The first settlements in the Rossiglione area are attested, from archaeological excavations, from the 5th century BC. In fact, traces of a village of the Ligurians were found on the border between Rossiglione and Ovada. The finds that emerged from the excavations are to this day preserved at the Archaeological Museum of Genoa Pegli.
The first documentary mentions of Rossiglione date from about the mid-12th century.At that time, this territory belonged to the Marquises of Monferrato, who had given it as a feud to the Del Bosco family, who, in turn, ceded the village to the Republic of Genoa in 1210.
According to the statutes of the 14th, Rossiglione, already composed of the two villages of Rossiglione Inferiore and Rossiglione Superiore, enjoyed a certain autonomy, and the two towns were administered separately.
During the Modern Age, the Oltregiogo was the scene of battles. When, in 1625, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy tried to take Genoa from behind, he did not spare Rossiglione.
In the next century, the town suffered the invasion of the Austrians, against whom the population rose up, and then the passage of Napoleonic troops, especially when directed to besiege Genoa in the spring of 1800.
In the second half of the 19th century, the textile industry developed here. In 1869, a cotton spinning mill with cloth factory was founded, employing about 200 people. A few years later, knight Ambrogio Figari founded another cotton mill, which, later, became part of the Cotonificio Ligure company.
During World War II, Rossiglione suffered bombings and reprisals, and was the scene of the War of Liberation: its population was very active in the partisan struggle, so much so that Sandro Pertini, once he became president of the Republic, awarded the municipality the Military Cross for valor.
What to see in Rossiglione
- CHIESA PARROCCHIALE DI SANTA CATERINA DA ALESSANDRIA
- ORATORIO DI SANTA CATERINA
- ORATORIO DI NOSTRA SIGNORA ASSUNTA
- MUSEO DEL PASSATEMPO
- PONTE SUL TORRENTE GARGASSA
The original building was constructed in the 15th century. In the early seventeenth century, the church was almost completely rebuilt, and again consecrated in 1609.
With three naves, it has three altars and four chapels inside. The high altar is crowned by a sculpture of Our Lady of the Rosary attributed to Filippo Parodi of Genoa; the side altars, dating from the second half of the 18th century, are dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph. The works kept inside the church are: the 18th-century processional chest depicting Our Lady of the Angels, attributed to Anton Maria Maragliano and his workshop; the white marble baptismal font, datable to the late 16th and early 17th centuries; The Assumption of the Virgin by painter Bernardo Castello (1621); the Visitation by Simone Balli, the 17th-century; the Virgin and Saints by Giuseppe Palmieri (18th century).
Built in 1611, it houses several 18th-century processional objects and 17th-century canvases. These include: the processional chest depicting the martyrdom of St. Catherine and that of St. Anthony of Padua; the statue of the Immaculate Conception and that of St. Anthony, both attributed to Giovanni Maraglino, nephew of the more famous Anton Maria.
The first documentary mention dates back to 1585 and is found in the account of the apostolic visit of the bishop of Viterbo Monsignor Montigli, who noted that the oratory was the home of the Confraternity of the Disciplined, which was suppressed, in 1805, by Napoleonic laws. The significance of this building is given above all by the cycle of frescoes executed on the facade by the Genoese painter Andrea Semino, in 1586, depicting the stories of the Virgin and Jesus.
The museum was born out of the passion of a couple of collectors of vintage objects, and thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Rossiglione and the Province of Genoa, the ever-expanding collection has been able to take the form of a real journey through the Italy of the last century, first rural and gradually becoming more and more computerized: vintage motorcycles, agricultural tools, the first radios, the first household appliances, the first televisions, the Lambretta, the folding Graziella, the Apple computer, the Coomodor, the first cell phones…
In one room, a classroom from the 1950s has been reproduced with vintage materials. In the room dedicated to Olivetti, you can have fun tapping the keys of the legendary Lettera 22.
The highlight for children is the toy section: constructions, cars, toy soldiers, toy trains, goose game, bicycles, tricycles, dolls and puppets, and the legendary working Sweet Oven.
There are also reconstructions of some commercial service environments that actually existed in the village, such as the bicyclist’s store and the motorcycle mechanic’s store.
Above the Gargassa stream is an ancient bridge, built in 1599, which, originally included two parts that no longer exist, namely a gate and a third arch.



















