At the corner between Via d'Aste and Via Oddo, right in front of the church of Santa Maria in Fontibus, stands the Cazzulini Tower : 21 metres high, it is the first one we encounter when entering from Piazza del Popolo.
Built in the first half of the 13th century, it is a perfect example of the period's civil architecture, with a stone base and brick walls. A fig or olive tree once grew on the top, so much so that documents described it as a small hanging garden.
The Cazzulini family , from which it takes its name, has been documented in Albenga since the 12th century. Their name may derive from Caso (now Madonna della Guardia) or from the dialect term "cazzulin," meaning wooden ladle, also present in their coat of arms.
They were allies of the Clavesana family and administered inland territories such as Arnasco, Cenesi, and Ortovero. By 1222, three members of the family already sat on the City Council. Another member, Aicardo Cazzulini, thanks to his ties to the Embriaci family, obtained the Castellania of Riveraro, becoming lord of several villages.
Today the tower is used as a private residence.
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