Liguria · Savona
Loano
A Doria fief on the Savona coast with a Renaissance palace, a Roman imperial mosaic, and a top-ten world marina.
83 km / 52 mi
Nearest hub (Genova)
10,701
Population
Apr–Oct
Best time to visit
Recognised as
Why come
Loano sits at the foot of Monte Carmo, 1,389 meters of mountain rising behind the coast, sixty kilometers southwest of Genova. The town was an imperial fief of the Doria family from the thirteenth century, and the family financed the major public buildings still in use today. Palazzo Doria, built between 1574 and 1578 and now the seat of the comune, is considered one of the most representative civil Renaissance palaces in Liguria; a Roman imperial-age mosaic is visible on the main floor. The Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, founded 1582 by Zenobia Del Carretto and rebuilt 1588-98, sits near the harbor and is known to the loanesi as the Madonnetta, the seafarers' church, with votive offerings of brigantines and barques inside. Marina di Loano, the modern tourist port east of the centro, was ranked among the world's ten most beautiful marinas by Yachting Pages in 2019, and the beach stretches two kilometers of mixed sand and gravel.
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Known for
Palazzo Doria
Renaissance palace built 1574-78 by the Doria, now seat of the comune, with a visible Roman imperial-age mosaic on the main floor.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Founded 1582 by Zenobia Del Carretto, rebuilt 1588-98; called the Madonnetta, the seafarers' church, with votive ship models inside.
Marina di Loano
Modern marina ranked among the world's ten most beautiful by Yachting Pages in 2019; sand and gravel beach extends two kilometers east.
Loggetta di Loano
Sixteenth-century covered loggia near the Palazzo Doria, the historic civic meeting space of the centro.
Monte Carmo
1,389-meter peak behind the coast, the highest of the arc of mountains that shelters Loano from the inland weather.
When to visit
Best months · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
April through June and September into October are the strongest months on the Loano front, with the marina full of boats and the beach manageable. July and August are warm, often 28 to 31 degrees, and the population doubles with families on long stays from Milano and Torino. November through March is the calmest stretch but the town stays open because 10,700 residents keep daily services running; the Madonnetta opens for the seafarers' mass on 8 December. The arc of mountains behind the town, from Monte Carmo down, gives Loano slightly milder winters than communes further east on the Riviera.
How to get there
From Genova, Loano is roughly 83 km by road. Allow about 71–100 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Genoa1h 11m
- Turin2h 26m
- Florence / Pisa3h 15m
Elevation 13 m
Reachable by train
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