Liguria · La Spezia
Ameglia
A hilltop borgo above the mouth of the Magra, the Lunigiana edge of Liguria where the river meets the Gulf of Poets.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h from Pisa
- Population
- 4,293
Known for
BISHOPS OF LUNI
Episcopal fief from the diploma of Otto I in 963 until the fifteenth century, the southernmost outpost of the Luni diocese.
DANTE AT BOCCA DI MAGRA
Boccaccio places the poet at the Santa Croce del Corvo monastery in 1314, the first documented Dante stay on the Ligurian coast.
MAGRA ESTUARY
River-meets-sea wetland and marina at Bocca di Magra, Punta Bianca and Punta Corvo headlands on the Gulf of Poets edge.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O20°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 13°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Pasquale Baylón, 17 May
Why come
The Magra was the Roman Macra, the eastern boundary of Liguria, and the hill at Ameglia stands on the border between Lunigiana and the Riviera where that river reaches the sea. Genoa bought part of the fief in 1141, the bishops took it back by 1284, and Castruccio Castracani of Lucca conquered it in 1321: a small fortress passed between larger powers for three and a half centuries before it settled into the shape it now has. The marina at the river mouth is a separate world from the hill town above it.
Where the castle and its concentric streets sit on the summit, the frazione at the water is a former fishing village, flat, tied to the tide and to summer moorings rather than to the bishops who once held the heights. The two headlands south of that marina are reachable only by boat or steep footpath, cut off from the estuary settlement by their own geography rather than by distance. The town, in effect, is two places joined by the same river: a fortified height that answered to Luni and Genoa, and a working shoreline that answered to the sea.
Read on
Ameglia in our articles
The 6 best hidden coastal towns within 90 minutes of Pisa6 towns, Ameglia among them.
The best coastal towns inside a nature park within 90 minutes of Pisa6 towns, Ameglia among them.
The best small towns inside a nature park that eat well in Liguria6 towns, Ameglia among them.
The best towns inside a nature park that have a serious restaurant in Liguria6 towns, Ameglia among them.
How to get there
From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 9m by car.
Genoa (GOA) is about 1h 38m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 1 hour or Parma 1h 39m.
Coming by train into Livorno Centrale? Ameglia is about 1 hour away by road.
What to see
Castello di Ameglia
Rebuilt in 1174 on a tenth-century footprint, episcopal fortress of the bishops of Luni, cylindrical keep above the Magra estuary.
Centro storico di Ameglia
Concentric medieval streets around the castle, twelfth and thirteenth-century houses with stone arches and external staircases.
Bocca di Magra
Old fishing village and marina at the river mouth, summer mooring for small craft, departure point for Punta Corvo by sea.
Punta Bianca and Punta Corvo
Two headlands south of Bocca di Magra, white-stone and dark-pebble beaches, reachable on foot from Montemarcello or by boat.
Santa Croce del Corvo
Former monastery at Bocca di Magra cited by Boccaccio as Dante's stop in 1314, now a Carmelite study and conference centre.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Ameglia fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
LUV RistoranteRistorante
LUV Ristorante has two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100) to its name.
Pescarino-Sapori di Terra e di MareRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Pescarino-Sapori di Terra e di Mare.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Mercato Settimanale Di Amegliamarket
usually held in August. eventiesagre.it
The Sunday letter
Ameglia got its letter. One town every Sunday, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Living here
- Population 4,293
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 9 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 1 h 29 min drive
Common questions
- What is Ameglia known for?
- Ameglia is a hilltop borgo at 89 meters above the mouth of the Magra, the Lunigiana edge of Liguria where the river meets the Gulf of Poets.
- Where is Ameglia?
- Ameglia is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria.
- What is the nearest airport to Ameglia?
- Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 9m by car.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Ameglia?
- About 1 hour by car.
- When is the best time to visit Ameglia?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Ameglia?
- Yes. Mercato Settimanale Di Ameglia. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Ameglia?
- Bogliasco, Levanto and Portovenere.
- How many people live in Ameglia?
- 4,293 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 89 m
- Population: 4,293
- Surface area: 14.17 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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