The castle of the Del Carretto marquises crowns a rocky spur above Zuccarello, its crumbling towers and curtain walls still imposing despite centuries of neglect. The Del Carretto family ruled this corner of the Ligurian interior from the 13th century, using the fortress to control the Neva valley road between the coast and Piedmont.
The climb up from the village takes about fifteen minutes on a marked path. From the top, the view extends down the Neva valley and back over the terracotta rooftops of Zuccarello's arcaded streets — the kind of panorama that makes the history of contested ownership feel entirely logical. The ruins are freely accessible.