Garessio is the starting point for the paths that cross the Ligurian Alps and lead to its peaks. In summer, Mount Galero, the Antoroto, the Berlin, and the Bric Mindino, can easily be reached by crossing expanses of an Alpine flora that expresses all its powerful beauty. In winter, snow brings crowds of avid skiers to the slopes of the Stazione di Garessio 2000 ski station.

The lush vegetation they find when they get there always leaves them spellbound. For the local inhabitants, the forest has a thousand different meanings: the scent of the finest mushrooms, the refined flavor of the small chestnuts, known as Garessine, and the slow flow of daily life with its seasonal rhythms, all form the foundations of an economy and a peasant culture that they strive to hold on to.

The fresh, light and pure water of Garessio has made the town famous all over the world. Water from the Rocciaviva di Garessio and San Bernardo springs has been used there for therapeutic purposes for over 100 years. Initially it aimed at an elite class of tourism while now it has a wider use.

The Royal Decree issued by the House of Savoy in 1870 classed Garessio as a city. In its hamlets, the town boasts many splendid architectural testimonies of its past, like the Complesso Medievale del Borgo Maggiore, with the remains of its Castello and the city walls, the Confraternità di San Giovanni, the churches and the Santuario di Valsorda, the decorations and the portals of the houses in the Borgata del Poggiolo, the characteristic buildings and the bridge that gives its name to the most vibrant area, the economic and commercial heart of the city that runs along the Tanaro.

A few kilometres from the town centre, we find the Castello Reale di Casotto. Originally a Carthusian monastery, it was bought by the House of Savoy and transformed into a summer residence and hunting lodge: the design masterfully combined the simplicity of a former convent with the monumental style worthy of a Savoy residence. Recently reopened after years of restoration, it offers the visitor the opportunity to admire furnishings and paintings that belonged to the Savoy family.