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Rapallo, Liguria
Coat of arms of Rapallo

Liguria · Genova

Rapallo

The largest town on the Tigullio gulf, twice the location of treaties that redrew borders in postwar Europe.

By Peter Benei

Written about. No. 27.

Our take

Tigullio Roadtrip | Four Versions of the Same Liguria

A steep hill falls into the sea. The houses are crammed on the slope and painted in bright colors because they are old, packed tight, and need help. There is a small port if the cove allows it and a bigger port if the cove is generous. There is a small piazza around a small church, with maybe four restaurants, three bars, and a gelato place. There is no space for a grand square, because there is no space for grand anything in Liguria.

From the letter, June 2026

Read the full letter, for members

Rapallo is in our free Riviera di Levante guide

Visiting

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
30 min from Genoa
By train
Station in the comune
Population
29,496

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J25°
  • J28°
  • A29°
  • S25°
  • O21°
  • N17°
  • D13°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° 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

Rapallo sits on the Tigullio gulf 25 kilometers southeast of Genova, between Portofino and Chiavari. The first settlement dates from the eighth century BC; the city name appears in a document of 964, and the Podestà was created in 1203. Rapallo passed to Genoese control in 1229 and stayed under the Republic until the Napoleonic wars.

The Castello sul Mare, built mid-sixteenth century after a raid by the corsair Dragut, is the symbol of the town and one of the few coastal forts built on the water rather than the cliff. Three diplomatic meetings gave Rapallo its modern name in Europe, among them the 1920 Italo-Yugoslav treaty: the 1917 inter-Allied conference after Caporetto, which created the Versailles war council, and the 1922 German-Soviet treaty signed during the Genoa conference, restoring relations between the two pariah powers after Versailles. The Sanctuary of Montallegro above the town marks an apparition reported in 1557. Bobbin lace, the local craft, runs back through the same period.

How to get there

From Genoa (GOA), about 39 min by car.

Pisa (PSA) is about 1 h 51 min away.

By car from the center of Pisa 1 h 42 min or Milan 2 h 1 min.

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? Rapallo is about 36 min away by road.

Every town within reach of Genoa airport.

First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.

Rapallo, Liguria
Rapallo, Liguria

What to see

  • Castello sul Mare

    Sixteenth-century coastal fort built on a small islet at the harbor entrance after corsair Dragut's raid; the town's symbol and part of the Tigullio defensive system.

  • Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montallegro

    Hilltop sanctuary at 612 meters on Monte Letho, marking the 1557 Marian apparition, reached by funicular or footpath.

  • Monastero di Valle Christi

    Cistercian monastery founded 1204, ruined Gothic complex on the edge of the modern town, surviving apse and bell tower.

  • Museo del Merletto (Villa Tigullio)

    Bobbin lace museum in Villa Tigullio, preserving Rapallo's centuries-old tradition of pillow-lace work.

  • Basilica dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio

    Parish basilica from 1118, rebuilt across centuries, with the leaning bell tower the locals call the campanile of Rapallo.

From the guides

Where to eat and stay

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.

1 more place the guides name in Rapallo

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?

Rapallo meets 2 of our 3 rules for a small town.

  • 29,496 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
  • Genova, a city of 564,080, is 30 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.

How we choose a town, and every town by these rules.

  • Population 29,496, down 1.3% since 2015
  • Nearest city Genoa, 30 min drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
  • Homes in the center: €1,750 to €3,500 per m² to buy, €6.70 to €10.60 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

  • Commuter belt
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Full fibre reaches 75% of homes
  • Primary school in the comune
  • Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
  • Genoa airport (GOA), 39 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
  • Regional capital Genoa, 30 min drive

If you are moving here

Rapallo

Who lives here

13% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Romania and Egypt, against 9% across Italy. 106 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 282 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 47% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Genoa province ranks 43rd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.

Health and schools

There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Genoa, 29 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Genoa, 29 km away. The nearest IB school is The International School in Genoa, 19 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.

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. 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. In Genoa, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.28, a meal in a pizzeria €11.86 and a man's haircut €17.37.

What it costs to live in Italy.

Climate and risk

It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 7% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 26% in a high or medium one. 4% 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

  • CASTELLO SUL MARE

    Coastal fort built mid-1500s after the Dragut raid, set on the water at the harbor entrance, the town's symbol.

  • RAPALLO TREATIES

    Two treaties after the First World War: the 1920 Italo-Yugoslav border treaty and the 1922 German-Soviet treaty.

  • PIZZO AL TOMBOLO

    Bobbin lace tradition preserved in the Villa Tigullio lace museum, a craft running back to the seventeenth century.

Common questions

What is Rapallo known for?
Rapallo is the largest town on the Tigullio gulf, twice the location of treaties that redrew borders in postwar Europe.
Where is Rapallo?
Rapallo is a comune in the province of Genova, in Liguria, at 3 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Rapallo?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 39 min by car.
Can you get to Rapallo 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 Rapallo?
About 1 h 42 min by car.
When is the best time to visit Rapallo?
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 Rapallo?
Sestri Levante, Taggia and Varazze.
How many people live in Rapallo?
29,496 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
Is Rapallo a good place to live?
By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Rapallo is a small town that meets 2 of our 3 rules. The nearest city, Genova, is 30 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 75% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 3 m
  • Population: 29,496
  • Surface area: 33.61 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 Rapallo appears in

All the ranked lists ›

Near here, with a letter

Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.