On the journey to discover ghost city, the country of Balestrino it attracts attention due to its suspended in time and decadent atmosphere, one step away from the radiant western Ligurian Riviera.
Where is Balestrino located
Balestrino it is a town in the province of Savona which has few inhabitants, just over 500. The town is included among those that are defined as ghost city since, following a hydrogeological threat, in 1963 the ancient village of Balestrino it was abandoned by the fleeing population, worried about losing land. Today an ancient sundial becomes a symbol of a time that, inexorably, flows but is no longer marked by anyone, except by some hikers visiting here or by diligent American television crews, attracted by these places full of stories to tell.
Balestrino Castle
Overlooking the ancient village stands the Balestrino Castle or better to say the Del Carretto Castle – ancient landowners of the area – stubbornly clinging to the rocky pediment despite the presumed risk of landslide. Everything is still more than 50 years ago, outside and inside ruined walls, with vegetation growing between the cobblestones and alleys with a lived-in look but now melancholy static and decadent.
What to see in Balestrino
Visit Balestrino is equivalent to taking a journey through time and mystery: the well-known and evocative location of Liguria – located in the province of Savona – is in fact included in the list of abandoned cities o ghost city.
In reality, considering Balestrino as a municipality, it should be noted that around 600 people live there but what attracts attention is the rest of the ancient village of Balestrino: this is in fact completely lifeless, emptied, consisting only of dated abandoned buildings attacked by spontaneous vegetation, having been left by the population years and years ago.
The attention of those arriving in these parts is inevitably captured by Balestrino Castle o Castle of the Del Carretto family, the ancient owners of Balestrino and surrounding areas.
It is undoubtedly one of the attractions of Balestrino, whose visit, however, will not be organised: the Castle was in fact abandoned by everyone about fifty years ago due to the collapse of the land due to landslides. It is therefore in a state of abandonment, although it should be underlined that the tower and entrances are still well preserved today.
Another important place a Balestrino is to rely onancient church of Sant'Andrea but it is a building that is not currently accessible and is actually in conditions that deserve restoration.
In fact, there is a plan recovery of the ancient village, precisely to prevent these places from being lost.
In a Balestrino's guide finally, the indication relating to the church of San Giorgio: here there are in fact some valuable frescoes dating back to the XNUMXth century, certainly worth admiring.
Definitely visit Balestrino in its oldest part it is not entirely possible, therefore what is advisable to do is to observe the complex from the outside, directly from the area of the "new Balestrino” which was built further downstream.
Borgo di Balestrino, the legends
To make it special and magnetic ancient village of Balestrino it is also that dense web of legends and mysteries that populate these abandoned houses. From the connection between the curiosity to welcome suggestions and popular sentiment and the need for real documentation of what is today Balestrino, a is born documentary entitled "Ghost Town – Balestrino: the ancient charm of a ghost village“, produced by PGMVideo Srl. Directed by Chiara Salvadori, this documentary is the first chapter of a series entirely dedicated to ghost city.
A portrait, embellished with the music of Rodolfo Cardellicchio, which while telling the story of the decadence of this fascinating corner of the world in Liguria, makes the abandoned village of Balestrino at the same time alive and present, thanks to the support of photos edited in rapid sequence and original videos made live between streets of Balestrino. A full immersion in the alleys of this village and among the stories that those who lived there can still tell, so as to be able to draw inspiration for a future excursion to Balestrino.
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