Liguria · Savona
Savona
A working port city with two Della Rovere popes, a Sistine Chapel of its own, and a fortress on the old town.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Savona is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu, Bandiera Lilla and Città della Ceramica.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 59 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 58,581
- J11°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M21°
- J25°
- J29°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N15°
- 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
Savona is the seat of its province, 40 kilometers west of Genova, the largest port on the Riviera di Ponente. Ligurian tribes held the site before Rome took it around 180 BC after the Punic Wars, during which Savona had sided with Carthage. The Lombards sacked it in 641.
The Della Rovere family produced two popes from Savona: Sixtus IV, who ordered the Roman Sistine Chapel, and his nephew Julius II. Sixtus IV also commissioned the smaller Sistine Chapel here in 1481 as a funeral chapel for his parents at the Franciscan convent. In 1542 the Republic of Genoa built the Priamar fortress on the medieval town center, destroying the old cathedral, bishop's palace and Dominican convent to clear ground for the bastions.
Pope Pius VII, kidnapped by Napoleon, was held in the bishop's palace from 1809 to 1812. Giuseppe Mazzini was imprisoned in the fortress in 1830-31 while drafting the manifesto of Giovine Italia. The Museo della Ceramica preserves six centuries of Savona and Albisola pottery.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 54 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 9 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 2 h 17 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Genoa, Turin or Milan?
Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Savona is about 58 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Fortezza del Priamar
Sixteenth-century fortress built by the Republic of Genoa in 1542 on the medieval city core, prison of Mazzini in the nineteenth century.
Cappella Sistina
Funeral chapel commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 for his parents.
Cattedrale di Nostra Signora Assunta
Sixteenth-century cathedral with the Della Rovere polyptych remnants, beside the Cappella Sistina and the Bishop's Palace.
Museo della Ceramica
Ceramic museum in the centro storico, six centuries of Savona and Albisola pottery, over a thousand works from Renaissance to twentieth century.
Pinacoteca Civica
Civic picture gallery in Palazzo Gavotti, including the cusp of the Della Rovere Polyptych alongside Ligurian school paintings.
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.
A Spurcacciun-aRistorante
A Spurcacciun-a has two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100), a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
QuintogustoRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (78/100) for Quintogusto, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
AlalungaRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing, at Alalunga.
2 more places the guides name in Savona
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?
Savona is a city.
- A city of 58,581 people, and a provincial capital: the services are here, not a drive away.
- A station of its own, so the rest of Italy is a train ride away.
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 58,581, down 3.9% since 2015
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,800 to €2,800 per m² to buy, €6.10 to €9.60 per m² a month to rent
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 91% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Genoa airport (GOA), 54 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Genoa, 59 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Ukraine and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 83 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 295 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 18% 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
There is an emergency room in the comune. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest major one is in Pietra Ligure, 24 km away. The nearest IB school is Deledda International School, 38 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Working from here
Poste Italiane has finished a coworking room in the comune, on its register of 30 September 2026. Check that it is open on Poste's booking site before you count on it.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.14% 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, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 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 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. 18% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 30% 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
DELLA ROVERE POPES
Sixtus IV and his nephew Julius II, both born to the Savona Della Rovere; Sixtus commissioned both Sistine Chapels.
PRIAMAR
1542 fortress built on the medieval city, prison of Mazzini while he drafted Giovine Italia.
CERAMICA
Savona and Albisola pottery tradition running back six centuries, preserved at the Museo della Ceramica with over a thousand works.
Common questions
- What is Savona known for?
- Savona is a working port city with two Della Rovere popes, a Sistine Chapel of its own, and a fortress on the old town.
- Where is Savona?
- Savona is a comune in the province of Savona, in Liguria, at 4 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Savona?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Genoa (GOA), about 54 min by car.
- Can you get to Savona 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 Savona?
- About 2 h 17 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Savona?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and June the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Savona?
- Sanremo, Rapallo and Chiavari.
- How many people live in Savona?
- 58,581 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Savona a good place to live?
- Savona is a city of 58,581 people, the kind of place Part 3 of our Where to Move in Italy series is about. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 91% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 4 m
- Population: 58,581
- Surface area: 65.32 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 Savona appears in
- The best olive oil towns within two hours of TurinNear Turinwithin 2 hoursolive oil zone8 towns · smallest 126 residents · closest 108 min away
- 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
Similar
Towns like Savona
What all six share with Savona: over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
Sanremo
Province: Imperia
both on the Ligurian coast
- Written about. No. 27.
Rapallo
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
- Written about. No. 25.
Chiavari
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
- Written about. No. 28.
Sestri Levante
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast
Senigallia
Province: Ancona
both on the coast
Pozzuoli
Province: Napoli
both on the coast
The letter
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