Varese Ligure is the town farthest inland of the Val di Vara and preserves an important architectonic and historic heritage. Once a Byzantine castrum, the town reached its greatest splendour during the Middle Ages, under the rule of the Fieschi family, as a passage between the coast and the Padana Plain and as a seat of commerce. The ancient town center preserves the round structure designed by Nicolò Fieschi to protect the heart of the borough: Piazza Fieschi, which during the summer is a charming theatre for an opera festival and different entertainments. The castle, which has undergone several changes in the course of the centuries, is privately owned.