Savona: Priamar, Museums and Coast

Màr offers guided tours of the monumental complex and its underground passages. Tours can be held in English, French and German on request; check current options before your visit. The underground rooms were created in several construction phases during the fortress’s period of use, between 1542 and 1943. The visit therefore connects the visible complex above the coast with rooms whose building history spans centuries.

Archaeology and ceramics

Ceramics take center stage in an exhibition spread over two floors at the Savona Civic Archaeological Museum and City Museum. The exhibition also introduces visitors to the main archaeological sites excavated to date in the Savona area. On display is a Byzantine necropolis dating from the 4th to the 7th century AD; the Umbrella Room presents excavations of the medieval cathedral. The selection brings archaeological finds together with the city’s history rather than simply presenting individual objects side by side.

Imported ceramics tell the story of the intense maritime trade between medieval cities across the Mediterranean. Alongside them is local ceramic production, documented since the late 12th century. The Ceramics Museum complements this perspective with more than 1,000 works across four floors, from the Renaissance to contemporary design. Its collections also include finely crafted pharmacy jars from the former San Paolo Hospital. Those interested in ceramics can compare different forms, periods and connections to trade and local production.

Palaces, art and the history of the cathedral

Palazzo Gavotti was built over medieval structures and transformed into a Renaissance palace at the end of the 16th century. Since 2003, it has housed the collections of Savona’s Pinacoteca Civica. Its visitor facilities are also useful to know about: the Pinacoteca has elevators, is accessible to people with disabilities or reduced mobility, and features tactile 3D reliefs.

The monumental cathedral complex includes the cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, the Cathedral Treasury Museum and Pope Pius VII’s apartment. Construction of the Sistine Chapel began in 1481 as a funerary chapel for the parents of Pope Sixtus IV. Following its restoration from 1762 to 1764, it was transformed from a Renaissance funerary chapel into a Baroque church. The cathedral also features an elaborate 15th-century baptistery and Renaissance wooden choir stalls.

The Cathedral Treasury Museum is housed in the rooms of the former Masseria and preserves paintings, sculptures, goldsmiths’ work and sacred vestments. The vestments include pieces that belonged to the bishops of Savona, among them a 15th-century chasuble belonging to Cardinal Vegerio. The museum’s oldest piece is a reliquary cross from the mid-13th century. The “Savona città dei papi” route links the Pinacoteca Civica, the cathedral’s cultural heritage and six city oratories.

City views and walking routes

The 50-meter-high Brandale Tower contains rooms with paintings, sculptures and panels on the history of the area from the Middle Ages to 1800. From the top, views extend across the port, city and Ligurian coast toward Genoa and Portofino. At the Old Port, historic palaces, medieval towers and artisan workshops shape the scene. Boat trips along the Ligurian coast are also offered from there.

Those who want to explore Savona on foot can choose from several themed routes. One city walk follows Via Ranco along an old Roman road out of Savona and, after a turnoff, downhill toward Albissola Mare. The route named after Chiara Luce Badano starts on Via Scotti and climbs the green hillside to the Madonna degli Angeli chapel. From the summit, views stretch over Savona and its gulf as far as Vado Ligure and beyond. Each route has its own focus: historic paths or a panoramic climb.

Coast, port and travel planning

Savona’s western end is home to Zinola Beach: a 1.2-kilometer stretch of sand with shallow, calm Mediterranean waters. It has several free public beach areas as well as nine beach clubs. Facilities and access conditions at the beach clubs may vary by season. A kayak route starts at Fornaci Beach or the tourist port and offers views of Priamar Fortress from the sea. Before setting out, check sea conditions, rental availability and route safety.

The Savona–Vado Ligure passenger port offers direct year-round ferry services to Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica, as well as to selected destinations in Spain, Malta and North Africa; routes may change. Bus lines 7, 7/ and 30 run between the railway station and the port, though their routes and services may also change. For your specific plans, it is therefore advisable to check the latest timetables. The collections of the MUSA municipal museum network are also spread across several sites: the network connects museums in the historic city center with the museums at Priamar. Since access and ticketing arrangements may change, check them before your visit.

You can then choose a hotel location to suit your own itinerary for the day. Savona also offers a distinct culinary discovery: panissa is served cold in cubes or fried as thin slices, known in the local dialect as Tavelette or Fette.

Discover more destinations: Borghetto Santo Spirito, San Bartolomeo, Celle Ligure, Alassio, Piani, Sassello, Nasino-Borgo, Albenga, Bardino Nuovo, Borgio Verezzi, Ceriale, Cisano Sul Neva, Finale Ligure, Laigueglia, Loano, Pietra Ligure, Stellanello, Varazze, Vellego, Vezzi San Giorgio, Garlenda, Andora, Varigotti, Spotorno, Spinetta, Bardino Vecchio, Quiliano, Bardineto, Castelbianco, Cosseria, Brasi, Voze, Coasco, Ortovero, Vara Inferiore, Bormida-Genepro, Carbuta, Campochiesa, Menosio, Pallare, Borghi, Ellera, Dogli, Marina di Andora, Gorra, Albisola Superiore, Erli, Pero, Balestrino, Casanova Lerrone, Magliolo, Rialto, Giusvalla, Pianazzo, Ranzi, Mioglia, Pontinvrea, Capitolo-costa, Savona, Villanova D'albenga, Calice Ligure, Vezzi Portio, Cairo Montenotte, Noli, Orco Feglino, Piana Crixia, Stella, Vendone, Vado Ligure, Millesimo, Villalunga, Bossaneto, Albissola Marina, Bergeggi, Calizzano, Toirano, Castelvecchio Di Rocca Barbena, Dego, Zuccarello, Testico, Carcare, Bormida, Altare, San Pietro D'olba, Tovo San Giacomo, Teglia, Palo-pataré.

For the broader travel overview: Liguria.