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00 Varazze
Stemma di Varazze

Liguria · Savona

Varazze

A Ligurian shipbuilding town whose thirteenth-century friar compiled the saint lives that became the most copied book in Europe after the Bible.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
45 min from Genoa
By train
Station in the comune
Population
12,534

Known for

  • LEGENDA AUREA

    Jacopo da Varagine, born here around 1228, compiled the Latin saint lives that became Europe's most copied book after the Bible.

  • SHIPYARDS

    Medieval port of the marquisate of Bosco that built the boats fought over by Savona and Genova; the yachting industry runs on the same ground.

  • BEIGUA

    Mount Beigua at 1,287 meters and its UNESCO Geopark sit directly behind the beach, an unusual coast-to-mountain gradient.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J11°
  • F13°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J25°
  • J28°
  • A29°
  • S25°
  • O20°
  • 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.

The festa: Caterina da Siena, 30 April

Why come

Varazze sits between Mount Beigua and the sea, 30 kilometers west of Genova in the Riviera di Ponente. The town grew around the Roman station of Ad Navalia and became the main port of the marquisate of Bosco, disputed for centuries between Savona and Genova because of its shipyards. Jacopo da Varagine was born here around 1228 in the Casanova district.

As a Dominican friar and later archbishop of Genova, he compiled the Legenda Aurea, a Latin collection of saint biographies that survived in roughly 1,400 manuscript codices through the Middle Ages, second only to the Bible in circulation. The parish Collegiate Church of Sant'Ambrogio holds a panel by Luca Cambiaso, one of the greatest Ligurian painters of the sixteenth century. Mount Beigua rises to 1,287 meters at the town's back. The economy still works shipyards, yachting and tourism in roughly that order.

The Sunday letter

Varazze 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 Varazze comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Varazze in our articles

How to get there

From Genoa (GOA), about 40 minutes by car.

Turin (TRN) is about 2h 19m away.

By car from the centre of Milan 2 hours.

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? Varazze is about 44 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Genoa airport.

Varazze, photo 1
Varazze, photo 2

What to see

  • Chiesa Collegiata di Sant'Ambrogio

    Parish collegiate church with Romanesque-Gothic three-mullioned bell tower, Baroque façade, polyptych by Giovanni Barbagelata and a panel by Luca Cambiaso.

  • Parco Naturale del Beigua

    UNESCO Geopark covering Mount Beigua at 1,287 meters, the highest peak in the range, with trails connecting the coast to the entroterra.

  • Centro storico

    Medieval grid behind the shipyards with surviving sections of the old town walls and the Casanova district where Jacopo da Varagine was born.

  • Lungomare Europa

    Long seafront promenade along the Riviera di Ponente coast, Bandiera Blu beach, marina at the eastern end.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Varazze 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.

Plan your trip

Living here

  • Population 12,534
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 40 min drive
  • Regional capital Genova, 45 min drive

Common questions

What is Varazze known for?
Varazze is a Ligurian shipbuilding town whose thirteenth-century friar compiled the saint lives that became the most copied book in Europe after the Bible.
Where is Varazze?
Varazze is a comune in the province of Savona, in Liguria, at 10 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Varazze?
Genoa (GOA), about 40 minutes by car.
Can you get to Varazze 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 Varazze?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Varazze?
Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Varazze?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Caterina da Siena, 30 April.
Which other towns are like Varazze?
Finale Ligure, Arenzano and Taggia.
How many people live in Varazze?
12,534 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 10 m
  • Population: 12,534
  • Surface area: 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.

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