Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Rapallo

Liguria · Genova

Rapallo

The largest town on the Tigullio gulf, twice the location of treaties that redrew borders in postwar Europe.

Known for

  • CASTELLO SUL MARE

    Coastal fort built mid-1500s after the Dragut raid, set on the water at the harbor entrance, the town's symbol.

  • RAPALLO TREATIES

    Two diplomatic conferences: the 1917 inter-Allied meeting after Caporetto, and the 1922 German-Soviet treaty signed during the Genoa conference.

  • PIZZO AL TOMBOLO

    Bobbin lace tradition preserved in the Villa Tigullio lace museum, a craft running back to the seventeenth century.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Why come

Rapallo sits on the Tigullio gulf 25 kilometers southeast of Genova, between Portofino and Chiavari. The first settlement dates from the eighth century BC; the city name appears in a document of 964, and the Podestà was created in 1203. Rapallo passed to Genoese control in 1229 and stayed under the Republic until the Napoleonic wars.

The Castello sul Mare, built mid-sixteenth century after a raid by the corsair Dragut, is the symbol of the town and one of the few coastal forts built on the water rather than the cliff. Two diplomatic conferences gave Rapallo its modern name in Europe: the 1917 inter-Allied conference after Caporetto, which created the Versailles war council, and the 1922 German-Soviet treaty signed during the Genoa conference, restoring relations between the two pariah powers after Versailles. The Sanctuary of Montallegro above the town marks an apparition reported in 1557. Bobbin lace, the local craft, runs back through the same period.

We've been

Feature from our free newsletter

Tigullio Roadtrip | Four Versions of the Same Liguria

A steep hill falls into the sea. The houses are crammed on the slope and painted in bright colors because they are old, packed tight, and need help. There is a small port if the cove allows it and a bigger port if the cove is generous. There is a small piazza around a small church, with maybe four restaurants, three bars, and a gelato place. There is no space for a grand square, because there is no space for grand anything in Liguria.

From the Rapallo letter, June 2026

Read the full feature on anywhereitaly.com

Rapallo — photo 1
Rapallo — photo 2

What to see

  • Castello sul Mare

    Sixteenth-century coastal fort built on a small islet at the harbor entrance after corsair Dragut's raid; the town's symbol and part of the Tigullio defensive system.

  • Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montallegro

    Hilltop sanctuary at 612 meters on Monte Letho, marking the 1557 Marian apparition, reached by funicular or footpath.

  • Monastero di Valle Christi

    Cistercian monastery founded 1204, ruined Gothic complex on the edge of the modern town, surviving apse and bell tower.

  • Museo del Merletto (Villa Tigullio)

    Bobbin lace museum in Villa Tigullio, preserving Rapallo's centuries-old tradition of pillow-lace work.

  • Basilica dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio

    Parish basilica from 1118, rebuilt across centuries, with the leaning bell tower the locals call the campanile of Rapallo.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Rapallo 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

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

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.

Living here

  • Population 29,103
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 39 min drive
  • Regional capital Genova, 30 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 3 m
  • Population: 29,103
  • Surface area: 33.61 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by

More towns near Rapallo