{"id":53932,"date":"2026-09-30T17:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/lavagna\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:02:57","slug":"lavagna","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-levante\/lavagna\/","title":{"rendered":"Lavagna"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lavagna is a seaside town on the Gulf of Tigullio, on the Riviera di Levante, between Chiavari and Sestri Levante. It has a long sandy beach split between the town centre and the village of Cavi, one of the largest marinas in the Mediterranean, an old centre of arcades and narrow lanes and, above the rooftops, a Baroque basilica reached by a grand flight of steps. Around 12,400 people live here, and the beaches hold a Blue Flag in 2026.<\/p>\n

If the name sounds familiar to Italian speakers, there is a reason: “lavagna” is the Italian word for slate, and the stone took its name from this town. In the Middle Ages Lavagna belonged to the Fieschi, a family of counts who gave the Church two popes, Innocent IV and Adrian V. You will find them everywhere: in the Basilica dei Fieschi on the hill behind town, and in the Torta dei Fieschi, the 14 August festival where a giant cake is shared out to people who find their “match” in the crowd.<\/p>\n

Lavagna works well as a base for a beach holiday with day trips. It sits on the Genoa\u2013La Spezia railway, so Sestri Levante and Chiavari are a few minutes away, Santa Margherita and Rapallo about half an hour, and the Cinque Terre and Portofino are easy day trips. It is quieter and usually cheaper than the big names of the gulf.<\/p>\n

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

The centre is easy to cover on foot in half a day. Start at the station, walk down to the sea through the arcades, climb to the basilica and finish with a stroll along the seafront to the marina. Allow another half day for the Basilica dei Fieschi and Santa Giulia.<\/p>\n

Basilica of Santo Stefano and its steps<\/h3>\n
\"Basilica<\/figure>\n

The town’s landmark is a Baroque church with twin bell towers, set high above Piazza Marconi and reached by a sweeping staircase. A parish church stood here as early as the 10th century; the present building was rebuilt around 1653 under Giovanni Battista Ghiso, and the two towers were finished in 1657. It has been a minor basilica since 1921.<\/p>\n

Inside are three naves with stucco work and altars. From the steps and the terrace above the arcade on Piazza Marconi you look out over the rooftops of the old town. If you would rather skip the stairs, the Porticato Bignardello (1897) climbs to the monumental cemetery behind the church, with 19th-century marble tombs.<\/p>\n

Torre del Borgo<\/h3>\n
\"Torre<\/figure>\n

In the heart of the old town, on Via XX Settembre, the Torre del Borgo is an old defensive tower built against pirate raids and possibly linked to the Fieschi; its exact date is uncertain. Over time it was also a home with a private chapel. Today it houses the “Alloisio” civic archaeological collection and the Slate Gallery of local sculptor Francesco Dallorso, the best place to see what can be carved from this stone. At Christmas it hosts a nativity scene showing old Lavagna.<\/p>\n

Opening is limited, usually on some summer evenings, so check with the town’s tourist office before you go.<\/p>\n

Palazzo Franzoni<\/h3>\n
\"Palazzo<\/figure>\n

Lavagna’s town hall occupies a noble palace from 1696 with a painted fa\u00e7ade. French troops took it over in 1797 and it later served as a hospital during cholera epidemics. In 1931 the town bought it through a public subscription. You see it from the outside: it is a working office, not a museum.<\/p>\n

Casa Carbone<\/h3>\n
\"Period<\/figure>\n

At Via Riboli 14, right in the centre, Casa Carbone is a house museum run by FAI, the Italian National Trust. It is a mid-19th-century middle-class home left as it was, with furniture, paintings, ceramics and objects from the 17th to the 20th century. It is small and takes under an hour, but it shows well how a well-off Tigullio family lived.<\/p>\n

In 2026 it opens on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings in spring and autumn, with summer evening openings in the garden; a full ticket costs \u20ac5. Check the calendar on the FAI website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The arcades and lanes of the old town<\/h3>\n

The old town is a short walk from both the station and the sea. Main streets such as Via Roma are lined with long arcades full of shops; between them run narrow lanes, carved slate doorways and small squares. Piazza della Libert\u00e0 and Piazza Vittorio Veneto are the meeting points, and on the evening of 14 August they fill up for the Torta dei Fieschi.<\/p>\n

The marina<\/h3>\n
\"Lavagna<\/figure>\n

Lavagna’s marina is one of the largest in the Mediterranean, with around 1,500 berths for boats from 8 to 51 metres, protected by a breakwater more than a kilometre long. Since 2026 it has been run under a 50-year concession by an investment fund that plans major works and will rename it “Marina di Lavagna”, so expect some building sites in the coming years.<\/p>\n

