Savona

Savona is an Italian town of 59 933 inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same name in Liguria. It is the third largest municipality in the region by population. The symbol of the city is the Tower named after the Savona navigator Leon Pancaldo. Its port is important in the Mediterranean for tourism and trade.

 

Sights

Religious buildings

1 Cathedral of the Assumption (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption), Via Ambrogio Aonzo. A donation is required to view the choir stalls. Guided tours of the cathedral are available from 10am to 12pm and 4pm to 5pm on Saturdays and 4pm to 5pm on Sundays. Tourists are not allowed to visit during the celebrations. The Cathedral of the Assumption as it stands was largely built in the late 16th century, although the cloisters have some medieval elements. It was built to replace the previous cathedral which was demolished by the Genoese to build the Priamar fortress. While the exterior is early Baroque, the interior is richly decorated and dates back to the 18th century. The earliest surviving elements include the richly carved wooden choir stalls by Anselmo De Fornari and Elia De Racchi, made between 1520 and 1521, the Byzantine font and the pulpit, which was partially recovered from the old cathedral. The treasury contains a small collection of high-quality Renaissance paintings, including works by the Master of Hoogstraeten and Tuccio d'Andrea.
2 Sistine Chapel, Via Ambrogio Aonzo. €2. Sat-Sun 10:00-12:00 and 16:00-17:00. Though modest compared to Rome's Sistine Chapel, this late Gothic style church, in the cloisters of the Duomo, is well worth a visit. It was built by order of Pope Sixtus VI between 1481 and 1483 to house the tomb of his parents, Leonardo della Rovere and Luchina Monteleoni. The interior decoration is in extravagant rococo, dating from 1762 to 1764, and is in excellent condition. Behind the altarpiece there are some traces of the original frescoes from 1489. A rare survival from this period is the organ from 1764, with its original case, built by the Genoese organ builder Filippo Piccaluga, restored in 2008.
3 Oratory of Our Lady of Castello. Proclaimed a national monument, it houses the monumental polyptych painted by Vincenzo Foppa and Ludovico Brea in 1490. Two imposing processional chests are also interesting.
Bishop's Palace, Via Pia. Guided tours are available on Saturdays at 4pm. The Bishop's Palace is an imposing building, built in 1589 and substantially remodeled in the 18th century. The museum inside houses a collection of Italian landscapes and marine paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. You can also visit the papal apartments, where Pope Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon between August 1809 and June 1812 and also briefly in 1814 - the state rooms where the Papal Court was temporarily housed have been restored.
4 Oratory of Saints John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and Petronilla. Dating back to 1890, it houses works by Anton Maria Maragliano.
5 Oratory of Saints Peter and Catherine. Dating back to the 18th century, it houses works by Paolo Gerolamo Brusco and Renata Cuneo.
6 Oratory of the Risen Christ. It preserves a valuable fifteenth-century wooden choir of the German school as well as a processional chest by Anton Maria Maragliano.
7 Church of Sant'Andrea Apostolo. Eighteenth-century church containing a Madonna with Child by Defendente Ferrari.
8 St. Peter's Church. Seventeenth-century church, it was built by the Discalced Carmelites. Richly frescoed, it has some important canvases inside.
9 Church of San Giovanni Battista in San Domenico, via Paleocapa. It dates back to the 16th century.
10 Church of Santa Lucia. Located along the ancient road connecting with Albissola Marina.
11 Charterhouse of Loreto. Built by Stefano Embruno in 1480 and later enlarged. It was perhaps built on the previous Castle of Loreto.
12 Capuchin Convent. Built starting from 1539, it is located in a dominant position on a hill behind the city.
13 Former church and convent of San Giacomo. Built in the 15th century, it is the only example of a late medieval church preserved in the city and one of the few in Italy.
14 Oratory of the Beguines.
15 Church of Saints Lorenzo, Biagio and Donato.
16 Church of Santa Maria Giuseppa Rossello.
17 Church of San Francesco da Paola.
18 Church of Mary Help of Christians.
19 Church of the Sacred Heart.
20 Monastery of Santa Teresa.
21 Chapel of San Michele.

