Anywhere Italy
00 Levanto
Stemma di Levanto

Liguria · La Spezia

Levanto

The sixth Cinque Terre, a beach town and Cittaslow at the gateway of the national park, with a surf break and a striped Gothic church.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 12 min from Genoa
By train
Station in the comune
Population
5,140

Known for

  • SURF BREAK

    Gulf of Levanto classified as a big-wave spot with conditions that can exceed three meters, one of the only such breaks in Italy.

  • STRIPED CHURCH

    Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, 1222, the Ligurian Gothic façade of black and white marble bands that defines the centro storico.

  • GATEWAY TO CINQUE TERRE

    Westernmost stop on the Cinque Terre Express, the half-hourly train that connects to Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F13°
  • M15°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J25°
  • J29°
  • A29°
  • S25°
  • O21°
  • 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.

Why come

Levanto sits at sea level on the Ligurian coast, twenty kilometers northwest of La Spezia and just outside the Cinque Terre National Park. The Cinque Terre Express train stops here every half hour on its way to the five villages, but Levanto has the things they do not: a long sand-and-gravel beach with Bandiera Blu status, a flat centro storico, and a surf break that local guides classify as one of the few big-wave spots in Italy. The Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, built in 1222, fronts the old town with horizontal bands of black and white marble and a large rose window.

The thirteenth-century Loggia Comunale, on the same piazza, was awarded a UNESCO peace and culture title in 2007. Casa Restani, on Via Grillo, is a surviving medieval merchant house with the ground floor where goods from the harbor were stored. Levanto holds Cittaslow, Bandiera Blu, Parco Nazionale, and Città dell'Olio at once.

The Sunday letter

Levanto 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 Levanto comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Levanto in our articles

How to get there

From Genoa (GOA), about 1h 21m 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? Levanto is about 1h 18m away by road.

Every town within reach of Genoa airport.

Levanto, photo 1
Levanto, photo 2

What to see

  • Chiesa di Sant'Andrea

    Parish church built in 1222 in Ligurian Gothic style, with horizontal bands of black and white marble and a large rose window over the main door.

  • Castello di Levanto

    Thirteenth-century defensive castle on the hillside, still intact but privately owned and closed to the public.

  • Loggia Comunale

    Thirteenth-century arcaded loggia on the main piazza, awarded a UNESCO title in 2007 as a monument of culture and peace.

  • Casa Restani

    Medieval merchant house on Via Grillo with the ground floor still showing the warehouse layout where goods unloaded at the harbor were stored.

  • Spiaggia di Levanto

    Long sand-and-gravel beach with Bandiera Blu status, one of the only big-wave surf spots on the Italian coast.

  • Piazza Cavour

    Main square set inside a seventeenth-century convent, the fourth side of which was never completed.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Levanto 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.

Plan your trip

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.

Living here

  • Population 5,140
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 1 h 21 min drive
  • Regional capital Genova, 1 h 12 min drive

Common questions

What is Levanto known for?
Levanto is the sixth Cinque Terre, a beach town and Cittaslow at the gateway of the national park, with a surf break and a striped Gothic church.
Where is Levanto?
Levanto is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, at 5 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Levanto?
Genoa (GOA), about 1h 21m by car.
Can you get to Levanto 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 Levanto?
About 1h 26m by car.
When is the best time to visit Levanto?
Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Which other towns are like Levanto?
Bogliasco, Celle Ligure and Camogli.
How many people live in Levanto?
5,140 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 5 m
  • Population: 5,140
  • Surface area: 36.81 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 Levanto

🐌 Cittaslow

More Cittaslow towns