Liguria · Genova
Arenzano
A coastal town twenty kilometers west of Genova where two-thirds of the territory climbs into the Parco del Beigua and peaks above a thousand meters.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Arenzano is on our list
It holds Borgo dei Borghi.
Subscribe and you get Arenzano's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 31 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 11,156
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O20°
- N15°
- D11°
- 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
Arenzano sits in a bay at the foot of Capo San Martino on the Riviera di Ponente, twenty kilometers west of Genova. The name covers two different territories that share a boundary rather than a character: a strip of seafront and promenade at sea level, and behind it, rising fast, the two-thirds of the commune that belongs to the mountain park, climbing to peaks above a thousand meters within an hour of the shore. The town itself gathers between the two, with the church and the villa a short walk apart near the water, and the trailhead sitting well above both, as the point where the coastal town ends and the climb into the plateau begins.
Arenzano reached the Borgo dei Borghi RAI final, which brought enough recognition to fill August weekends but not enough to make the rest of the year hard. What holds the place together is that proximity: a pilgrimage site, a seat of government in a park, a sandy bay and an alpine plateau all sit within the same short walk of each other, so the town reads less as a single attraction than as a set of unrelated destinations that happen to share an address.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 26 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 12 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 1 h 45 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Genoa, Milan or Turin?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Arenzano is about 29 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Santuario di Gesù Bambino di Praga
The sanctuary draws pilgrims year-round; the interior holds the statue of the Infant of Prague at the center of the devotion it gave the town.
Villa Negrotto Cambiaso
The villa's park holds palm and cedar groves, a small aviary and a glasshouse, alongside the offices it now houses.
Parco naturale regionale del Beigua
Monte Reixa rises to 1,183 meters within the park, reached by a network of trails that begin at sea level.
Lungomare di Arenzano
Seafront promenade along Capo San Martino, the closest sandy bay west of Genova.
Passo della Gava
Trailhead at 758 meters above the town, point of access for hikes to Monte Reixa and the inland Beigua plateau.
Living here
Could you live here?
Arenzano meets all 3 of our rules for a small town.
- 11,156 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Genova, a city of 564,080, 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 11,156, down 3.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Genoa, 31 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Genova, 17 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,400 to €4,100 per m² to buy, €6.30 to €11.00 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 58% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 26 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 31 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
4% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Ukraine and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 48 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly France, the United States and the United Kingdom. There are 336 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 39% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Genoa province ranks 43rd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Genoa, 17 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Genoa, 17 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Genoa, 17 km away. The nearest IB school is Deledda International School, 21 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.
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. The town adds 0.2% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 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. In Genoa, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.28, a meal in a pizzeria €11.86 and a man's haircut €17.37.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 3% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 6% in a high or medium one. 7% 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
GESÙ BAMBINO DI PRAGA
The first sanctuary in the world dedicated to the Infant of Prague, consecrated 1908, still the center of the global devotion.
BEIGUA GEOPARK
UNESCO Global Geopark covering two-thirds of the commune, with peaks above 1,000 meters within walking range of the beach.
VILLA NEGROTTO CAMBIASO
Sixteenth-century villa in a public park of palms and cedars, now seat of the comune and venue for summer concerts.
Common questions
- What is Arenzano known for?
- Arenzano is a coastal town twenty kilometers west of Genova where two-thirds of the territory climbs into the Parco del Beigua and peaks above a thousand meters.
- Where is Arenzano?
- Arenzano is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria, at 12 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Arenzano?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 26 min by car.
- Can you get to Arenzano 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 Arenzano?
- About 1 h 45 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Arenzano?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Arenzano?
- Finale Ligure, Varazze and Taggia.
- How many people live in Arenzano?
- 11,156 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Arenzano a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Arenzano is a small town that meets all 3 of our rules. The nearest city, Genova, is 31 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Genova, 17 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 58% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 12 m
- Population: 11,156
- Surface area: 24.3 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 Arenzano appears in
- The 6 best towns inside a nature park in the province of GenovaGenova provinceinside a park6 towns · smallest 351 residents
- The 6 best towns you can reach by train that sit inside a nature park in LiguriaLiguriainside a parkby train6 towns · smallest 2,796 residents
- The best hidden coastal towns in the province of GenovaGenova provincecoastalhidden7 towns · smallest 2,486 residents
- The best olive oil towns within two hours of TurinNear Turinwithin 2 hoursolive oil zone8 towns · smallest 126 residents · closest 108 min away
- The best coastal towns inside a nature park in LiguriaLiguriacoastalinside a park9 towns · smallest 351 residents
Similar
Towns like Arenzano
What all six share with Arenzano: over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
Finale Ligure
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
Varazze
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
Taggia
Province: Imperia
both on the Ligurian coast
- Written about. No. 28.
Sestri Levante
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Alba Adriatica
Province: Teramo
both on the coast
Loano
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
The letter
Arenzano 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 Arenzano comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Camogli, 38 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.