 

Palaces

22 Palazzo Della Rovere (Palazzo Santa Chiara), via Pia. The work of the architect Giuliano da Sangallo, it was built by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II. The start of the works dates back to February 4, 1495 under the supervision of Urbano Vegerio, his procurator. In 1496 some surrounding houses were purchased to extend the palace, which however would remain incomplete (note the isolated columns at the entrance, which in the original intentions were part of a different context, complete with a coat of arms, etc.). The project is by the Florentine Giuliano da Sangallo, assisted by Matteo De Bixono, to whom in 1500 the elders of the city granted Savonese citizenship in merit of the project. Having been used in the XVII-XVIII century as a convent of the Poor Clares, it is also known as Palazzo Santa Chiara.
23 Palazzo Ferrero-Colonna-Cambiaso (Villa Cambiaso). Historic building, registered in the Italian monumental heritage, where Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII stayed, among others, in prayer retreat in the consecrated chapel of the building.
24 Palazzo delle Piane, Corso Italia. Also known as the "Palazzo delle Palle", due to the six large copper spheres placed on the roof and supported by a structure in the shape of a brazier, it is one of the greatest artistic peaks of Savona Liberty. It is the work of the engineer and architect Alessandro Martinengo and was created with the collaboration of Adolfo Ravignetti, between 1910 and 1911. For the occasion, Martinengo was inspired by a floral current spread in Milan by the school leader Somaruga.
25 Palazzo dei Pavoni, Via Pietro Paleocapa. Built in 1910 and located in the very central Via Paleocapa, it is a significant example of Liberty, clearly inspired by the Viennese Secession for the choice of combining large smooth surfaces with colored ceramic inserts together with majolica bands decorated with peacocks.
26 Former San Paolo Civic Hospital. Located in the central Piazza Giulio II, it was finished in 1857 and is one of the most successful works of the architect Carlo Sada of Bellagio. It has recently been renovated and intended for commercial and residential use.
27 Casa dei Colombo, Via di Porta Soprana, ☎ +39 0104490128. One of the houses of Christopher Columbus is located in Valcada, on the heights of Legino: the great navigator, in his youth, settled for several years, together with his family.
28 Tempietto Boselli, Via Dante Alighieri. It is a late eighteenth-century neoclassical temple created by the ceramist Giacomo Boselli. Saved from the demolition of the "Boselli factory" in 1931, it was restored and placed in a new location in the "Dante Alighieri" public park.

 

Museums

29 Museum of Ceramics, Palazzo Gavotti, Piazza Chabrol, ☎ +39 019 8310256, Musei@comune.savona.it. The ticket is also valid for the Pinacoteca Civica located in the same building. €8, reduced €5, free for minors, the disabled and students (ticket also valid for the Pinacoteca Civica). Tue 10:00-13:30, Wed-Fri 10:00-13:30, 15:30-18:30, Sun and public holidays 10:00-13:30. The Ceramics Museum is located in a 16th century building in the historic center of Savona, and boasts one of the most beautiful collections of ceramics in the world. The collection has a strong focus on Ligurian ceramics, with two floors dedicated to production from the 16th to the 18th century. There's also a reconstruction of a 16th-century apothecary's shop with over a hundred original items. The museum features a rich collection of modern ceramics, including Arturo Martini's famous sculpture Nena and Maria Galfré's Albero de Kaki, a life-size terracotta tree. Detailed information on the displays is available in English and Italian in each hall.
30 Municipal Art Gallery (Palazzo Gavotti), Piazza Chabrol, ☎ +39 019 8310256, Musei@comune.savona.it. €8 (ticket also valid for the Museum of Ceramics). Tue 10:00-13:30, Wed-Fri 10:00-13:30, 15:30-18:30, Sun and public holidays 10:00-13:30. The collection is unusually rich for a regional gallery, especially given the presence of the Crucifixion by Donato de' Bardi, which dates back to 1448 and is the oldest oil on canvas painting. There is an impressive collection of local religious painting from the 15th and 16th centuries. The modern art collection housed on the ground floor is also worth seeing, and includes many other obscure works by great artists, with Magritte's enigmatic Capital Confidence being a particular highlight. Picasso, Miro, De Chirico and Fontana are also represented.
31 Exhibition Museum of Nautical Arts "Leon Pancaldo", Piazza Cavallotti (at the Liceo Statale Chiabrera Martini). It houses about 1000 items of various seafaring culture such as models of ships and working steam engines, ancient navigation and meteorological survey instruments dating back to the mid-1800s, scale sections of ships, navigation instruments. The flagship is the historic functioning planetarium, one of the four existing today in Italy.
32 Picture gallery of the episcopal seminary, Via Ponzone 5. by reservation. It houses about a hundred paintings mainly of the Ligurian school. Among the most significant artists stand out Gioacchino Assereto, Giovanni Battista Carlone, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione known as Il Grechetto, Antonio Travi, Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, Paolo Gerolamo Brusco. A fifteenth-century wooden crucifix of the Catalan school is very interesting.
33 All About Apple Museum, Piazza De André. Located inside the old dockyard, it is the largest Apple museum in the world. The collection includes practically all the production of personal computers, peripherals, accessories and prototypes from the very beginning of the company up to the present day.

