The patron saint of Villanova d'Albenga is Saint Stephen, celebrated on 26 December. The church of Santo Stefano di Cavatorio, on the plateau of the same name near the cemetery, was built in Romanesque style in the 12th century and modified several times over the following centuries; it is flanked by a spired bell tower with 13th-century mullioned windows.
The town of Villanova was founded on 7 December 1250 by decree of the municipality of Albenga, for anti-feudal reasons against the neighbouring rule of the marquises of Clavesana; the walls and defensive towers that still encircle it, within which the statutes required residents to live, remain well preserved in several places.
