo, Castel Gavone tells the story of the Marquisate of Finale and the power of the Del Carretto family. Its famous Diamond Tower continues to dominate the landscape, recalling the strategic role this territory played between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Along the ancient Strada Beretta, you will find Forte San Giovanni, an imposing 17th-century fortress built during the Spanish rule to protect one of the most important links between the Mediterranean and the Duchy of Milan. Bastions, walkways, and walls still tell the story of what was a fundamental hub of the so-called Spanish Road.

Finally, overlooking the sea stands Castelfranco, a silent sentinel of the coast. Originally a Genoese outpost to control the port and contain the influence of the Marquisate, today it offers one of the most evocative viewpoints over the city and the Mediterranean.

Three different places, three eras, three ways to tell the story of Finale Ligure.

Castel Gavone: when history comes to life

At Castel Gavone, summer has the flavor of storytelling.

As the sun sets, the Moonlight Stories return—theatrical tours that guide the audience through legends, costumed characters, and tales that seem to emerge directly from the castle stones. Knights, court ladies, archers, and mysterious figures lead visitors on a journey suspended between reality and imagination. Organized by the Centro Storico del Finale, the events are scheduled for July and August (July 10, 24, 31 – August 7, 14).

Those wishing to deepen their knowledge of the monument can participate in guided tours with MUDIF archaeologists, which allow visitors to interpret the castle through its transformations over the centuries and discover details often invisible to a superficial glance. Tours are scheduled for Saturday, June 27, every Saturday from July 4 to August 29 (5:00 PM), September 5 and 19 (4:00 PM), and October 10 (3:00 PM).

But Castel Gavone also knows how to surprise in unexpected ways. The meditation and sound bath experiences transform the complex’s spaces into places of listening and contemplation, where the relationship between history, silence, and landscape becomes an integral part of the experience. The experience, curated by MUDIF and the Archaeological Museum of Finale in collaboration with the Yoga Kambliswami Association, takes place once a month on Saturday mornings—July 25, August 22, September 19, October 17, with two sessions from 9:30 to 11:00 AM and from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Finally, from August 2 to 6, Castel Gavone becomes an open-air theater with Canterbury, a show written and directed by Andrea Walts Valsania and freely inspired by Jean Anouilh’s Becket and his King. Conceived as a traveling and immersive experience, it accompanies the audience through the castle spaces, transforming courtyards, passages, and ancient walls into an integral part of the narrative.

Forte San Giovanni: entertainment under the stars

If Castel Gavone is the place of storytelling, Forte San Giovanni is the place of meeting.

Its walls host concerts, theater, cinema, and family activities, offering different opportunities each week to experience the fortress.

The music ranges from the Baroque sounds of the Voxonus Festival, with two concerts on July 16 and 30, to the musical journeys of Musica in Chordis on August 14, while the theater brings Mediterranean myths and stories to the stage on July 19 with a production by Teatro Pubblico Ligure. Medusa, Scylla, and the Sphinx. Sorceresses and Monsters . The ancient walls then become an evocative summer arena thanks to CinemaForte, which offers four evenings of open-air cinema under the August sky.

Alongside the shows, there are activities dedicated to discovery and participation, curated by Babajaga Arte e Spettacolo APS and designed to engage families and children through play and exploration: The Fortress of Games (July 18), the Beyond the Walls: Escape Experience evenings (July 29 and August 28), and the Night of the Stars (August 10), inviting visitors to see the fort not just as a historical record, but as a living place and a space open to the imagination.

Particularly fascinating are the proposals dedicated to nature, which allow visitors to interpret the landscape surrounding the fortress through its herbs, paths, and traditions: The Herbs of St. John between Botany and Magic (June 23) and the botanical walk from Finalborgo to Perti (September 20), organized in collaboration with the CAI (Italian Alpine Club), Finale Ligure section.

Castelfranco: art, sea, and wellness

The fortress of Castelfranco, overlooking the sea, opens up instead to contemporary art, creativity, and wellness. Exhibitions, installations, and exhibition paths dialogue with the history of the place, creating a continuous comparison between the past and contemporary languages.

Exhibitions dedicated to Nenne Sanguineti Poggi and the Riciclickamente project sit alongside new artistic proposals addressing themes such as memory, symbol, and sustainability. Among these, the The Tarot exhibition stands out, which on August 12 ideally accompanies Finalborgo’s famous Night of the Tarot in a journey through images, archetypes, and suggestions.

Summer evenings also host contemporary dance performances by the Balletto Teatro di Torino, while yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi invite visitors to experience the fortress as a space of balance and well-being, with a view open to the horizon.

A new way to experience heritage

The strength of Summer in the Castles lies not only in the quality of the program but in the idea that supports it.

Today, the castles of Finale become places to be lived in. Spaces where you can attend a show, listen to a concert, watch the stars, practice yoga, discover a story, or simply stop to admire the landscape.

It is a new way of approaching cultural heritage, which puts the experience at the center and transforms the visit into an opportunity for history and the present to meet.

And perhaps this is precisely the charm of summer in the castles of Finale Ligure: the possibility of crossing centuries of history without ever ceasing to feel part of your own time.