The first mention of Gignese, then Zinexium, is from 1269: a document names one Braga de Zinexio who paid a rent to the monastery of Arona. Today's comune dates from 1928, when Gignese, Vezzo and Nocco came together with the residential district of Alpino; the coat of arms carries the Mottarone and three thistles for the communities that merged.
From the early nineteenth century the seasonal emigrants of the Vergante went about making umbrellas: they were the lusciàt, with their own jargon, the tarùsc; the umbrella and parasol museum gathers their work. The parish church of San Maurizio opens onto the square with a frescoed portico and a stone bell tower.
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📅 Every year, on the first Sunday of January
Gignese celebrates its patron Saint Maurice on the first Sunday of January; the saint has been venerated in the town since 1665, when relics arrived from Rome.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Gignese, but an easy day trip away.
