Liguria · Genova
Chiavari
The Tigullio capital between Portofino and the Cinque Terre, a 27,000-person Genoese trading town built around a thirteenth-century grid of porticoed streets.
By Peter Benei
Written about. No. 25.
The letter
Chiavari got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 32 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 27,452
- J12°
- F13°
- M15°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° 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
Chiavari sits on the Riviera di Levante where the Entella meets the Gulf of Tigullio, thirty kilometers east of Genoa. A pre-Roman necropolis from the eighth and seventh centuries BC has been excavated under the center. Genoa raised a castle here in 1147 and laid out the medieval town as a grid of porticoed streets, both sides of the carruggio continuous under Gothic columns, the most complete thirteenth-century Genoese commercial plan in Liguria.
The Chiavari family produced two doges of the Republic. In 1801 Napoleon made the city the capital of the Apennines department, one of three administrative units that absorbed Liguria into the French Empire. The Cattedrale di Nostra Signora dell'Orto was built 1613-1633 after a Marian apparition on 2 July 1610 to a local citizen, Sebastiano Descalzo; the neoclassical marble portico modelled on the Pantheon went up in 1841 as a vow for survival from cholera.
Chiavari became a diocese in 1892 and the church a minor basilica in 1904. Slate work, silk weaving and the eponymous Chiavari chair are still made in town.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 41 min by car.
Pisa (PSA) is about 1 h 43 min away.
By car from the center of Pisa 1 h 34 min or Milan 2 h 3 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Genoa, Pisa or Milan?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Chiavari is about 38 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Cattedrale di Nostra Signora dell'Orto
Built 1613-1633 after a Marian apparition in 1610, neoclassical Pantheon-style portico added 1841 as a cholera vow, minor basilica from 1904.
Caruggio porticato
Thirteenth-century medieval commercial street, both sides continuous under Gothic-columned porticoes, the most intact Genoese plan in Liguria.
Castello di Chiavari
Genoese fortress built in 1147 above the original town, irregular polygonal walls, partly absorbed into later residential buildings.
Civico Museo Archeologico
Holds finds from the pre-Roman necropolis under the city center, eighth and seventh-century BC tombs of the local Liguri population.
Lungomare di Chiavari
Two kilometers of seafront promenade with Bandiera Blu beach below, the eastern anchor of the Tigullio walking circuit to Lavagna.
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.
DuoRistorante
Duo carries two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Antica Osteria LuchinRistorante
Antica Osteria Luchin carries a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Da FeliceRistorante
Da Felice holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
2 more places the guides name in Chiavari
Gran caffè DefillaCaffè
Gran caffè Defilla has a place on Italy's historic-locali register to its name.
Lord NelsonRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Lord Nelson.
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?
Chiavari meets 2 of our 3 rules for a small town.
- 27,452 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Genova, a city of 564,080, is 32 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 27,452, up 0.1% since 2015
- Nearest city Genoa, 32 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Lavagna, 4 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,500 to €3,700 per m² to buy, €6.60 to €10.00 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
- A local hub
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 62% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 41 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 32 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Ukraine and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 96 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly France, the United States and Germany. There are 294 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 32% 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 Lavagna, 4 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Genoa, 37 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Genoa, 37 km away. The nearest IB school is The International School in Genoa, 27 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.99% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.29% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 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. 51% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 63% in a high or medium one. 6% 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
CHIAVARI CHAIR
Light-frame bentwood chair invented in 1807 by Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi, exported worldwide, the chair Napoleon ordered for the Tuileries.
PORTICOED CARUGGIO
Continuous Gothic arcades on both sides of the medieval commercial street, the most complete thirteenth-century Genoese plan in Liguria.
NOSTRA SIGNORA DELL'ORTO
Cathedral and minor basilica built after the 1610 Marian apparition, Pantheon-style portico added 1841 as a vow against cholera.
Common questions
- What is Chiavari known for?
- Chiavari is the Tigullio capital between Portofino and the Cinque Terre, a 27,000-person Genoese trading town built around a thirteenth-century grid of porticoed streets.
- Where is Chiavari?
- Chiavari is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria, at 3 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Chiavari?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 41 min by car.
- Can you get to Chiavari without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Chiavari?
- About 1 h 34 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Chiavari?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Chiavari?
- Lavagna, Loano and Rapallo.
- How many people live in Chiavari?
- 27,452 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Chiavari a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Chiavari is a small town that meets 2 of our 3 rules. The nearest city, Genova, is 32 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Lavagna, 4 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 62% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 3 m
- Population: 27,452
- Surface area: 12.23 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 Chiavari 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 beach towns in the province of GenovaGenova provinceclean beach7 towns · smallest 2,486 residents
- The best olive oil towns you can reach by train in LiguriaLiguriaolive oilby train7 towns · smallest 5,050 residents
- The best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of GenovaGenova provinceserious restaurant7 towns · smallest 351 residents
- The best olive oil towns that eat well in LiguriaLiguriaolive oileats well8 towns · smallest 1,087 residents
- The best towns you can reach by train that eat well in the province of GenovaGenova provinceby traineats well9 towns · smallest 2,796 residents
Featured on
Chiavari appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 27.
Rapallo
Province: Genova
The largest town on the Tigullio gulf, twice the location of treaties that redrew borders in postwar Europe.
13 min by car
- Written about. No. 26.
Portofino
Province: Genova
Three hundred and fifty-one residents, the smallest municipal territory in the metropolitan area, and the harbor every superyacht in the Mediterranean wants to anchor in.
9 km away
- Written about. No. 28.
Sestri Levante
Province: Genova
The Tigullio town of two bays, split by a peninsula where a river once silted an island to the shore.
17 min by car
The letter
Chiavari got its letter. One town at a time, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.