Liguria · Genova
Lavagna
The Tigullio town that gave its name to slate, and its counts to a line of popes.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 44 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 12,296
Known for
ARDESIA / SLATE
The dark slate of the San Giacomo mountains, source of the Italian word lavagna for chalkboard and roofing material across Genova.
I FIESCHI
Powerful Genovese family descended from the Counts of Lavagna, producing Pope Innocent IV in 1243 and Pope Adrian V in 1276.
TORTA DEI FIESCHI
Each 14 August, reenactment of the 1230 wedding of Count Opizzo Fiesco with a giant cake distributed in Piazza Marconi.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J12°
- F13°
- M15°
- 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: Nostra Signora del Monte Carmelo, 16 July
Why come
Lavagna sits at sea level on the eastern Tigullio, thirty-five kilometers southeast of Genova. The slate quarried from the San Giacomo mountains behind the town roofed the Genovese palazzi and lined the schoolrooms of half of Italy, which is why the Italian word for chalkboard is also lavagna. Around the year 1000 the Counts of Lavagna held this territory, and the family that descended from them, the Fieschi, rose from it to produce two popes.
The frazione of San Salvatore sits above the main town, holding the basilica that one of those popes ordered built in bands of white marble and slate. Down at sea level, the old center folds around the staircase and square where, on 14 August, the town reenacts a thirteenth-century wedding with the Torta dei Fieschi, a giant cake carried out to the crowd. The beach holds Bandiera Blu at the opposite edge of town, near the port. A town built on a stone that traveled far beyond it, and on a family that did the same.
The Sunday letter
Lavagna 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 Lavagna comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Lavagna in our articles
The 6 best olive oil towns within 90 minutes of Genova6 towns, Lavagna among them.
The best beach towns in the province of Genova7 towns, Lavagna among them.
The best hidden towns that eat well in the province of Genova7 towns, Lavagna among them.
The best olive oil towns you can reach by train in Liguria7 towns, Lavagna among them.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 54 minutes by car.
Florence / Pisa (PSA) is about 1h 49m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 1h 40m or Parma 2h 9m.
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? Lavagna is about 51 minutes away by road.
What to see
Basilica di Santo Stefano
Parish church rebuilt over a sixth-century foundation, crowning the main square at the top of a wide staircase where the annual cake pageant begins its procession.
Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi
Thirteenth-century basilica in the frazione of San Salvatore, ordered by Pope Innocent IV in 1244, façade in alternating bands of white marble and local slate.
Spiaggia di Lavagna
Long Bandiera Blu beach on the Tigullio, with one of the largest tourist ports in northern Italy at the western end.
Piazza Marconi
Main square at the foot of the Basilica di Santo Stefano staircase, the stage for the 14 August Torta dei Fieschi each year.
Cave di Ardesia
Working slate quarries in the hills behind the town, the source of the dark stone that gave Lavagna its name and roofed the palaces of Genova.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Lavagna 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.
RaieüTrattoria
Raieü carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, two Gambero Rosso prawns, plus a Slow Food snail.
AriaRistorante
Aria carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Impronta d'AcquaRistorante
Impronta d'Acqua holds one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100).
Radical FarmhouseAgriturismo
Radical Farmhouse has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
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.
La Torta dei Fieschifood festival
usually held in August. MangiareInLiguria - Sagre ed Eventi
Living here
- Population 12,296
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 54 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 44 min drive
Common questions
- What is Lavagna known for?
- Lavagna is the Tigullio town that gave its name to slate, and its counts to a line of popes.
- Where is Lavagna?
- Lavagna is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria, at 6 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Lavagna?
- Genoa (GOA), about 54 minutes by car.
- Can you get to Lavagna 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 Lavagna?
- About 1h 40m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Lavagna?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Lavagna?
- Yes. La Torta dei Fieschi. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Lavagna?
- Loano, Chiavari and Varazze.
- How many people live in Lavagna?
- 12,296 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 6 m
- Population: 12,296
- Surface area: 13.88 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.
Similar
Towns like Lavagna
Loano
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast · both over 10,000 people
Chiavari
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast · both over 10,000 people
Varazze
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast · both over 10,000 people
Finale Ligure
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast · both over 10,000 people
Porto San Giorgio
Province: Fermo
both over 10,000 people · both near sea level
Camaiore
Province: Lucca
both over 10,000 people · both near sea level
🟦 Bandiera Blu
More Bandiera Blu towns in Liguria
Borgio Verezzi
Province: Savona
Two villages joined under one comune in 1933: Borgio on the coast below, Verezzi on the pink-stone hill above.
Camogli
Province: Genova
A fishing village on the Golfo Paradiso whose nineteenth-century fleet of a thousand white sails made it Italy's third maritime power in the Mediterranean.
Celle Ligure
Province: Savona
A Riviera di Ponente beach town with kilns firing since the 1600s and a ceramic on its parish church façade.
Chiavari
Province: Genova
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.
Diano
Province: Imperia
A twin destination on the Riviera dei Fiori: a medieval hilltop borgo above and a beach resort below, sharing one bay and one olive valley.