 

Military buildings

34 Priamar Fortress, Musei@comune.savona.it. It is a fortress located on the hill of the same name, between the gardens of the Prolungamento and the old dock, built by the Republic of Genoa starting in 1542 following the definitive capture of the city in 1528. It incorporates, among others, the Loggia del Castello di Santa Maria o Castello Nuovo of 1417 and preserves the few remains of the ancient city cathedral. In 1830-1831 Giuseppe Mazzini was imprisoned there and his cell can still be visited today. The name derives from Pri-a-màr, stone on the sea according to one of the etymological interpretations, or "Pria mä", mala stone, according to a more accredited version.
Next to the fortress is the archaeological area with excavations where remains from the Roman era have been found.
35 Torre Leon Pancaldo (Torretta or Torre della Quarda), piazza Leon Pancaldo. It is the symbol of the city. Built in the 14th century at the strategic crossroads of the port, it is dedicated to the Savonese navigator Leon Pancaldo, who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on the first circumnavigation of the world.
36 Torre del Brandale (Campanassa), Piazza del Brandale, ☎ +39 019821379, savonaliberocomune@campanassa.it. It is also called Campanassa from the name of the ancient bell that used to surmount it. The upper part was demolished after the defeat in the wars against the Genoese and was rebuilt only after the bombings of the Second World War, when the bell was also reinstalled.
37 Riario and Corsi Towers, Piazza del Brandale. Located in front of the Brandale Tower, they were also cut off by the Genoese but resisted the bombings of the Second World War, which demolished the surrounding buildings instead.
38 Fort of the Madonna degli Angeli. Reachable via a dirt road, it is currently in a state of abandonment.
39 Castello dello Sperone (behind the Gabriello Chiabrera theatre). Ancient medieval castle of which only a few sections of the walls remain on Monticello.

 

Monuments

40 Monument to the fallen Bells and Memories, piazza Goffredo Mameli. The monument with a marble base and bronze figures (molten bronze removed from some enemy cannons) was created by the Sestrese sculptor Luigi Venzano at the request of the National Association of the Mothers and Widows of the Fallen. It was inaugurated on 18 September 1927 with a ceremony in which King Vittorio Emanuele III took part and since then every day at 18:00 in Piazza Goffredo Mameli the fallen of all wars are commemorated with 21 tolling of the bell, one for each letter of the Italian alphabet: during the tolling the traffic and pedestrians stop as a sign of respect.
41 Monument to Garibaldi, Hero of the Two Worlds square (in the gardens of the Extension). It is a large equestrian monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, by the sculptor Leonardo Bistolfi. Inaugurated in 1927 by the leader's grandson, the statue is positioned so that Garibaldi's gaze looks towards his hometown, Nice.
42 Monument to the Resistance (Monumento al partisan), piazza Martiri della Libertà. Imposing work in bronze and work of Agenore Fabbri, it depicts a man torn apart by suffering and by the yearning for freedom that tears apart the bars that imprison him.
43 Monument to the Sailor. Located at the entrance to the port dock, it depicts a man scanning the horizon with his lantern and is also the work of Renata Cuneo.
44 San Giacomo Bridge (Ponte Sisto IV), Via Cappa Paolo. Built by Pope Sixtus IV in 1479 to join Monticello to the Mangiaguadagno hill (today Colle di San Giacomo) and make the connection between the city and the convent complex of San Giacomo easier.
45 Fountain Fight between man and shark (fountain Del Pesce), piazza Marconi. It was built in 1965. It consists of three tanks, one circular and two crescents below which receive a waterfall from the one above. At the center of the circular basin, surrounded by jets of water on a boulder of green Stella stone, stands the statue of the Savonese sculptor Renata Cuneo "Fight between man and shark".

