Two popes in twenty years: Sixtus IV and Julius II, both della Rovere, both from Savona — and Savona's own Sistine Chapel, built by the first for his parents, is the Roman one's only "sister". On the harbour, the Priamar fortress recalls the long contest with Genoa; the two surviving medieval towers stand backdrop to ferry and cruise quays.
Savona is also the homeland of chinotto, the bitter citrus turned national soft drink, and a capital of art ceramics together with neighbouring Albissola. The urban beaches of Liguria's western riviera begin here.
Near Savona
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
