Levanto, Liguria
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Levanto (; or , locally ) is a (municipality) in the
province of La Spezia The province of La Spezia (; Ligurian language, Ligurian: ''provinsa dea Spèza'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of La Spezia. Overview It has an area of and, , a total population o ...
, in the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
region of
Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
, located almost southeast of
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
and about northwest of
La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...
. The town is on the coast at the mouth of a river valley, between hills thickly wooded with olive and pine trees. The ridges on either side of the valley thrust out into the sea as the headlands of Mesco and Levanto. The municipality forms part of the coastal district known as the Comunità Montana della Riviera Spezzina, and part of its territory is included in the Cinque Terre National Park.


History

In Roman times there was already a small settlement there by the name of Ceula, an important nodal point due to its location and harbour. At the beginning of the 9th century, the bell tower of the present church, the Chiesa di San Siro, served as a watchtower and as a defence against dangers from the sea. From the 13th century, however, the importance of the area began to decline – this was to the advantage of Levanto itself, which was expanding by the sea. Levanto first became the feudal stronghold of the Malaspina, before passing to the Da Passano and then, in 1229, to the
Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...
. In the Middle Ages, the village became a centre of commercial activity, benefiting from maritime and overland travel, the most important of the latter routes being the
Via Francigena The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...
, the ancient pilgrims' way that in medieval times connected
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. In the post-Medieval period, the village saw major development with the construction of the Borgo Nuovo or Stagno, largely completed by the 17th century, on the plain of the small river Ghiararo. This area is characterised by interesting painted 17th and 18th-century houses, some built on much earlier buildings. A further phase of urban development took place at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries with the opening of two new thoroughfares, the present Corso Italia and Corso Roma. From 1950, the village experienced further growth, culminating during the 1970s in the present townscape.


Main sights

*Medieval castle, built to defend the village and still in a state of perfect conservation. Privately owned and not open to the public. *Church of ''Sant'Andrea'' (Church of Saint Andrew). An example of 13th-century Ligurian Gothic style with its façade decorated in black and white stripes, and a magnificent rose window surmounting the main door. The chalice of emperor Henry VII is one of its treasures, and displayed only on special occasions such as the festival of the patron saint. *Church of ''Santa Maria della Costa'' (Church of Saint Mary of the Coast). Pre-13th century. *Villa Agnelli. Its gardens were landscaped at the beginning of the 20th century. Privately owned and not open to the public. *Piazza della Loggia, characterised by a 13th-century
loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...
, which in 2007 received from
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
the title of "monument being evidence of culture and peace". *Piazza Cavour, in earlier times the inner courtyard of the Monastero delle Ordine di Santa Chiara (Monastery of the Order of St Clare, the Poor Clares), dating from the 16th century. Their former convent now accommodates the town hall, the small public library and other municipal offices.


Transport

Levanto station is a stop on the
Genoa–Pisa railway The Genoa–Pisa railway is one of the trunk lines of the rail transport in Italy, Italian railway network. It runs along the Ligurian coast from Genoa to Pisa through the Italian Riviera, Riviera di Levante and the Versilia. It passes through th ...
, and is the westernmost station for tourist trains serving the villages of the
Cinque Terre The Cinque Terre (; ; meaning 'Five Lands') is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggio ...
.


Culture

*Permanent exhibition of cultural artefacts, in a 14th-century building attached to hostel Ospitalia del Mare.


Festivals

*
Amfiteatrof Music Festival Amfiteatrof Music Festival (previously known as Festival Massimo Amfiteatrof) is a classical and chamber music festival based in Levanto, an Italian ''Comune'' in the ligurian Riviera, between Genoa and La Spezia, since 1992. The festival pay ...
: classical and chamber music festival dedicated to Russian-born cellist
Massimo Amfiteatrof Maksim Aleksandrovič Amfiteatrov (; 27 February 1907 – 19 December 1990), known as Massimo Amfiteatrof, was an Italian cellist of Russian descent, dubbed as the "Cellists' Caruso" (). Biography Maksim Aleksandrovič Amfiteatrov was born i ...
, in June/July – September *''Festa di San Giacomo'' (Feast of St James) and ''Festa del Mare'' (Festival of the Sea), 24–25 July *''Festa di Nostra Signora della Guardia'': traditional band concert, 29 August *''Sagra del Gattafin'' (fried pastry stuffed with beets, onions, egg and grated cheese), in June *''Festa Madonna del Soccorso'', 1–2 July in Fontona (a little village near Levanto)


References


External links


Official website
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