Liguria · Savona
Noli
The fifth Italian maritime republic from 1192 to 1797, a walled coastal town with the Romanesque basilica of San Paragorio outside its gates.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Noli is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia and Bandiera Blu.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 58 min from Genoa
- Population
- 2,425
- J12°
- F14°
- M15°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- 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
Noli sits at four meters on the Riviera di Ponente, fifty kilometers southwest of Genoa. From 1192 to 1797 it was an independent maritime republic, the fifth alongside Genova, Pisa, Venezia and Amalfi, holding the Capo Noli headland and a stretch of coast under its own flag and protected by alliance with Genoa. The medieval walls still ring the centro storico, and the survivors of an original eight defensive towers still rise above the rooftops, including the Torre dei Quattro Canti and the Torre Papone.
Outside the walls stands the Basilica di San Paragorio, an eleventh-century Romanesque church and one of the most important early medieval buildings in Liguria, with a wooden crucifix from the twelfth century and a bishop's throne carved into a single block of stone. The Capo Noli cliffs end the bay to the south, with footpaths leading to grottos and a hermitage in the rock. The litoraneo carries the Bandiera Blu.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 53 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 9 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 2 h 17 min.
Coming from Genoa, Turin or Milan?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Noli is about 57 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Basilica di San Paragorio
Eleventh-century Romanesque church outside the walls, with a twelfth-century wooden crucifix and a bishop's throne carved from a single block.
Torre dei Quattro Canti
Surviving medieval defensive tower inside the walled centro storico, one of eight that originally ringed the maritime republic.
Torre Papone
Second medieval tower of the original defensive ring, still standing above the rooftops of the centro storico.
Castello di Monte Ursino
Hilltop fortress above the town, joined to the city walls by a fortified curtain that runs up the slope.
Centro storico walled town
Medieval grid inside walls, with stone houses, ground-floor loggias and the cathedral of San Pietro at its center.
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.
Il VescovadoRistorante
One Michelin star for Il Vescovado, along with two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
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?
Noli is at the end of the road.
- A village of 2,425. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Vado Ligure, is 21 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Savona, a city of 58,581, is 32 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
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 2,425, down 12.4% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Savona, 32 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Pietra Ligure, 14 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €3,900 to €5,800 per m² to buy, €9.00 to €11.00 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 81% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 53 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 58 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
6% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Albania and Egypt, against 9% across Italy. 14 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 451 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 68% 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, 14 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, 47 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, 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. 17% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 21% in a high or medium one. 28% 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
FIFTH MARITIME REPUBLIC
Independent from 1192 to 1797, the smallest of the four mainland Italian maritime republics, allied to Genoa.
SAN PARAGORIO
Eleventh-century Romanesque basilica outside the walls, one of Liguria's most important early medieval buildings.
BANDIERA BLU COAST
Sandy litoraneo below the medieval walls, awarded for water quality and beach management.
Common questions
- What is Noli known for?
- Noli is the fifth Italian maritime republic from 1192 to 1797, a walled coastal town with the Romanesque basilica of San Paragorio outside its gates.
- Where is Noli?
- Noli is a comune in the province of Savona, in Liguria, at 4 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Noli?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 53 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Milan to Noli?
- About 2 h 17 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Noli?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Noli?
- Moneglia, Toirano and Borgio Verezzi.
- How many people live in Noli?
- 2,425 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Noli a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Noli is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Vado Ligure, is 21 min away. The nearest city, Savona, is 32 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Pietra Ligure, 14 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 81% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 4 m
- Population: 2,425
- Surface area: 9.67 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 Noli appears in
- The best small beach towns that eat well in LiguriaLiguriaclean beacheats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 553 residents
- The best olive oil towns within two hours of TurinNear Turinwithin 2 hoursolive oil zone8 towns · smallest 126 residents · closest 108 min away
- The prettiest villages in the province of SavonaSavona provinceprettiest villages8 towns · smallest 126 residents
- The prettiest villages that eat well within 90 minutes of GenoaNear Genoawithin 90 mineats wellprettiest villages8 towns · smallest 553 residents · closest 40 min away
- 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
Featured on
Noli appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Noli
What all six share with Noli: under 3,000 people · near sea level
The letter
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Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
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