Discover Chiàvari: Art, History and Coastal Landscapes

Chiàvari brings together art and urban history with coastal landscapes, woodland and hills. The city offers a range of different points of interest that can also be explored independently of one another.

Art and Collections at Palazzo Rocca

After it was transferred to the municipality, Palazzo Rocca was converted into a museum. The palace houses the Galleria Civica and the Museo Archeologico. The Galleria Civica preserves paintings by Genoese and Flemish artists from the 17th century. Both the artists’ origins and the period represented are useful points of reference for a museum visit.

The archaeological museum is located in the former 18th-century stables of Palazzo Rocca, in the historic centre of Chiavari. Another area of the city’s collections is the “Sanguineti – Leonardini” Museum of Natural Sciences: its Physics Cabinet section contains around 300 instruments dating from the late 19th to the early 20th century. The approximate number and time span give this collection its own focus alongside the paintings and archaeological holdings.

The Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art preserves paintings, sculptures, silver objects and textiles. The works come both from churches still in use and from former religious institutions that have been closed. The collection therefore spans different types of objects as well as a range of religious contexts.

Churches, Frescoes and Architectural History

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista preserves works by Bernardino Fasolo, Gian Battista Carlone, Domenico Piola, Orazio De Ferrari, Domenico Fiasella and Giuseppe Galeotti, as well as a wooden crucifix by Antonio M. Maragliano. The church stands on the ruins of a chapel that, according to tradition, was founded around 1182 by Bardo Fieschi, archpriest of Lavagna. Here, an early foundation story passed down through tradition meets a collection featuring works by numerous artists.

The Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie stands on the Via Aurelia, on a cliff that drops steeply towards the sea. Its frescoes by Teramo Piaggio and Luca Cambiaso were created between 1539 and 1550. The site thus combines a distinctive location directly above the sea with a precisely defined period in art history.

The Palazzo “dei portici neri” was built in the 13th century, just below the castle and close to Chiavari’s medieval walls. When choosing your cultural interests, you can distinguish between sacred art, a cliffside sanctuary and medieval architectural history.

The History of the Chiavari Chair

The tradition of Chiavari chairs dates back to 1807. At the time, Marchese Stefano Rivarola brought Parisian chairs to Chiavari and asked local craftspeople to copy them. The chair was designed to be extremely light yet durable. Its slender, rounded lines follow the natural curve of the wood. Its origins, design and connection to the material together form part of its local craft history.

Coastal Woodland and Routes Through the Hills

The pSIC Pineta–Lecceta di Chiavari includes a stretch of coast with holm oak woods, as well as forests of maritime, stone and Aleppo pines. These tree species give the area a distinct landscape character. If you are more interested in being active, Chiavari also has mountain-bike and cycling routes through the hills. When planning, you can therefore choose between woodland and coastal stretches on the one hand, and cycling routes across hilly terrain on the other.

Getting There and Choosing the Focus of Your Stay

If you are travelling by car, the Chiavari exit on the A12 motorway is a useful point of reference. Check the latest route information before setting off. You can choose from a range of themes to focus on during your stay: the collections and churches, the history of the chair, or the coastal vegetation and cycling routes.

Discover more destinations: San Lorenzo della Costa, Mignanego, Sestri Levante, Prati, Campomorone, Cicagna, Sanguineto, Leivi.

For the broader travel overview: Genoa.