 

Outside the town

46 Church of Our Lady of the Angels.
47 Church of the Name of Mary.
48 Chapel of San Sebastiano.
49 Filippo Maria Visconti Bridge. Located on the border with the municipalities of Vado Ligure and Quiliano, it was built in 1434.
50 Fort Ciuto. Closed to the public and in a state of neglect.
51 Fort of Madonna del Monte. Closed to the public, it is also in a state of abandonment.

Other
52 Church of San Dalmazio (in the Lavagnola district, near the chapel of San Martino). Contains a polyptych by Barnaba da Modena.
53 Chapel of San Martino. The chapel stands on the left bank of the Letimbro stream, at the mouth of a medieval bridge and mirrors the chapel of Santa Maria located on the other end of the bridge, along the right bank. The building should date back to the 11th century and retains the original bell tower, while the rest of the structure, with a single nave with a pronaos over the entrance, is the result of a 19th-century renovation. Inside there is an interesting plaque commemorating the construction of the aforementioned bridge, dated 1264. It is a representation of God the Father flanked by two angels and is one of the few examples of medieval sculpture in Savona. In the lower part, an inscription bears the name of Simone Doria, mayor of Savona in that year.
54 Chapel of Santa Maria.
55 Oratory of San Dalmazio.
56 Imperial Palace. Of fourteenth-century origins and rebuilt in the sixteenth century, it is located on the edge of the town at the confluence of the Lavanestro and Letimbro streams.

 

Sanctuary

57 Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, fraction of Shrine of Savona. It was built following the apparition of the Madonna to Antonio Botta, which according to tradition took place in 1536, and is dedicated to the patron saint of the city. It is a sumptuous example of Baroque architecture which, inside, boasts an altar by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and precious paintings by Domenichino. The statue of the patron saint was crowned directly by Pius VII at the end of his captivity. Attached to the church there is a museum which collects objects of sacred art and votive offerings.
58 Museum of the treasure of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy (in the palace of the Duke of Tursi, adjacent to the sanctuary), ☏ +39 019833121. The museum was built between 1536 and 1540, with the annexed complex of hospices of Our Lady of Mercy. The collections were formed thanks to prestigious gifts and donations from the 15th to the 19th century, and to the votive offerings of aristocratic Savonese and Genoese families. Precious vestments in worked or embroidered fabric are preserved here, among which the planet of the Duke of Urbino (1623), eighteenth-century textiles in the Revel and Bizzarre style, liturgical furnishings and precious silverware stand out, among which the reliquary of the cross of seventeenth-century Roman production, the goblet of the goldsmith Vincenzo Belli (18th century), The golden crown known as that of Pius VII. Some wooden and ivory sculptures from the 15th and 16th centuries are also part of the exhibition complex. There are also paintings on canvas with paper support of peasant and seafaring subjects, combined with typical models of boats in wood and silver foil.
59 Fountain of the Sanctuary. Built in the square in front of the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Misericordia (Savona) in 1708 by Giacomo Ponsonelli di Massa, a pupil of the Genoese Filippo Parodi; it was financed by the Genoese marquise Teresa Spinola-Sauli, devoted to Our Lady of Mercy. The work, in full Baroque style, consists of a central basin in the shape of a quadrilobe with jets of water that spray inwards from the edges; it is surmounted in the center by a spire that holds the statue of an angel twisting with open wings while holding a scroll with the inscription in the Latin phrase "Haurietis in gaudio", or, "You will quench your thirst in joy" (verse n. 12 of Isaiah ). In a position below the tank, there is a mask which makes the water flow into a tub below.

