Varzi

Salt-road merchants made Varzi rich: their caravans climbed the Staffora valley towards the Ligurian coast, and the Malaspina, who moved here in 1275, built a castle and walls to collect the tolls. The old quarter runs beside the stream under arcades on stout stone pillars, between two gates topped by towers. Today the town is best known for its salame.

Highlights

• Salame di Varzi, the town's renowned cured sausage (IT)
• Chiesa dei Rossi and Chiesa dei Bianchi, named after confraternity cape colours
• The Romanesque Chiesa dei Cappuccini, with a late 15th-century fresco
• A raised arcaded walk along the top of the old walls
• The Malaspina castle tower, still rising over the town

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.