Liguria · La Spezia
Framura
Five hamlets between sea level and 300 meters on the Riviera di Levante, with Byzantine watchtowers built against Saracen incursions.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 59 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 577
Known for
FIVE HAMLETS
Anzo, Setta, Ravecca, Costa and Castagnola, spread between sea level and 300 meters on the same hillside.
BYZANTINE TOWERS
Three round watchtowers built by Byzantine settlers against Saracen raids, still standing on coast and ridge.
RAILWAY CYCLE PATH
Old coastal railway tunnels converted into a paved cycle route that connects Framura to Bonassola and Levanto.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J12°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O20°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Martino di Tours, 11 November
Why come
Framura is not one village but five: Anzo on the water, Setta and Ravecca on the slope, Costa above them, and Castagnola at roughly 300 meters with views back down to the coast. The commune spans from the rocky shoreline to 845 meters inland on the ridge that separates the Cinque Terre coast from the Vara valley. Byzantine settlers built the original circular watchtowers here against Saracen raids, three of them still standing on the coast and inland.
The hamlets remained agricultural until the Genova-La Spezia railway tunneled through in the late nineteenth century, opening the commune to summer visitors. The seafront below Anzo, reached by a converted railway tunnel turned cycle path, carries the Bandiera Blu, and the same path runs north toward Bonassola and Levanto. Framura is the quiet outlier on this coast: the closest Borghi più belli village to Monterosso al Mare without being in the Cinque Terre national park.
The Sunday letter
Framura 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 Framura comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Framura in our articles
The 6 best towns you can reach by train in the province of La Spezia6 towns, Framura among them.
The best small beach towns that eat well in Liguria6 towns, Framura among them.
The best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of La Spezia7 towns, Framura among them.
The prettiest villages in the province of La Spezia7 towns, Framura among them.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1h 8m by car.
Florence / Pisa (PSA) is about 1h 35m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 1h 26m or Parma 2 hours.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Genoa, Pisa or Florence?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Framura is about 1 hour away by road.
What to see
Torri bizantine
Three surviving Byzantine watchtowers on the coast and ridge, built to defend the village from Saracen incursions.
Castagnola
Highest of the five hamlets at around 300 meters, with views over the lower frazioni and the Riviera di Levante.
Anzo waterfront
Coastal hamlet at sea level with the Bandiera Blu beach access, the lowest of Framura's five settlements.
Pista ciclabile Framura-Levanto
Coastal cycle path along the former railway line, running through restored tunnels north toward Bonassola and Levanto.
Chiesa di San Martino
Parish church at Setta, the religious centre of the commune since the medieval consolidation of the hamlets.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Framura 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.
L'AgaveRistorante
L'Agave carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Living here
- Population 577
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 1 h 8 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 59 min drive
Common questions
- What is Framura known for?
- Five hamlets between sea level and 300 meters on the Riviera di Levante, with Byzantine watchtowers built against Saracen incursions.
- Where is Framura?
- Framura is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, at 76 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Framura?
- Genoa (GOA), about 1h 8m by car.
- Can you get to Framura 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 Framura?
- About 1h 26m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Framura?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Framura?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Martino di Tours, 11 November.
- Which other towns are like Framura?
- Vernazza, Portofino and Bogliasco.
- How many people live in Framura?
- 577 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 76 m
- Population: 577
- Surface area: 19.26 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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