 

What to do

Beaches. The beaches of Savona have obtained the Blue Flag in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
motor activities. There are also opportunities for cycling and hiking in the area. In Varazze, to the east, the cycle path of the "Lungomare ciclabile" railway begins, which leads to Arenzano. It is about 10 km long, has numerous tunnels and can also be easily covered on foot.
Take the Sentiero dei Ragazzi del Sole. This short-term route is a pleasant excursion in the middle of nature. Starting from via Repusseno, you go up through the woods, cross the former Savona-San Giuseppe di Cairo cable car, ford streams and admire the panorama of the coast until you come out in via San Nazario. The duration of the excursion is approximately two hours.

 

Getting here

By plane
Nice airport
Genoa-Sestri airport
Albenga Airport (Albenga).

By car
The city is located on the junction of two motorways: the Autostrada dei Fiori which connects Genoa with Ventimiglia and the A6 Savona-Turin motorway. It is easily accessible by car from Genoa. The journey takes just over half an hour, on the A10.

From the west, Savona is about an hour from Sanremo and two hours from Nice. This scenic route largely follows the coast.

From Turin, taking the A6, the journey takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

On boat
Port of Savona. Savona is affected by the arrival of the cruise ships of the Costa Crociere shipping company, which are handled in a dedicated terminal.
In nearby Vado Ligure there are ferries to Corsica and Sardinia.

On the train
Savona station. Trenitalia operates regular services from Genoa. Regional services, which take 40 minutes to an hour, are very frequent and generally cost around €10 for a return ticket. The fastest InterCity services take around half an hour, but are less frequent and cost around €18 for a second class and €21 for a first class return.
Sanctuary station.
Savona Parco Doria station.
Savona Marittima station.

By bus
Most towns and larger cities in the province of Savona have reliable bus services to the city, although departures may not be very frequent.

Line 40/ reaches Finalborgo passing through Finale Ligure

 

Around city

The historic center of Savona is relatively small and easily explored on foot. Bus services can be useful for getting to the beach.

By public transport
TPL Linea, ☎ +3901922011, ☎ +39800012727, posta@tpllinea.it. hourly ticket: €1.50; daily tourist ticket €2.80. Company that manages urban public transport.

By taxi
Radio Taxi Savona, ☎ +39 019 808080. 0-24.

 

Shopping

Le Officine, Via Stalingrado, 94A, ☎ +39 019264857. Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-20:00.

 

How to have fun

There are a few bars along the old harbor basin which mainly attract a younger crowd.

Shows
Gabriello Chiabrera Theatre. inaugurated in 1853 and named after the Savonese poet and writer Gabriello Chiabrera. The oldest theater in the city is the Teatro Sacco, opened in 1785.
Don Bosco Theatre.
Theatre-Cinema Nuovofilmstudio.

 

Where to eat

n addition to the seafood from the Gulf of Genoa, Savona is best known for its Farinata and Foccacia. Farinata is a pancake made with chickpea flour, olive oil, salt and water that is eaten as a simple meal with a glass of wine. Focaccia is eaten for breakfast or as a snack.

Modest prices
1 inSISTO Gelato out of the ordinary, Via A. Manzoni, 23, ☎ +39 3458137287.

Average prices
2 Osteria La Gattafura, Piazza Pippo Rebagliati, 7r, ☎ +39 019 826450.
3 Osteria Delle Mancine, Via Antonio Baglietto, 26r, ☎ +39 342 939 8222.
4 Luna Restaurant, Via Domenico Cimarosa, 11r, ☎ +39 019 813381.
5 La Granda In Riviera Restaurant, Largo delle coffe 5, ☎ +39 019 770 4059.

