Liguria · Savona
Andora
A Riviera town with two faces, two kilometers of sandy beach on the Aurelia and a ruined twelfth-century castle hidden on a hill behind it.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Andora is on our list
It holds Spighe Verdi and Città dell'Olio.
Subscribe and you get Andora's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 23 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 7,239
- J13°
- F14°
- M16°
- A18°
- M22°
- J26°
- J30°
- A30°
- S27°
- O22°
- N17°
- D14°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 27° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Andora sits on the Val Merula in the Riviera di Ponente, the westernmost coastal commune of the Province of Savona before crossing into Imperia. The original settlement was Borgata Castello, on the castle hill set back from the coast because Saracen raids made the shore unsafe. The marquises of Clavesana made the castle, the Paraxo, their stronghold in the twelfth century, and beside it stands the late-thirteenth-century Romanesque-Gothic church of Saints Giacomo and Filippo, built like its bell tower in Capo Mele stone.
Together they include one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches of the Riviera delle Palme. The modern town moved to the Aurelia coast road after the raids stopped. Colla Micheri, the hilltop hamlet restored by Thor Heyerdahl of Kon-Tiki fame from the late 1950s, sits above the modern beachfront. The Spighe Verdi recognition flags the green network running through the commune; the olive grove network covers the Val Merula slopes.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 18 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 33 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 2 h 41 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Andora is about 1 h 21 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello dei Clavesana
Ruined castle known as the Paraxo, stronghold of the marquises of Clavesana from the twelfth century, the first nucleus of medieval Andora.
Chiesa dei Santi Giacomo e Filippo
Late thirteenth-century Romanesque-Gothic church beside the castle in Borgata Castello, central polyphore and rose window in Capo Mele stone.
Colla Micheri
Hilltop hamlet of old stone houses around the church of San Sebastiano, restored by Thor Heyerdahl from the late 1950s.
Spiaggia di Andora
Two kilometers of sandy coast along the Aurelia, including Rocce di Pinamare and the lungomare beneath the Capo Mele headland.
From the guides
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.
VignamareRistorante
Vignamare carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Andora meets all 3 of our rules for a small town.
- 7,239 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Imperia, a city of 42,580, is 31 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 7,239, down 3.7% since 2015
- Nearest city Imperia, 31 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Imperia, 13 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,900 to €4,800 per m² to buy, €10.30 to €14.50 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 55% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 1 h 18 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 1 h 23 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 61 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, the United Kingdom and France. There are 341 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 73% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Savona province ranks 65th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Imperia, 13 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Pietra Ligure, 25 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Pietra Ligure, 25 km away. The nearest IB school is Deledda International School, 81 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Liguria spends about €2,230 a month, €490 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €552 a year for water, on the Liguria average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 7% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 17% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BORGO CASTELLO
The Clavesana castle and Santi Giacomo e Filippo church, one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches of the Riviera delle Palme.
COLLA MICHERI
Hilltop hamlet restored by Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer of Kon-Tiki and Ra, who died here in 2002 and is buried in his garden.
VAL MERULA OLIVES
Taggiasca olive groves on the Val Merula slopes; Andora is part of the Città dell'Olio network.
Common questions
- What is Andora known for?
- Andora is a Riviera town with two faces, two kilometers of sandy beach on the Aurelia and a ruined twelfth-century castle hidden on a hill behind it.
- Where is Andora?
- Andora is a comune in the province of Savona, in Liguria, at 10 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Andora?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 18 min by car.
- Can you get to Andora without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Milan to Andora?
- About 2 h 41 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Andora?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and October the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Andora?
- Santa Margherita Ligure, Diano and Recco.
- How many people live in Andora?
- 7,239 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Andora a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Andora is a small town that meets all 3 of our rules. The nearest city, Imperia, is 31 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Imperia, 13 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 55% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 10 m
- Population: 7,239
- Surface area: 31.8 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Andora appears in
- The 6 best olive oil towns within 90 minutes of GenoaNear Genoaolive oilwithin 90 min6 towns · smallest 1,067 residents · closest 32 min away
- The best olive oil towns you can reach by train in LiguriaLiguriaolive oilby train7 towns · smallest 5,050 residents
- The best olive oil towns that eat well in LiguriaLiguriaolive oileats well8 towns · smallest 1,087 residents
- The best hidden towns that eat well in the province of SavonaSavona provinceeats wellhidden9 towns · smallest 1,678 residents
Similar
Towns like Andora
What all six share with Andora: between 3,000 and 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
Santa Margherita Ligure
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Diano
Province: Imperia
both on the Ligurian coast
Recco
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Celle Ligure
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
Vietri sul Mare
Province: Salerno
both on the coast
Pietra Ligure
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
The letter
Andora is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Andora comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Camogli, 92 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.