Savona's hinterland at the table: villages, flavors, and slow cuisine

A few kilometers from the sea, another world

Travel just a few kilometers inland to leave the roar of the sea behind and find yourself in a completely different landscape: stone villages clinging to rocky outcrops, valleys crisscrossed by streams, chestnut and hazelnut groves, and fields planted in strips on terraced slopes. The Savona hinterland is an area most tourists never reach—and it hides one of the most authentic and lesser-known cuisines in all of Liguria.

Sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, densely populated only along the coast, and characterized by terraces painstakingly carved out since the Middle Ages to support some form of agricultural production, often now prized, Liguria is a diverse region. In the Savona hinterland, this diversity is particularly richly expressed: every valley, every village, every festival tells a different gastronomic story.

Millesimo and the truffle: the city that smells of the forest

The Ligurian truffle capital

Millesimo and the surrounding hills are a favorite Ligurian spot for truffle hunters. And truffles, both black and white, are the star of the festival held every September in the village of Millesimo.

A medieval village to explore

Millesimo isn't just about truffles: it's also one of the most charming medieval villages in the province, with its compact historic center, walls, Romanesque bridge, and piazzas where cafés offer seasonal menus built entirely around the local produce. The September truffle festival is the best time to visit, but the village is worth a visit any time of year.

Rocchetta di Cengio and the Pumpkin Festival: A Twenty-Year-Old Celebration

Every October, the Slow Food Alta Valle Bormida Convivium organizes "Zucca in Piazza" in Rocchetta di Cengio—an event now in its twentieth year, dedicated to the Rocchetta pumpkin, featuring a rich program of tastings, workshops, and music.

Rocchetta pumpkin is a local variety grown in the countryside of the Upper Bormida Valley, with a sweet flavor and dense flesh—perfect for soups, gnocchi, savory pies, and desserts. It's not a product found on the coast: you have to come up here in the fall to taste it in its authentic setting.

Borgio Verezzi and snails Verezzina style

A dish that requires patience

The local dish from the village of Borgio Verezzi is snails alla verezzina, cooked in a slow, slow-cooked stew. It's one of those dishes that embodies the most authentic expression of the peasant cuisine of the Ligurian hinterland: simple ingredients, patient technique, and an extraordinary result.

The August festival

Every August, the traditional snail festival in Borgio Verezzi is dedicated to the snail—an event that draws visitors from across the province and takes place in the narrow streets of the medieval village, with outdoor tables and the aroma of cooking wafting through the evening air.

Zuccarello and Rocche: Hazelnut and Pine Nut Sweets

Zuccarello is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, located in Liguria, surrounded by other splendid villages just a few minutes' drive away. It seems built to flow alongside the Neva River, with its houses nestled side by side, following the water's course and offering enchanting views.

From a gastronomic perspective, don't miss the rocche di Zuccarello, typical sweets made with hazelnuts or pine nuts—a local specialty found in the village's few shops and which encapsulates the inland pastry tradition in a single bite.

Quiliano and zero-mile produce: the vegetable garden meets the vineyard

Just a few kilometers from Savona, Quiliano is one of the inland municipalities most actively developing a local agricultural supply chain. Thanks to the City of Quiliano, the ProLoco association, the Valleggia Agricultural Cooperative, and "Vite in Riviera," an innovative direct purchasing model has been developed, with direct relationships between producers and consumers, which promotes local products and a different way of shopping.

Castelbianco and the chestnut cake

In the hinterland of Albenga, the village of Castelbianco preserves the tradition of castagnaccio —a chestnut flour cake enriched with pine nuts, rosemary, and raisins, a symbol of the peasant cuisine of the Ligurian Apennines. Castagnaccio is one of the typical products to taste in Castelbianco, and its simplicity speaks louder than words to the philosophy of a cuisine that wastes nothing and values every local ingredient.

The Slow Food philosophy in the Savona hinterland

This has given rise to a highly diverse cuisine, spanning the cities, coastal villages, and inland areas: Provençal, Tunisian, and Po Valley influences can also be found at the table. The cuisine of the Savona hinterland is precisely this: a crossroads of geographical and historical influences that have settled over the centuries, producing a gastronomic tradition based on humble ingredients transformed into dishes rich in meaning.

Slow Food Liguria is active in the region with local chapters that organize events, tastings, and initiatives to promote typical products—a cultural as well as gastronomic organization that works to keep the food traditions of the Savona hinterland alive.

How to organize a food and wine weekend in the hinterland

• Spring and autumn are the ideal seasons: the climate is mild, the villages less crowded and the seasonal products (wild asparagus, mushrooms, truffles) are at their best.
• Festivals are the most authentic way to get in touch with the local gastronomic culture: the complete calendar is available on the Pro Loco websites of the individual municipalities
• By car : the hinterland can be reached from Savona in 30-60 minutes, following the valleys of Letimbro, Bormida and Neva
• Recommended pairing : a weekend in the hinterland pairs perfectly with a day at the seaside before leaving — Savona's dual identity at its best