{"id":53508,"date":"2026-09-30T16:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/savona\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:06:21","slug":"savona","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/savona\/","title":{"rendered":"Savona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Savona is a provincial capital on the Italian Riviera, a working port city of about 58,000 people some 40 kilometres west of Genoa. It is not a picture-postcard village: it is a real city, with a commercial harbour, a compact old town and a 16th-century fortress overlooking the seafront. That is exactly what makes it easy: everything worth seeing is within walking distance and fits into a single day.<\/p>\n

For many visitors Savona is first of all a cruise port. Costa Cruises’ Palacrociere terminal sits on the Calata delle Vele, right next to the old harbour: step off the ship and in five to ten minutes on foot you are under the Torretta at the start of via Paleocapa. If you only have a few hours ashore, follow our step-by-step plan in Savona in one day on a cruise stop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stay longer and you find an art city that few guidebooks cover properly. Two Della Rovere popes, Sixtus IV and Julius II, left their mark here, including a funeral chapel locals call the “Sistine Chapel”; ceramics have been made here for centuries; and the food has two specialities you will hardly find anywhere else, white farinata and chinotto. Savona is also a practical base by train: Varazze<\/a>, Noli<\/a> and Finale Ligure<\/a> are a short ride away, and Genoa<\/a> about an hour.<\/p>\n

What to see in Savona<\/h2>\n
\"Savona<\/figure>\n

The old town lies between the old harbour, the Priamar Fortress and piazza Mameli. Distances are short: from the Torretta to the Priamar takes less than ten minutes on foot. Always check opening times for the museums and the Sistine Chapel before you go, as they change often and some sites open only at weekends.<\/p>\n

Priamar Fortress<\/h3>\n
\"Priamar<\/figure>\n

The huge fortress on the headland west of the harbour is the city’s landmark. The Republic of Genoa started building it in 1542, after conquering Savona in 1528, and flattened the medieval quarter on the hill to make room for it, old cathedral included. It was built less to defend Savona than to keep it under control.<\/p>\n

In the 19th century the Priamar became a prison. Giuseppe Mazzini, one of the fathers of Italian unification, was held here in 1830\u20131831. Today the bastions, courtyards and walkways host museums, exhibitions and summer events, and the ramparts give one of the best views over the port and the sea.<\/p>\n

The Priamar museums<\/h3>\n
\"Civic<\/figure>\n

There are two museums inside the fortress. The Archaeological and City Museum tells the story of Savona from prehistory to the Middle Ages through finds dug up on the headland itself, ceramics included. In the Palazzo della Loggia, the Sandro Pertini and Renata Cuneo Museum shows the art collection donated by the Italian president, born in the province of Savona, together with sculptures by the Savona artist Renata Cuneo.<\/p>\n

Opening times, tickets and guided tours of the fortress are on the Savona Archaeological Museum website<\/a>. Note that the civic art gallery is not here, but at Palazzo Gavotti in the town centre.<\/p>\n

Leon Pancaldo Tower (the Torretta)<\/h3>\n
\"Leon<\/figure>\n

The small tower on the harbour, known simply as the “Torretta”, is the last piece of the medieval walls that closed the city towards the sea. It is documented from 1392 and was spared in 1527, when Genoa pulled down the walls. On the fa\u00e7ade you can see the coat of arms of the Republic of Genoa, painted in the 18th century.<\/p>\n

It is named after Leon Pancaldo, a Savona navigator who sailed with Magellan on the first voyage around the world. It is the natural starting point for a visit: via Paleocapa begins here, and the old harbour is a few steps away.<\/p>\n

Old harbour and Brandale Tower<\/h3>\n
\"Torre<\/figure>\n

The Vecchia Darsena is the historic harbour, with fishing boats, pleasure craft, bars and restaurants along the quays. It is where locals come for an evening aperitivo and where many open-air events are held in summer.<\/p>\n

