Five hamlets above the sea between Bonassola and Deiva: a station on the rocks, coves, the Via del Mare, a tunnel bike path to Levanto and old towers.
Welcome to Framura
Framura is a village of fewer than 600 people in the province of La Spezia, between Deiva Marina and Bonassola, just a few stops up the line from the Cinque Terre. It has no real centre. It is made up of five hamlets scattered down a steep hillside: Castagnola at the top, then Costa, Setta and Ravecca, and Anzo on the sea, where you find the train station and the tiny harbour. Narrow lanes, mule tracks and stone steps link them through olive groves and woods.
Don’t expect a seafront promenade or a long sandy beach. Framura is about dark rocks and small coves, a walkway built on the cliffs, a flat cycle and walking path in the old railway tunnels, and hilltop hamlets with watchtowers and old churches. It belongs to the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” (Italy’s most beautiful villages) and in 2026 two of its beaches, Vallà–Apicchi and Fornaci, have the Blue Flag.
It suits travellers who want clear water and quiet more than convenience. Come by train: the station sits right above the sea, and regional trains reach Levanto in under ten minutes and the first Cinque Terre villages soon after. One day is enough for the coves and the cycle path; two or three days let you add the upper hamlets and the trails.
Framura is in Liguria (Riviera di Levante, province of La Spezia).
What to see
You can explore Framura from the top down or from the sea up. The provincial road from Deiva Marina passes the hamlets in this order: Castagnola, Costa, Setta, Ravecca and finally Anzo on the coast. The distances are short but the road is all hairpins; on foot, stone stairways cut straight through the bends. If you arrive by train, start at the sea and only climb if you have the legs and the time.
Framura station opened in 1874 and is one of the most dramatic stops on the Genoa–La Spezia line: it sits low above the water, squeezed between the rock and the tunnels. Step off the train and the sea is a few minutes away. From the station area the Via del Mare walkway leads to the beaches, and there is access to the cycle path towards Bonassola and Levanto. The municipal tourist information point is in the station too.
Framura’s porticciolo is a natural rocky inlet sheltered by the big Ciamia rock, where fishermen pull their wooden boats ashore. By car you can drive to the end of the road down to the sea, where a small car park sits just before the tunnel; from the cycle path, a staircase and a lift bring you down to the harbour. On the first Sunday of August it hosts the village’s religious festival, with a boat procession to the rock and fireworks in the evening.
Anzo is the hamlet closest to the sea. It was a fortified village with walls, a small castle and a watchtower built by the Republic of Genoa in the 16th century against Barbary pirate raids. In the 19th century its old houses were restored and Anzo became a summer retreat with villas and Mediterranean gardens. The neo-Gothic church of Nostra Signora della Neve holds paintings from the 16th to the 18th century.
Above the cove of Porto Pidocchio, towards Bonassola, a cluster of red houses steps down the hillside. These are the Case Rosse, designed by the Milanese architect Vico Magistretti and built between the 1960s and the early 1970s: a rare piece of signature modern architecture on the Ligurian coast, shaped to follow the land rather than cover it. They are private homes, so you see them from outside, ideally from the cycle path and the cove below.
Ravecca sits just above Anzo. It grew when local noble families needed room for bigger houses, which is why its medieval homes are larger than usual and surrounded by terraced gardens. The chapel of Santi Bernardo e Pasquale is private. Walk through it on your way up to Setta.
Setta is the seat of the town council and is considered the finest hamlet architecturally. Look out for medieval masonry, arches in local Levanto stone, 12th-century double-arched windows and small hanging gardens between the houses. It also has a 16th-century Genoese watchtower. The late-18th-century chapel of San Rocco has neoclassical decoration and a painting of the Madonna and Child with Saints Roch and Nicholas.
Costa sits on the ridge, watching both the sea and the hills inland. Its landmark is a lookout tower of Carolingian origin, from the 9th century according to local historical sources, later turned into the bell tower of the parish church of San Martino. The church is first mentioned in 1128, when it was linked to the monks of San Colombano in Bobbio; it was remodelled in the 15th and 16th centuries but keeps Romanesque parts. Inside is the Madonna of the Rosary by Bernardo Strozzi, one of the leading painters of 17th-century Genoa. Opening times are irregular, so ask at the tourist office about visiting the interior.
Around the church, Costa is a tangle of stone lanes. A plaque dates the old ospitale, a hospice for travellers and pilgrims on the way between the coast and the interior, to 27 December 1400. One theory even says the name Framura comes from “infra murle”, inside the walls of Costa.
Castagnola is the highest hamlet, close to the old Via Aurelia. Its parish church of San Lorenzo, documented in the 13th century and rebuilt several times, holds a Deposition by Luca Cambiaso, the great 16th-century Genoese painter. Landslides have destroyed part of the old village, but the position gives the widest view over the sea and the hamlets below.
Opened in 2016, the Via del Mare is a pedestrian walkway of less than a kilometre built along the cliffs. It starts from the station underpass and leads to the beaches of Torsei, Vallà and Arena, with the sea right below your feet most of the way. Some stretches have no railings and it closes in rough seas, so keep an eye on small children.
Sea
Framura’s beaches are small, mostly pebbles and rocks, with clear water that gets deep quickly. From east to west you find Porto Pidocchio, the harbour, Torsei, Vallà, Arena and Fornaci. Torsei, small and pebbly with a kiosk, is the nearest to the station. Vallà, a little sandy inlet behind breakwaters, and Arena, the widest bay, are free beaches you can only reach on foot along the Via del Mare. Fornaci, on the border with Deiva Marina, is the one with beach facilities and the only easy one by car. Vallà–Apicchi and Fornaci have the 2026 Blue Flag.