 

Where stay

Average prices
1 NH Hotel, Via A. Chiodo, 9 (in the historic port "Vecchia Darsena", near the Brandale tower), ☎ +39 019 803211. The NH Savona Darsena is surrounded by history: Fortezza del Priamar, historic centre, Piazza Brandale, Chiabrera Theater. Next to the shopping district, the building has a view of the Ligurian river and the beach.
2 Idea Hotel, Piazza di Vittorio 2 (Next to the Officine shopping centre), ☎ +390192301700. single room from €45.
3 Motel Mirò, Via Nizza 62. Price: single from €55.
4 Mare Hotel, Via Nizza 41, ☎ +39 019264065. A bit outside the centre, but with a private beach and fish restaurant.
5 Miramare, Via Giordano 11R, ☎ +390197700511. single from €45.
6 Hotel San Marco, Via Ruggero Leoncavallo, 32, ☎ +39 019 813660.

 

Safety

San Paolo Hospital, Via Genova, 30, ☎ +39 01984041.

 

Origins of the name

The etymology of the name "Savona" is very uncertain. Tito Livio mentions the term Sauone (abl.) Defining it as an oppidum in the territories of the Alpine Ligurians. In the seventh century the term Saona is attested. If the term were Indo-European one could find correlations both with the root * seu- "that is" wet "or" wet ", and with the idronym" Sava ".

The toponym could derive from the term of the ancient ligustico saiv, sav, sab with the meaning of water meeting.

Another hypothesis derives its name from the Celtic river goddess "Souconna" and to support this thesis, in addition to the numerous similarities between the Ligurian and Celtic populations, there is the fact that even today in the local Savona language the city is named " Sann-a ".

There is a popular belief that the term soap derives from the city of Savona, and it is obviously a paretymology. It is known however [without source] that there are traces of its use around the 2nd century AD by the Gauls who used it as an ointment and this was subsequently reworked by the Ligurians into a hard soap that found a flourishing production between Genoa and Savona, maintained in the centuries to come. In the Ligurian tradition (also reported by French texts) it is said that in Savona the wife of a fisherman obtained soap by chance for the first time, boiling together olive oil and soda lye .; the name of the soap, however, is a term of Germanic origin which came into Latin through the Gallic link and is etymologically similar to the term sebum (sebum in Latin) through a common proto-Indo-European root * seyb- (to pour).

 

History

The first traces of the city date back to the Middle Bronze Age, when a first settlement was built on the Priamar hill. Ancient center of the Ligurian Sabazi, the city was an ally of Carthage during the Second Punic War, against Rome already an ally of Genoa. After ups and downs Rome subdued Savona around 180 BC. and the latter came, from the end of the second century BC, to supplant the role of Genoa as the main port of Liguria.

With the fall of the Roman Empire after the 5th century, the city suffered devastation by Heruli and Goths. Back under the Byzantines after the Gothic wars there was a brief recovery that lasted until the conquest by the Lombard king Rotari in 641. It was therefore part of the Lombard Kingdom, in the Duchy of Liguria, with Genoa as its capital. Under the dominion of the Franks of Charlemagne, it became the seat of a county and resumed trade on the sea. After bitter struggles with the Saracen pirates, it became a free Commune on 10 April 1191. In the 11th century Savona, at first allied with the maritime republic of Genoa, undertook hard struggles but also strong intertwining with it.

The apex of economic flourishing took place in the period in which the Popes of the Della Rovere family, Sixtus IV (1471-1484) and Julius II (1503-1513) were elected to the papal throne, who supported the city with generous donations and today is remembered also to be given the name of City of the Popes. The struggles with Genoa ended tragically for Savona in 1528, with its final conquest. This involved, in addition to numerous victims, the destruction of a large part of the city and the burial of the port. From this moment Savona followed the fate of the Republic of Genoa.

In the eighteenth century the city resumed its seafaring activity. With trade, the arts flourished again and Savona was enriched with noble palaces, villas and churches. In 1805 Liguria was annexed to the French Empire and Savona became the capital of the Montenotte Department. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna established the annexation of the Ligurian Republic to the territories of the Kingdom of Sardinia, with which it then became part of the newly constituted Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Under the Napoleonic administration of the prefect Chabrol the city began a slow rebirth, which evolved with the arrival of the railway and the beginning of the Savona industrial revolution.

During the Second World War the city suffered massive aerial bombardments due to the presence of war industries and the port, which caused serious damage, especially to the ancient districts of the port area. Savona is among the cities decorated with military valor for the war of liberation.

