A stone's throw from the sea

the other riviera
Cengio
CENGIO
34
Between Liguria
and Piedmont
Cengio’s chief sporting
passion, like that of the
entire Bormida Valley, is
pallone elastico (elastic
ball), a typical sport in
western Liguria and lower
Piedmont that combines
strength, elegance and
dexterity. It is played on
special courts or, more
informally, in the church
squares. Additional traces
of Piedmont can be found
in the local dialect, which
is also influenced by
Provençal, and the cuisine.
“Cinglum”
Cengio owes its name to the
cengi, rocky spurs that break
the profile of the lush,
green hills. The original core
of this municipality of 4,000
inhabitants is the old
hamlet of Cengio Alto,
a Piedmontese-style little
hilltop village clustered
around a ruined castle.
Nearby is the hamlet of
Chiesa, which was the
original town centre.
The modern centre, on the
other hand, grew up along
the river close to the border
with Piedmont in the early
twentieth century, following
the valley’s industrial
development.
Running and jumping
in the woods…
…although not to escape
from ferocious beasts or
wicked witches. The fields
and woods around the River
Parasacco are crisscrossed by
a fitness trail that enables
healthy physical exercise to
be enjoyed whilst learning
the secrets and discovering
the wonders of this small but
untamed natural area.