Gavedo – Culture and MTB on the slopes of La Nuda

Anyone choosing Gavedo as a destination will find two clearly recognisable aspects on a natural terrace on the slopes of Mount La Nuda: historic buildings closely connected with the history of Groppoli and a challenging MTB route. You can therefore explore the village from a cultural perspective or place the cycling experience at the centre of your visit, without mixing these two aspects together.

Between the terrace and the challenging MTB route

The Mulazzo MTB Adventure is 34 km long and is classified as challenging both in terms of physical demands and technical difficulty. In the municipality of Mulazzo, the Lunigiana Bike Area offers a signposted and well-maintained MTB route leading to the hamlets of Gavedo and Terceretoli. A distinctive panorama is also traditionally associated with orientation along the route: the view extends from the watershed to the Golfo dei Poeti. Gavedo thus combines a clearly described sporting challenge with a setting shaped by the natural terrace on Mount La Nuda.

Church and art in the historic centre

The Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Donnino stands in Gavedo, which was historically the main centre of the fiefdom of Groppoli. The present-day church was commissioned by the Brignole-Sale marquises to a design by the Genoese architect Matteo Vinzoni and completed in 1736. Its interior is vaulted and decorated with frescoes; the façade has a restrained, Neoclassical appearance. Its upper section contains a central circular window. The two side altars also preserve specific works of art. The left side altar of the nave displays the Ligurian oil painting “Madonna con Bambino, Angeli e Santi” from the early 18th century. The right side altar features “Transito di San Giuseppe”, also a Ligurian oil painting dating from the first half of the 18th century. This creates a cultural focus whose architectural design and furnishings can be understood through individual structural features and works of art.

Castello and Palazzo Brignole-Sale

The medieval Castello di Gavedo is an imposing square structure in an elevated position. An archived view from 1727 shows the Castello above the Geriola watercourse. Another archived view from the same year shows Palazzo Brignole-Sale on the terrace of Gavedo. Palazzo Brignole-Sale is a 17th-century building renovated by Matteo Vinzoni in the 18th century. Its documented layout includes a cellar located well below ground level and a park opposite the Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Donnino. A massive surrounding wall with four corner towers protects the palazzo. A double-curved ramp on the bridge over the moat provides access to the piano nobile; the access ramp is also preserved in a documented depiction of the complex. If you would like to compare Gavedo with another place in the same higher-level destination, you will also find Montereggio for additional orientation.

For the overview of the wider destination: Mulazzo.