 

Territory

The city is located on the western Ligurian Riviera, near the mouths of the Letimbro and Quiliano, and at the junction of two motorways: the Autostrada dei Fiori which connects Genoa with Ventimiglia and the A6 Savona-Turin motorway.

The municipality consists of the capital and the following hamlets and localities: Bosco delle Ninfe, Ciantagalletto, Ciatti, Cimavalle, Conca Verde, Galleria Ranco, Church of the Madonna del Monte, Marmorassi, Maschio, Montemoro, Naso di Gatto, San Bartolomeo al Bosco, San Bernardo in Valle, Sanctuary and Strà, for a land area of ​​65.55 km².

Savona borders to the north with the municipality of Cairo Montenotte, to the east with Albisola Superiore and Albissola Marina, to the south with the Ligurian Sea, to the south-west with Vado Ligure, to the west with Quiliano, Altare and Cairo Montenotte.

It is about 35 km by motorway from Genoa (Prá) and just under 100 km from Sanremo.

 

Climate

The climate is temperate of the Mediterranean type with a beginning of continental influences towards the hinterland.

Summer is moderately hot and rarely muggy. During the winter, periods with sunny days and not very low temperatures alternate when Liguria is protected by the anticyclone of the Azores with other more rigid ones when low pressures form on the Gulf of Genoa. This baric configuration causes strong dark north winds and sometimes snowfall up to the coast. In these cases Savona is one of the coldest places on the entire Ligurian Riviera.

As soon as the effects of the dark north wind cease, the warm breezes of the deep Ligurian sea take over and the temperatures in Savona return to more moderate values. The weather turns out to be mild for much of the summer and spring.

 

Anthropogenic geography

Regions
There are numerous hamlets in the municipality, generally made up of small hillside settlements. The most populated fraction is Santuario, which has 820 inhabitants and takes its name from the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy.

Other hamlets are Marmorassi (186 inhabitants), Montemoro (103 inhabitants), Botta (69 inhabitants), Molino del Lavagna (58 inhabitants), Maschio (55 inhabitants) and Conca Verde (34 inhabitants).

 

Economy

Crafts
Local craftsmanship is centered on the manufacturing of ceramics both in a classic style, such as the famous "Antico Savona" embellished with mythological or rural images, and contemporary.

Industry
Savona industry reached its peak in the last century, with a thriving iron and steel business and important industrial realities also in the mechanical, glass and food sectors. In recent decades, however, the city has experienced a radical process of deindustrialization, with important repercussions also on the demographic level.

To date, there are twelve companies from Savona, i.e. based in the municipality or in the surrounding area, which are among the top hundred in Liguria by turnover: Bombardier, Infineum, GF Group - Orsero Group, Saint Gobain Vetri, Piaggio Aero, Demont, ExxonMobil, Forship , Noberasco, Continental Brakes, Sefer and Expertise, Bitron.

 

Tourism

Following the deindustrialization of the city in the last decade, the tourism sector has begun to acquire a good importance, thanks to the presence of the cruise terminal, the restyling of the old dock, the enhancement of various cultural assets of the city.

 

Infrastructure and transport

Streets
Historically located along the Via Aurelia, Savona represents a junction between the A10 Genoa-Ventimiglia and A6 Turin-Savona motorways, as well as for the system of arteries connecting with the hinterland including some provincial roads and the Colle di Cadibona state road 29 . The Aurelia bis is currently under construction which will allow the city center to be relieved of traffic.

Railways
The Savona station, located along the Genoa-Ventimiglia railway, also acts as a hub for the confluence of the two Apennine routes of the Turin-Savona railway. The plant is served by national and regional connections operated by Trenitalia. The current station, the work of Pier Luigi Nervi, was inaugurated in 1977 following the doubling of the Genoa-Ventimiglia line and then radically modernized in 2011. It replaced the old station which stood in Piazza del Popolo and ran alongside the Letimbro stream. In the municipal area, on the Turin-Savona line, there are also the Santuario station and the Maschio station, the latter abolished in 2009.

