Castle of Calice al Cornoviglio, Medieval fortification in Calice al Cornoviglio, Italy

The Doria-Malaspina castle stands on via Castello above the village of Calice al Cornoviglio, in the middle and lower Val di Vara, province of La Spezia. The former defensive building now houses municipal and tourist offices and the environmental education centre of the Montemarcello-Magra regional park; its other two floors hold the beekeeping museum, the David Beghè picture gallery and the small Pietro Rosa museum.

A first fortification or residence on the site is documented in acts dated 1077, probably an Obertenghi outpost. The Malaspina held it from the 13th century; after occupation by Gualtiero II, bishop-count of Luni, a 1206 arbitration restored the castrum calisi to Guglielmo and Corrado Malaspina. In 1547 the Republic of Genoa enfeoffed it to the Doria after Gian Luigi Fieschi's conspiracy, and a later Placidia Doria turned it into a residential palazzo.

The castle displays rooms that reveal how noble families lived and governed across generations. Visitors can observe the spaces where daily life and administrative decisions took place.

The site requires climbing stairs to reach the castle at the top of the slope. Limited parking is available in the nearby village, so arriving early helps secure a spot.

A dedicated museum in the basement displays beekeeping tools and knowledge from the region's long history with honey production. This collection reveals how the castle connected to the daily activities of its surrounding community.