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.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 23 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 7,267
Known for
BORGO CASTELLO
The Clavesana castle and Santi Giacomo e Filippo church, considered the strongest medieval ensemble on the western Ligurian coast.
COLLA MICHERI
Hilltop hamlet restored by Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer of Kon-Tiki and Ra, who lived here until his death in 2002.
VAL MERULA OLIVES
Taggiasca olive groves on the Val Merula slopes; Andora is part of the Città dell'Olio network.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J13°
- F14°
- M16°
- A18°
- M22°
- J26°
- J30°
- A30°
- S26°
- O22°
- N17°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 27° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Andora sits on the Val Merula in the Riviera di Ponente, the westernmost commune of the Province of Savona before crossing into Imperia. The original settlement was Borgata Castello, perched on a hill called Paraxu set back from the coast because Saracen raids made the shore unsafe. The Clavesana counts raised the castle on Paraxu around 1170, and beside it the late-thirteenth-century Romanesque-Gothic church of Saints Giacomo and Filippo, built in Capo Mele stone with a deep central polyphore and a rose window.
Together they are considered the most significant medieval ensemble on the western Ligurian coast. The modern town moved to the Aurelia coast road after the raids stopped. Colla Micheri, the hilltop hamlet bought and restored by Thor Heyerdahl of Kon-Tiki fame in the 1960s, 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.
The Sunday 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 every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Andora comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Andora in our articles
The 6 best olive oil towns within 90 minutes of Genova6 towns, Andora among them.
The best olive oil towns you can reach by train in Liguria7 towns, Andora among them.
The best olive oil towns that eat well in Liguria8 towns, Andora among them.
The 9 best towns with a food festival in the province of Savona9 towns, Andora among them.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1h 18m by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2h 33m away.
By car from the centre of Milan 2h 41m.
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 1h 21m away by road.
What to see
Castello dei Clavesana
Ruined castle raised by the Clavesana counts around 1170 on the Paraxu hill, the first nucleus of medieval Andora, in Capo Mele stone.
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 Saracen-era stone houses around the church of San Sebastiano, bought and restored by Thor Heyerdahl in the 1960s.
Spiaggia di Andora
Two kilometers of sandy coast along the Aurelia, including Rocce di Pinamare and the lungomare beneath the Capo Mele headland.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Andora 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.
VignamareRistorante
Vignamare carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
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.
Street Food Timefood festival
usually held in August. sagritaly.com
Living here
- Population 7,267
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 1 h 18 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 1 h 23 min drive
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?
- Genoa (GOA), about 1h 18m 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 2h 41m 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 10 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Andora?
- Yes. Street Food Time. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Andora?
- Santa Margherita Ligure, Diano and Recco.
- How many people live in Andora?
- 7,267 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 10 m
- Population: 7,267
- 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.
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🌻 Spighe Verdi
More Spighe Verdi towns in Liguria
Borgio Verezzi
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The Tigullio town that gave its name to slate, and its counts to a line of popes.
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