Bring water, an umbrella and water shoes: there are almost no services on the free beaches. How to reach each cove, which one to pick with kids and where it is quietest: see our guide to the beaches of Framura.
Where to stay
There are no big hotels in Framura. Accommodation is mostly apartments, B&Bs, guest rooms and holiday homes in the hamlets, plus a few farm stays in the hills. Where to stay depends on how you get around.
From June to September book early: places are small and fill up fast.
Getting there
Leave the A12 Genoa–Livorno motorway at Deiva Marina, follow the SP65 for about 3 km to Piazza, then the SP41 towards Levanto through Castagnola, Costa, Setta, Ravecca and down to Anzo. The road is narrow and winding. If you are coming from Sestri Levante or Moneglia, do not rely on the coastal tunnel road: it has been closed since 2025 and is not expected to reopen before 2027. Use the motorway or the Via Aurelia.
Framura station is on the Genoa–La Spezia line and is served by regional trains, with more connections from Genoa than from La Spezia. If you travel by Intercity, change at Sestri Levante or La Spezia. Levanto is 7–9 minutes away and Monterosso about 15 minutes on direct trains. Timetables on Trenitalia.
A local bus links the station with the upper hamlets of Setta, Ravecca and Costa. Services are few and change between summer and winter: check current times on the ATC La Spezia website or at the tourist office in the station.
The nearest airport is Genoa, about 80 km away; Pisa is about 120 km. From Genoa the train runs straight to Framura; from Pisa change at La Spezia.
Parking near the sea is very limited: a few spaces near the station, at the harbour at the end of the road down to the sea, and near Torsei and Fornaci beaches. There is a little more room up in Anzo, Setta and Ravecca. In July and August, come by train, or leave the car in Deiva Marina or Levanto and do the last stretch by rail.
By car
A12, Deiva Marina exit, then SP65 and SP41; narrow road, little parking by the sea
By train
Framura station by the sea (Genoa–La Spezia line), regional trains; Levanto in 7–9 minutes
By plane
Genoa (about 80 km) or Pisa (about 120 km), then train
The guide
The original railway ran right along the coast. When it was moved inland in the early 1970s, the old line became a flat, paved cycle and walking path of about 5–6 km linking Framura with Bonassola and Levanto. Most of it runs through tunnels, with openings onto coves and rocks. You can walk it, cycle it or push a buggy along it; bikes can be hired in Bonassola and Levanto. It stays cool in the tunnels even in August. Check for closures before you go, especially out of season.
Direct regional trains from Framura reach Levanto in about 7–9 minutes and Monterosso in about a quarter of an hour; some services need a change in Levanto. In 2026, from 14 March to 1 November, the special Cinque Terre fare applies between Levanto and La Spezia: 5 to 10 euros per single ride depending on the period, or the Cinque Terre Card Treno for unlimited day travel. Framura is outside that section, so check which ticket you need on the Trenitalia Cinque Terre page. Staying here is a quiet alternative to sleeping in the five villages.
The cooking is typical of the eastern Riviera, from both the sea and the hills: tagliolini with mussels, vegetable or anchovy polpettone (a baked loaf), breaded rabbit and friscioi, fritters with courgette flowers. To drink, the Vermentino-based wines of the Colline di Levanto. On the last Saturday of August the Festa del Turista usually offers a food walk through the hamlets.
A dense network of paths and mule tracks connects the hamlets with each other and with the sea. The most popular:
The trails are steep and very hot in summer: start early, wear hiking shoes and carry water. Before setting off, check the official Ligurian hiking network and weather alerts on Allerta Liguria.
Weather
June and September for swimming; spring and autumn for trails and the bike path
Forecast: MET Norway (Yr), CC BY 4.0 licence. Updated hourly.
Framura weather: 10-day forecast and climate →
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea | Off season | Off season | Off season | Off season | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Possible | Off season | Off season |
| Sightseeing and hiking | Possible | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Possible | Possible |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Few people | Few people | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Few people | Quiet | Quiet |
| Don't miss | Harbour festival | San Martino | ||||||||||
IdealGoodPossibleOff season
Crowds:QuietFew peopleBusyVery busy
FAQ
No. Framura lies north-west of Levanto, between Bonassola and Deiva Marina. Part of its land, Monte Serro, is inside the Cinque Terre protected area.
Five: Castagnola, Costa, Setta, Ravecca and Anzo. The town hall is in Setta; the station and harbour are in Anzo.
The station is right above the sea: Torsei is a few minutes away, the harbour is reached from the cycle path and the Via del Mare leads to Vallà and Arena.
It depends: Arena is the widest bay, Vallà a small sandy inlet, Fornaci the easiest and best equipped. Vallà–Apicchi and Fornaci have the 2026 Blue Flag.
About 5–6 km, flat and mostly in tunnels, passing through Bonassola.
Yes, from the Deiva Marina exit of the A12, but the road is narrow and parking by the sea is scarce. In summer the train is better.
No. It has been closed since 2025 and is not expected to reopen before 2027. Use the motorway to Deiva Marina or the train.
Yes, if you want quiet: Monterosso is about 15 minutes by direct train. You get fewer services than in Levanto but calmer evenings.
One day for the beaches, the Via del Mare and the cycle path; two or three days to add the upper hamlets, the trails and a Cinque Terre day trip.
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