Liguria · Savona
Loano
A Doria fief on the Savona coast where a Renaissance palace stands over a Roman mosaic, in the shadow of the mountain that shelters it.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Loano is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu and Bandiera Lilla.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 16 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 10,688
- J12°
- F14°
- M15°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J29°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N17°
- D13°
- 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
Loano lies sixty kilometers southwest of Genova, at the foot of the arc of mountains that shelters it from inland weather. The town was an imperial fief of the Doria family from the thirteenth century, and the family financed the major public buildings still in use today: the palace at the centro's heart, the loggia beside it where civic business was once conducted, and, indirectly, the church that stands nearer the harbor, built for the town's seafarers and still holding their votive offerings of brigantines and barques. The old centro, with its palace, loggia and church, sits inland of the modern marina and the two kilometers of beach that run east from it. The mountain at Loano's back and the harbor at its front mark the two poles the town has always worked between: the Doria who governed from the hill and the sailors who prayed by the water.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 11 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 26 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 2 h 34 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Loano is about 1 h 14 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Palazzo Doria
Considered one of the most representative civil Renaissance palaces in Liguria, its rooms now house the town's administrative offices, and the mosaic floor remains open to view on the main level.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Founded 1582 by Zenobia Del Carretto, rebuilt 1588-98; called the Madonnetta, the seafarers' church, with votive ship models inside.
Marina di Loano
The Yachting Pages ranking sits alongside a working harbor east of the centro, with the beach running two kilometers of sand and gravel toward it.
Loggetta di Loano
Sixteenth-century covered loggia near the palace, the historic civic meeting space of the centro.
Monte Carmo
1,389-meter peak behind the coast, the highest of the arc of mountains that shelters Loano from the inland weather.
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.
BagattoRistorante
Bagatto carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
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?
Loano meets all 3 of our rules for a small town.
- 10,688 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Savona, a city of 58,581, is 50 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 10,688, down 7.1% since 2015
- Nearest city Savona, 50 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Pietra Ligure, 3 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €3,100 to €5,200 per m² to buy, €12.00 to €16.00 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 72% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 1 h 11 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 1 h 16 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
10% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Romania and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 20 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly France. There are 345 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 65% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Savona province ranks 65th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Pietra Ligure, 3 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest IB school is Deledda International School, 62 km as the crow flies.
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 0.8% to your income tax. 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.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 7% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 11% in a high or medium one. Under 1% 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
PALAZZO DORIA
Renaissance palace built 1574-78 by the Doria, now the seat of the comune, with a Roman imperial-age mosaic on the main floor.
MARINA DI LOANO
Tourist marina east of the centro, ranked among the world's ten most beautiful by Yachting Pages in 2019.
BANDIERA BLU
Two kilometers of sand and gravel beach flying the Bandiera Blu, the longest continuous swimming front on this stretch of Riviera.
Common questions
- What is Loano known for?
- Loano is a Doria fief on the Savona coast where a Renaissance palace stands over a Roman mosaic, in the shadow of the mountain that shelters it.
- Where is Loano?
- Loano is a comune in the province of Savona, in Liguria, at 13 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Loano?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 11 min by car.
- Can you get to Loano 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 Loano?
- About 2 h 34 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Loano?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Loano?
- Lavagna, Chiavari and Arenzano.
- How many people live in Loano?
- 10,688 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Loano a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Loano is a small town that meets all 3 of our rules. The nearest city, Savona, is 50 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Pietra Ligure, 3 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 72% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 13 m
- Population: 10,688
- Surface area: 13.48 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 Loano appears in
- The 9 best towns you can get around without steps in LiguriaLiguriastep-free9 towns · smallest 4,882 residents
- The best beach towns in the province of SavonaSavona provinceclean beach9 towns · smallest 1,678 residents
- The best hidden towns that eat well in the province of SavonaSavona provinceeats wellhidden9 towns · smallest 1,678 residents
- 10 small towns in Italy where everyday life is a walkLiguriaeveryday life on foot5,000 to 20,000 people10 towns · smallest 5,050 residents
Similar
Towns like Loano
What all six share with Loano: over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
Lavagna
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
- Written about. No. 25.
Chiavari
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Arenzano
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Finale Ligure
Province: Savona
both on the Ligurian coast
Porto San Giorgio
Province: Fermo
both on the coast
- Written about. No. 2.
Camaiore
Province: Lucca
both on the coast
The letter
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