The town also has many churches, which include the Santa Andrea church from 1226 and the San Nicolo and San Siro churches which date back to the 11th century.
The town has been in existence since Roman times and its name, Levanto, means ’place of the rising sun’. The town was governed by the Malaspina family until 1140. In 1211 the town was annexed to the Republic of Genoa. Under Genoan rule and until 1797 it enjoyed the status of a ’free district’ and earned its living from maritime trade between the hinterland and countries overseas.
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Thanks to Levanto’s location and its good beaches, the town has experienced rapid growth since the Second World War, where it started to make its name as a popular holiday resort. The town centre is closed to traffic in high season. If you are on a driving holiday, it’s good idea to rent accommodation outside the town centre. If you are travelling by train, the station is quite close to the town centre. The train service is very reliable in this region and you can take the train to visit Cinque Terre, La Spezia and Genoa. The town is characteristic of eastern Riviera towns and is also a good place to visit for families with young children.
In the year 2010, The town of Levanto opened a disused tunnel that connects between Levanto and Bonassola, which means that today you can hike or bike between the two cities without having to go up and down the mountain roads. The tunnel opens up in a few places exposing sea views along the way, and it is illuminated and monitored.
