The best road cycling routes around Borghetto Di Vara

The Oratory of San Giacomo was built at the end of the 16th century, next to the Church of Madonna della Costa. More information: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio_di_San_Giacomo_(Levanto)

beautiful, quiet pass with picnic area

Update September 2025: Fieschi Castle is temporarily closed for renovations

A small, quiet town in the Vara Valley. A good starting point for a circular tour of Lunigiana (Rastrello Pass or Calzavitello Pass).

Situated at 956 meters between the Vara and Aveto Valleys, the Bocco Pass is one of the historic passes of the Ligurian Apennines, used since ancient times as a connection between the Tyrrhenian coast and the Po Valley hinterland. Already in Roman times, it was part of a secondary transit network, but it was especially in the Middle Ages and modern times that the pass assumed a central role in local traffic: a route for merchants, shepherds, and pilgrims, it connected Chiavari and the Riviera with Varese Ligure and the Emilian plains. Traces of the ancient paving are still visible today in the surrounding woods. During the Second World War, the area served as a refuge for partisan groups, thanks to its secluded location and dense forest cover. Today, the pass is a destination for cyclists and hikers, immersed in an unspoiled mountain landscape of beech and fir forests and highland meadows, at the gateway to the Aveto Regional Natural Park.

The name Calice al Cornoviglio combines two distinctive elements of the village: "Calice," of uncertain origin but perhaps derived from the Latin calix (cup), referring to the site's concave shape, and "Cornoviglio," the mountain (561 m) that overlooks the village and lends its name to the entire ridge. This toponym appears in medieval documents and recalls the village's ancient connection with the surrounding Apennine territory. Calice was long ruled by the Malaspina dello Spino Secco family, who built a strategic castle there, documented since the 11th century and modified several times over the centuries. Today, the fortress houses the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art and the Chestnut Documentation Center, two testimonies to the profound intertwining of history, spirituality, and the territory's resources. A short distance away is the parish church of Santa Maria Lauretana, an elegant 18th-century Baroque building with exquisite decorations and a polychrome marble high altar. The village comes alive throughout the year with traditional events such as the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto (September), the Chestnut Festival (October) and various summer festivals, which highlight the historical and cultural roots of the place.

The church is the seat of the ancient brotherhood, founded in the second half of the 13th century. The Brotherhood of San Giacomo until the end of the 16th century (1585/1600) had its own Oratory on the Costa hill, on the right side of the Church dedicated to the Virgin of the same name. In the last three decades of the sixteenth century, the brothers of San Giacomo began and completed the new headquarters, given the fact that the Church of Nostra Signora della Costa would have to be expanded. The construction of the Oratory, on land belonging to the da Passano, engaged the brotherhood for fifteen years, it was supported by the income of a "capital census" paid by the Community of the Borgo, with collections among the faithful, in addition to the fact that the brothers lent their work to carpenters, blacksmiths, ironworkers, bricklayers and carpenters. On 23 June 1600 the Diocesan Bishop of Luni-Sarzana Giovanni Battista Salvago consecrated the new Oratory, also granting the association the privilege of burying its deceased brothers there.

Quiet road through the beautiful valley. A bit uneven in places, but easily manageable with a racing bike.