Finalborgo still today preserves the prosperity of the chief town of the marquisate of the Finale, a period recollected in the charming historical evocations that animate life in the summer. The marquisate was founded by Marquis Enrico I Del Carretto (who died in 1185). The Del Carrettos governed the place for about three centuries, and they built Castel Gavone, the ring of walls, noble palaces and religious buildings. In 1449 the Genoese razed the village to the ground, but it was rebuilt by Marquis Giovanni I Del Carretto in 1452. From this period there date the walls and the gates, still intact; Castel Gavone was also rebuilt, and it stands out from far off with the Torre del Diamante (Diamond Tower). In 1598 the marquisate was sold to Spain, which valorised the important strategic crossroads, creating new communication routes like the Beretta Road, restructuring the defensive system and building the San Giovanni Fort. In the eighteenth century dominion went to the old enemy, the Republic of Genoa, which destroyed Castel Gavone. After various vicissitudes, in 1795, with the arrival of the French, the marquisate was abolished; Finale followed the fate of the Ligurian Republic, then that of the Savoys and of the Kingdom of Italy. Along the paved streets of Finalborgo, animated by craft workshops and lively shops, there are sumptuous buildings. The grandiose medieval complex of the former Santa Caterina convent, with two Renaissance cloisters, today houses the Finale Civic Museum. The San Biagio Basilica is a magnificent example of Baroque architecture.