Cogoleto
Cogoleto: a charming village on the Riviera di Ponente
Cogoleto, also known as ''Cogoeuo'' in the Ligurian language, is a small municipality located along the Riviera di Ponente, west of Genoa. With its 8536 inhabitants, Cogoleto is a charming village immersed in nature, where the seascape blends with the hills that rise to the east.
The territory of Cogoleto
The municipal territory extends over a total area of 20.72 km² and is included within the regional natural park of Beigua. Among the peaks of the territory stand out Bric Damè, Rocca Fontanassa, Mount Rama and Rocca del Lago, all reachable on foot thanks to the numerous trails that cross the park.
The geology of Cogoleto
The geology of Cogoleto belongs to the paleographic-structural unit of the Piedmontese area and is part of the geological complex called Voltri Group. The municipal territory mainly presents effusive rocks composed mainly of ophiolites with Alpine metamorphism, such as serpentinite, prasinite and metagabbro, as well as calc-schist. To the north of Lerca, there are instead Pliocene transgressive sediments, such as marl and clastic sedimentary rock.
The climate of Cogoleto
Protected by the Ligurian Apennines and bathed by the Ligurian Sea, Cogoleto enjoys a particularly mild climate. Summer temperatures are not excessively high and winter temperatures are not at all rigid. According to the data of the thirty-year average of reference 1961-1990 of the Varazze meteorological station, the average annual temperature of Cogoleto is around 15°C, with an average of +7.5°C in the coldest month (January) and +22.9°C in the warmest month (July). The municipality belongs to the D climate zone.
The origins of the name of Cogoleto
According to the oldest document, the locality is mentioned with the name Codoledo. However, local tradition even supports the idea that the village gave birth to the famous navigator Christopher Columbus. Some historians also support this theory, but there are no documents to confirm it. Whatever the truth may be, Cogoleto is a location that captivates us with its natural beauty and its millennia-old history.