Behind the quays rise the medieval towers. The tallest is the Brandale Tower, from the 12th century and about 50 metres high: it holds the “Campanassa”, the bell that once called the city together, and with the Corsi and Guarnieri towers and the Palazzo degli Anziani it forms the heart of medieval Savona.<\/p>\n

Via Paleocapa and via Pia<\/h3>\n

Via Paleocapa is the main street: it runs from the Torretta up towards piazza del Popolo under long arcades lined with shops and old caf\u00e9s. Look up, as many buildings are Art Nouveau. The best known is the Palazzo dei Pavoni from 1912, decorated with peacocks and floral motifs. Along the street stands the 18th-century church of Sant’Andrea, with an onion-domed bell tower.<\/p>\n

Running parallel to the harbour, via Pia is the medieval lane of the old town: narrow, with small shops, focaccia bakeries and carved stone doorways. It links the cathedral area with the towers.<\/p>\n

Cathedral of Nostra Signora Assunta<\/h3>\n

The cathedral was built between 1589 and 1605 to replace the one demolished on the Priamar; the fa\u00e7ade and dome were only completed in the 19th century. Inside are a Renaissance marble pulpit, works from the old cathedral and the wooden choir commissioned by Pope Julius II and finished in 1521.<\/p>\n

Sistine Chapel of Savona<\/h3>\n
\"Baroque<\/figure>\n

Next to the cathedral, on the cloister of the former San Francesco convent, is the chapel that Pope Sixtus IV, Francesco Della Rovere, had built in 1481\u20131483 as a mausoleum for his parents. It is far smaller than the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which is named after the same pope, and has nothing to do with Michelangelo.<\/p>\n

The 15th-century marble tomb of the pope’s parents survives intact. The rest was redone in 1762\u20131764 in Rococo style, with stucco, light-coloured frescoes and an organ from 1764. Opening hours are limited, mostly at weekends, with special openings on some summer evenings: check before you go.<\/p>\n

Civic Art Gallery<\/h3>\n
\"Arcaded<\/figure>\n

At Palazzo Gavotti, in piazza Chabrol, the Pinacoteca civica traces art in Savona and Liguria from the 14th to the 20th century, from medieval panels to Renaissance and Baroque paintings and a modern section. It shares its entrance and ticket office with the Ceramics Museum.<\/p>\n

Ceramics Museum<\/h3>\n
\"Exhibition<\/figure>\n

On via Aonzo, a few steps from the gallery, the Ceramics Museum opened in 2014 and displays majolica and pottery from Savona and Albisola from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. If you like ceramics, it is the right stop before heading to Albisola. Opening times and tickets are on the Ceramics Museum website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Piazza Mameli and the 6 pm ritual<\/h3>\n
\"War<\/figure>\n

Every day at 6 pm something surprising happens in piazza Mameli: the bell of the war memorial strikes 21 times and the square comes to a halt. Pedestrians, cyclists and often drivers stay still until the last stroke, in memory of the fallen of all wars. If you are in town at that hour, be there.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Misericordia<\/h3>\n
\"Sanctuary<\/figure>\n

About 6 kilometres from the centre, in the Letimbro valley, the sanctuary stands where, according to tradition, the Virgin appeared to a farmer, Antonio Botta, on 18 March 1536. It is the shrine of Savona’s patron saint, celebrated every year on 18 March. Reach it by car or city bus: it makes a good half-day once you have seen the centre.<\/p>\n

Beaches in Savona<\/h2>\n
\"Savona<\/figure>\n

Savona has several kilometres of coast with free beaches and beach clubs. There are three main areas: the beach below the Priamar, the closest to the centre; Fornaci, to the south-west, with a long stretch of sand and a seafront promenade; and Zinola, towards Vado Ligure, with a free beach equipped with a bar, showers and accessible changing rooms. In summer the free beaches have toilets.<\/p>\n

The sand is mixed with shingle and beach clubs fill up at summer weekends. For clearer water on a day trip, take the train or drive to Bergeggi<\/a>, with its island and marine reserve, or to Varigotti<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What to eat in Savona<\/h2>\n