You bring
The port of Savona is, in terms of importance of goods and passenger traffic, the second port in Liguria after Genoa as well as the fifth national and ninth European cruise port with 910,244 passengers and 210 ships touched in 2016.

The airport has a modern maritime station, the Palacrociere, built in project financing with the Costa Crociere company. The structure welcomes about one million tourists every year to which must be added the passengers who embark from the ferry terminal of the nearby port of Vado Ligure.

As far as freight traffic is concerned, the port pole offers important outlets to the sea for the industries of the Piedmontese and Lombard hinterlands.

Of notable importance is also the cable car that connects the coal terminal of the port of Savona to the coking plant of San Giuseppe in Cairo; at the time of construction (1910-1913) it was the longest cable car in Europe with its 17 km overtaking the Ligurian Apennines and is currently the third.

Urban mobility
The urban and suburban connections are carried out through bus services managed by the company TPL Linea.

From 1912 to 1948 the Savona-Vado Ligure tramway was active, an extra-urban connection that included urban intensification within Savona managed by the Savonesi Electric Tramway Company.

 

Sport

Soccer
The main football association of the city is the A.S.D. Savona Calcio, formed in 2020 from the ashes of Savona FBC and militant in the First Category championship. Before the bankruptcy, Savona FBC played for several decades among professionals, also playing in the First Division after the war. Among the players who have played in the team are Pierino Prati, who began and ended his career here, "Beppe" Furino, Eugenio Fascetti, Marcello Lippi, Walter Zenga, Enrico Cucchi, Giuliano Taccola, Nello Governato, Vittorio Panucci and Paolo Ponzo. From 1959 to 2020, the team played in the city's main sports facility, the Valerio Bacigalupo municipal stadium.

The other soccer teams in the city are the U.S. Legino 1910 and the F.B.C. Veloce 1910, militants in the Promotion championship, the A.S.D. Hope 1912 F.C. and the U.S. Letimbro, militants in the First Category championship and the U.S. Priamar 1942, militant in the Second Category championship.

Water polo
Savona boasts a water polo team that has been playing in A1 since 1981, the Rari Nantes Savona, whose roll of honor includes 3 Championships (1991, 1992, 2005), 3 LEN Cups (2004-05, 2010-11, 2011- 12) and 3 Italian Cups (1990, 1991, 1993). The team plays in the Carlo Zanelli swimming pool.

Cycling
Savona has been the arrival city of the following stages of the Giro d'Italia over the years:
On May 31, 1969, the 16th stage of the 1969 Giro d'Italia ended in Savona with the victory of Roberto Ballini. Eddy Merckx, at the conclusion of the same stage, was found positive in the anti-doping test and disqualified.
On 27 May 1983 the 14th stage of the 1983 Giro d'Italia ended in Savona with the victory of Gregor Braun.
On June 6, 1991, the 11th stage of the 1991 Giro d'Italia ended in Savona with the victory of Max Sciandri.
On May 21, 2014, the 11th stage of the 97th Giro d'Italia ended in Savona with the victory of Michael Rogers.

Punchball
The Savona handball teams compete in the Gian Carlo Ruffino ballroom, which is a modern and comfortable structure for fans of this sport, which has an ancient tradition in all the surrounding towns in the area.

Petanque
The Associazione Bocciofila Savonese, first born in Savona in 1920 and among the top thirty in Italy, over the course of its long history has won eleven Italian titles and a third place at the 1953 World Championships in Lausanne in squares. In 2006 it was awarded the CONI Gold Star for Sports Merit and in 2020 it received the CONI Gold Collar for Sports Merit, the highest honor of Italian sport, becoming the first bowling association of the Italian Bowls Federation to be awarded this merit .

Other sports
The Savonese Gymnastics Brotherhood, founded in 1883, has given life to all the major sports sections of the city, including those of football, fencing, athletics, Greco-Roman wrestling, cycling, swimming. Currently the women's artistic gymnastics team competes in Serie A1.

Canottieri Sabazia are also of considerable importance in the city's sports scene with regard to canoeing, Savona Rugby, a reference company in the province of Savona for the past thirty years, and the two field hockey teams, the Savona Hockey Club and the Hockey Club Liguria.