Around the year 1000 the city San Colombano was known as Benbelia, a name that derives from Binbelli, one of the populi ligures celeberninimentioned by Pliny. Documents of  the tenth century from the city of Bobbio mention the monastic cells of Scaona, Benbelia, Monte, Vinealis, Romalio and Plecherio, a sign of intense activity of the St. Columban monks. On the local scene then appeared the lords of Lavagna, but soon Genoa subdued the area under his rule. In 1672 from Calvari began an act of rebellion. The families Torre di Calvari, Chiavari and Rapallo, related to each other, organized with the help of the House of Savoy and the Genoese nobleman Raffaele della Torre a small army with the task of entering in Genoa and seize the city. Un'altra Another famous story was the revolt of the "Vivamaria" in 1797, prelude to the general uprising of 1800 against Napoleon's army.

Source www.metropolis.it