The land of glass
Altar, the door of the Bormida Valley, a verdant, densely wooded area between the coast and the hinterland. Altare is still an unjustly underappreciated destination in the province of Savona, but its visit, intended for curious and attentive travelers, yields great surprises. Its history is intertwined with glassmaking, probably introduced as early as the 12th century thanks to the Benedictine monks, from the Lerins Islands, called by Bishop Bernard of Vado Ligure to take charge of the monastery on the’Bergeggi Island. The territory they administered also included Altare, where the monks called to practice and teach the art of glassmaking families of glassmakers from France and Flanders. From that moment, the village of Altare quickly became one of the glass capitals.
The tradition of this particular artwork lives on to this day in the artisan blowing and engraving workshops and kilns of the Museum of Glass Art, housed within Villa Rosa, a remarkable example of Art Nouveau style. On display inside are artifacts from the old Altaresi glassworks, vases and stills for pharmaceutical use, curious objects, such as the flycatcher and the so-called glass giants, vases and bottles of exquisite workmanship and enormous size, entirely blown.
Also not to be missed are the Liberty villas, evidence of a time when Altare was a rich economic center of the Savona hinterland.
Altar can also be placed within a path dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte. In fact, not far from Altare, in the woods of Montenotte, Napoleon's victorious epic began. Between April 11 and 12, 1796, French troops of the Army of Italy, led by the very young General Bonaparte, defeated Austrian troops in the famous Battle of Montenotte (also remembered on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris). It is said that after the battle, Napoleon spent the night at Altare and here he made plans for the next day with Generals Laharpe and Massena.
La guided tour of Altare Can be combined with:
- guided tour of Savona
- guided tour of Albisola For an itinerary on ceramics and glass
- for sportsmen can be combined with trekking in the Bormida Valley, or at the Trekking the glass routes from Altare to Bergeggi.
