Finale Ligure

[4] Known for its white sand beaches and its views, Finale Ligure is located directly adjacent to the Rock of Caprazoppa, a steep limestone mountain on the southwest, and much of the town extends up hill slopes.

Finale Ligure has furthermore some frazioni: Varigotti, an appreciated and characteristic seaside holiday destination, which was an important port in Roman and Byzantine times; Perti, also an ancient center with Roman and Medieval ruins, up into the entroterra (interior); Le Manie (e Magne in local dialect), a plateau partly cultivated, partly left to pine forest and Mediterranean Bush; Gorra, a panoramic hamlet along the steep road to the Alpine forests of Melogno pass; San Bernardino, a recent set of buildings and residences on the top of the hill overlooking Finale Marina.

During the Roman times, the burgh of Finale was known as Ad Fines ("On the Border"), as it marked the boundary between two of the main Ligurian tribes: the Sabatii in the east, and the Intemelii in the west.

In Roman times the area hosted a road and post station named Pollupex (Pollupice, in Italian) along the via Julia Augusta; it is supposed that it was situated where nowadays the frazione of Calvisio stands.

Important was in those times also the port of Varicottis (Varigotti), now interred, as were the fortifications in Perti (Castrum Perticae, active to the Middle Ages), later integrated into the Byzantine lines against the Ostrogoths and Lombards.

A view on the frazione of Varigotti
Map of Finale with the town wall, 17th century