Liguria · Genova
Recco
A coastal town on the Golfo Paradiso, rebuilt from 90 percent destruction in 1943 and known for IGP cheese focaccia and Pro Recco water polo.
Known for
FOCACCIA COL FORMAGGIO
Two thin sheets of unleavened dough sealing fresh stracchino; IGP since 2012, made only in Recco, Avegno, Sori and Camogli.
PRO RECCO
The most successful water polo club in men's history, founded 1913, with thirty-seven Serie A1 titles and nineteen Coppa Italia.
REBUILT FROM 1943
The Allies destroyed 90 percent of the town in 1943 because of its strategic viaduct; what stands today is postwar reconstruction.
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
Recco sits on a small inlet of the Golfo Paradiso between Sori and Camogli, fifteen kilometers from Genova. The town's viaduct made it a strategic Allied target in the second world war; the 1943 bombings destroyed 90 percent of buildings and killed 127 inhabitants. What stands today is a postwar town, rebuilt through the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Two things keep Recco on the map. The first is the Focaccia di Recco col Formaggio, two thin sheets of unleavened dough sealing a layer of fresh stracchino, with documented origins in the nineteenth century; it became an IGP product in 2012 and an EU-protected designation in 2013, made only in Recco, Avegno, Sori and Camogli. The second is Pro Recco, the most successful water polo club in men's history, founded 1913, holder of thirty-seven Serie A1 titles and nineteen Coppa Italia.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Recco’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Santuario di Nostra Signora del Suffragio
Postwar reconstruction of the main church destroyed in the 1943 bombings; the campanile is the tallest postwar bell tower in Liguria.
Golfo Paradiso seafront
Small inlet between Sori and Camogli, with the Bandiera Blu beach and a short lungomare looking south to the Portofino peninsula.
Ponte di Recco
Postwar railway viaduct rebuilt on the site of the structure that drew the wartime bombings, the spine of the modern town.
Monte Esoli
Hill behind the town, walking trails into the upper Recco valley with views down the Golfo Paradiso to Camogli.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Recco 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 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.
Da ö VittorioRistorante
Da ö Vittorio has one Gambero Rosso fork (75/100), a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
ManuelinaRistorante
Manuelina carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100), a place on Italy's historic-locali register, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Signature dish
Focaccia di Recco col formaggioBread
Two paper-thin sheets of dough around molten crescenza cheese, baked until blistered, protected by IGP.
See every town in our catalogue with a dish of its own.
Living here
- Population 9,399
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 34 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 25 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 5 m
- Population: 9,399
- Surface area: 9.77 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
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Camogli
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A fishing village on the Golfo Paradiso whose nineteenth-century fleet of a thousand white sails made it Italy's third maritime power in the Mediterranean.
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🟦 Bandiera Blu
More Bandiera Blu towns in Liguria
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Three boroughs on the Gulf of Genoa, with walled Finalborgo as the Del Carretto seat and a Bandiera Blu beachfront below.