Piazza dei Leoni is the most characteristic square of the city. It is paved according to the typical cobblestone system of Albenga and owes its name to the three stone lions placed in the sixteenth century for ornamental reasons by a member of the Costa family, owners of the houses that overlooked the site. It is dominated on one side by the apse of the Cathedral, on the other the Costa - Del Carretto di Balestrino house stands out, restored in 1963 and now the seat of the rectory. From this rises the Costa tower with its splendid Ghibelline battlements

The square is closed by Palazzo Balestrino , one of the few in Albenga built from scratch and not the result of complex mergers. It dates back to the Renaissance period and is decorated inside with busts and tombstones. One of these, of considerable historical value, celebrates the reconstruction of the Roman city by general Constantius in the fifth century AD. C .. Since 1954, after the bequest of the last heir of the Marquises del Carretto di Balestrino to the Curia, the palace has been the Episcopal seat. Of the Marchesi the coat of arms with the letters FOCDCMDB that prof. Lamboglia interpreted as follows: Fecit Octavianus Costa De Carreto Brand De Balestrino (Work of Ottaviano Costa Del Carretto Marquis of Balestrino)

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