Altare is a village of medieval origin in the Apennines of Liguria and is famous for its glass manufacture. This art was brought to this area ,according to some by French families in the XI century and to others by the Benedictine monks as it is rich in woodland and therefore ideal for fuel for the furnaces. We can say for certain that glass-makers of Orléans and Nevers came to Altare to organize and teach this difficult craftstmanship.
As the years passed the families here created a guild called "Università Vetraria" (Glass-maker University) which governed the district until 1823, with their own statutes which were ackowledged by the Monferrato in 1512. The tradition was kept by the Società Artistica Vetraria (Artistic Glass-maker Association) in 1864 with a furnace for glass-blowing next to the industrial machines. The ability of these specialized artisans reached such levels that the local masters were not only appreciated in Italy but were also sent to the most famous courts of Europe. Today Altare is the seat of the Museum of the Art of Glass-making in Villa Rosa, a fine building in Liberty style, recently brought back to its splendour and which holds an exposition of works created between 1750 and 1950. The village stll has the little workshops which carry on the old tradition of glass-blowing.
Worthy of a visit is the 17th century church of the Annunciata , located on the most western part of the historic centre, rebuilt on the foundations of the ancient parish and erected around the middle of the XII century by the Benedictine monks of Bergeggi.The parish church in the historic centre is dedicated to Saint Eugenio. For history lovers there is an interesting excursion to do among the ruins of the noble castle and Napoleonic Fort (XVIII) on the hills of Cadibona, built as a defence of the lines of communication between the Riviera dei Fiori and the Alta Valle of the river Po. Indeed, Altare is situated in a strategic position on the important junction between Piedemont and the port of Savona.
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