Bolano sits on a low ridge where the Vara meets the Magra, looking south across the broad floodplain toward La Spezia. The village is mentioned in records as early as the year 963 and has the characteristic Ligurian layout: a narrow main street climbing a spine, tall narrow houses on either side, and a parish church at the top with views back down the valley.
There is no major sight to detain you for long, but Bolano is a sensible first or last stop on a drive up the Vara — easy to combine with one of the small wineries that grow the honest, cheap reds the area is known for.