If you don’t own a boat, it is mainly a place for a walk: bars, restaurants, yachts to look at and views across to Chiavari and the Portofino promontory.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary of Nostra Signora del Ponte<\/h3>\n

Near the Entella river, at the foot of an old bridge, stands this sanctuary consecrated in 1492, with a 40-metre neo-Gothic bell tower. It is a quick stop on the way to the Basilica dei Fieschi or along the river walk.<\/p>\n

Basilica dei Fieschi at San Salvatore<\/h3>\n

On the hill behind Lavagna, a few kilometres away in San Salvatore (part of the municipality of Cogorno), is the most important church linked to the Fieschi. Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, had it built from 1244, and work was completed in 1252. It is a rare example of the shift from Romanesque to Gothic: a central nave with sturdy columns, pointed arches, a rose window and a massive square bell tower above the apse. Local slate plays a leading role in the architecture.<\/p>\n

Opposite the church, the Palazzo Comitale dei Fieschi hosts exhibitions and events. Opening times for the basilica are not published reliably: go in the morning or ask at the parish. From Lavagna it is a few minutes by car, or a walk along the Entella.<\/p>\n

Santa Giulia di Centaura<\/h3>\n

Santa Giulia is a hillside hamlet with a 17th-century church and an ancient holm oak in front of it. From the churchyard you see the whole Gulf of Tigullio, from the Sestri Levante headland to the Portofino promontory. It is the best view in Lavagna, especially at sunset.<\/p>\n

You can drive up on narrow roads or walk from the station on a steep climb along lanes and mule tracks (follow the yellow signs for Santa Giulia and the red dot waymarks). Allow about an hour uphill.<\/p>\n

The Entella river mouth<\/h3>\n
\"Entella<\/figure>\n

The Entella separates Lavagna from Chiavari. At its mouth is a small wetland where herons, black-winged stilts, kingfishers and other migrating birds stop in spring and autumn. The riverside path is flat, suitable for bikes and buggies, and leads inland towards Cogorno.<\/p>\n

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

Lavagna’s shoreline runs for more than 3 km and is almost all sand, one of the longest stretches on the Riviera di Levante. Beach clubs alternate with free public beaches, separated by breakwaters. In 2026 Lavagna holds a Blue Flag.<\/p>\n

Lavagna town beach<\/h3>\n
\"Lavagna<\/figure>\n

It runs east from the marina, in front of the centre and the promenade. It is the most convenient: the station is a few minutes’ walk away, with bars, showers and beach clubs renting loungers and umbrellas. There are free stretches too, but in August they fill up early, so arrive before 10am.<\/p>\n

Cavi di Lavagna<\/h3>\n

Further east, towards Sestri Levante, the village of Cavi has its own long, wide beach with a mix of sand and fine shingle. It has its own station on the Genoa\u2013La Spezia line, so you can arrive by train and forget about parking. It feels more like a resort village, popular with families.<\/p>\n

The seafront promenade<\/h3>\n
\"Lavagna<\/figure>\n

The promenade is the place for an evening stroll, a morning run or an ice cream at sunset. It is not continuous all the way to Cavi: in places you have to cross the beach or walk along the road.<\/p>\n

Lavagna and slate<\/h2>\n

In Italian, “lavagna” means both slate and blackboard. The reason is simple: the oldest and best-known quarries were in the hills behind the town, on Monte San Giacomo above Cogorno, and the stone was traded from here. As early as the 16th century, writers such as Benedetto Varchi noted that the stone took its name from the town. Later the word passed to school blackboards.<\/p>\n

Until the 19th century it was often women who carried the slabs on their heads along the paths from the quarries down to Lavagna beach, where they were loaded onto boats. In 1857 most quarrymen moved to the nearby Fontanabuona valley, still Italy’s main slate-producing area. The old mule tracks are now the Slate Trails, open to walkers and cyclists. In town you can see slate in carved doorways, steps, roofs and in the Slate Gallery at the Torre del Borgo.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Lavagna<\/h2>\n

The Torta dei Fieschi<\/h3>\n

Every 14 August Lavagna re-enacts the wedding of Count Opizzo Fieschi and the Sienese noblewoman Bianca de’ Bianchi. A costumed procession with the six historic districts winds through the centre, the wedding is proclaimed and a cake weighing several hundred kilos is cut. To get a slice you buy a ticket printed with a word and must find someone in the crowd with the same word. In 2026 the festival falls on Friday 14 August: history, rules and practical tips are in our guide to the Torta dei Fieschi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Walks and hikes<\/h3>\n