Massimino is the smallest commune in Liguria, a village in the upper valley of the Tanaro with a long history that belies its size. It appears in a diploma of Otto I in 967, and over the following centuries passed from the Marchesi di Ceva to the Del Carretto of Finale, then to Spain in 1598, and finally to Genoa in 1713 — acquired for its strategic position controlling the Via dei Giovetti mountain pass.
On the hill of San Giuseppe stand the ruins of a fifteenth-century castle and chapel, the chapel later converted into a small outdoor theatre. The surrounding territory is dominated by chestnut woods, historically the village's main economic resource. Massimino holds a festival in August celebrating local hospitality.