Liguria · Savona
Savona
A working port city with two Della Rovere popes, a Sistine Chapel that came before the Roman one, and a fortress on the old town.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 59 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 58,194
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 Pope Pius VII under Napoleon and 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.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M21°
- J25°
- J29°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N15°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 27° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
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 fortress from 1809 to 1812. Giuseppe Mazzini was imprisoned there in 1830-31 while drafting the manifesto of Giovine Italia. The Museo della Ceramica preserves six centuries of Savona and Albisola pottery.
The Sunday letter
Savona 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 Savona comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Savona in our articles
The best olive oil towns within two hours of Turin7 towns, Savona among them.
The 9 best towns you can get around without steps in Liguria9 towns, Savona among them.
The best beach towns in the province of Savona9 towns, Savona among them.
Alternatives to the Cinque Terre: the rest of the Ligurian coast, town by town35 towns, Savona among them.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 54 minutes by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2h 9m away.
By car from the centre of Milan 2h 17m.
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 minutes away by road.
What to see
Fortezza del Priamar
Sixteenth-century fortress built by the Republic of Genoa in 1542 on the medieval city core, prison of Pius VII and Mazzini in the nineteenth century.
Cappella Sistina
Funeral chapel commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 for his parents, predating the Roman Sistine Chapel he ordered three years later.
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.
Torre Leon Pancaldo
Medieval harbor tower named after the Savona navigator who sailed with Magellan, the symbol of the modern port.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Savona 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.
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.
A Spurcacciun-aRistorante
A Spurcacciun-a carries a place in L'Espresso's Top 300, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
QuintogustoRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (78/100) for Quintogusto, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
A Spurcacciun-a dell'Hotel MareRistorante
A Spurcacciun-a dell'Hotel Mare has two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100) to its name.
AlalungaRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing, at Alalunga.
BinoRistorante
Bino has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
ScrapRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (77/100), at Scrap.
Living here
- Population 58,194
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 54 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 59 min drive
Common questions
- What is Savona known for?
- Savona is a working port city with two Della Rovere popes, a Sistine Chapel that came before the Roman one, 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?
- Genoa (GOA), about 54 minutes 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 2h 17m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Savona?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Savona?
- Sanremo, Rapallo and Chiavari.
- How many people live in Savona?
- 58,194 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 4 m
- Population: 58,194
- 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.
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