What is Levanto known for?

Gulf of Levanto classified as a big-wave spot with conditions that can exceed three meters, one of the only such breaks in Italy. Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, 1222, the Ligurian Gothic façade of black and white marble bands that defines the centro storico. Westernmost stop on the Cinque Terre Express, the half-hourly train that connects to Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

Levanto is a comune in the province of La Spezia, Liguria region of Italy, about 78 kilometers from Genova.

Liguria · La Spezia

Levanto

The sixth Cinque Terre, a beach town and Cittaslow at the gateway of the national park, with a surf break and a striped Gothic church.

78 km / 48 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

5,140

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Levanto sits at sea level on the Ligurian coast, twenty kilometers northwest of La Spezia and just outside the Cinque Terre National Park. The Cinque Terre Express train stops here every half hour on its way to the five villages, but Levanto has the things they do not: a long sand-and-gravel beach with Bandiera Blu status, a flat centro storico, and a surf break that local guides classify as one of the few big-wave spots in Italy. The Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, built in 1222, fronts the old town with horizontal bands of black and white marble and a large rose window. The thirteenth-century Loggia Comunale, on the same piazza, was awarded a UNESCO peace and culture title in 2007. Casa Restani, on Via Grillo, is a surviving medieval merchant house with the ground floor where goods from the harbor were stored. Levanto holds Cittaslow, Bandiera Blu, Parco Nazionale, and Città dell'Olio at once.

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Gallery

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Known for

Chiesa di Sant'Andrea
Parish church built in 1222 in Ligurian Gothic style, with horizontal bands of black and white marble and a large rose window over the main door.
Castello di Levanto
Thirteenth-century defensive castle on the hillside, still intact but privately owned and closed to the public.
Loggia Comunale
Thirteenth-century arcaded loggia on the main piazza, awarded a UNESCO title in 2007 as a monument of culture and peace.
Casa Restani
Medieval merchant house on Via Grillo with the ground floor still showing the warehouse layout where goods unloaded at the harbor were stored.
Spiaggia di Levanto
Long sand-and-gravel beach with Bandiera Blu status, one of the only big-wave surf spots on the Italian coast.
Piazza Cavour
Main square set inside a seventeenth-century convent, the fourth side of which was never completed.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the dry months. The sea warms enough for swimming by late May. The surf builds in autumn and winter when Atlantic systems push swell into the gulf. July and August are hot and full: the beach fills with weekenders from Genova and Milano, the Cinque Terre Express runs standing-room only, and Levanto absorbs the overflow of visitors who could not find rooms in the five villages next door. November through March is quiet. Many of the seasonal restaurants close. The centro storico keeps a steady residential rhythm and the surf community gets the beach back.