Savona Centro Storico

The port is so close to Savona’s old center that you can get a good look around and still be back aboard for lunch. We did this walk on December 27, 2025, during our second stop in Savona on a Costa Cruise, arriving from Costa Smeralda. If you leave the ship around 9:00-9:30 a.m., head to the information desk as you exit the port, then keep straight to the Pertini Bridge. Cross it, and the Monument to the Sailor is on the left along the pier. A little farther on, you’ll come to the Leon Pancaldo Tower. After the tower, turn left onto Via Paleocapa. Take in the porticoes, then cross the street to see the old Art Nouveau buildings decorated with peacocks, stretching along the opposite side for 150 meters. Walk another 250 meters and visit the Church of San Giovanni Battista in San Domenico on the right. Back on Via Paleocapa, go 20 meters, take the alley, then turn right onto Via Ambrogio Aonzo. After 150 meters you’ll reach the Duomo, with the Sistine Chapel, the Cloister, and the Duomo itself to visit. When you come out, go right for 180 meters to the end of the street, turn left for 10 meters, then right onto Via San Domenico il Vecchio. Follow it for 50 meters to Fortezza del Priamar. Start with the archaeological excavations, then explore the fortress and the Pertini Museum. From there, head toward the seafront behind you on the right. You’ll see the Garibaldi monument, the promenade, the Garden of Princess Mafalda of Savoy, and the Garden of the Righteous. Return via the playground and walk 150 meters along Via Dante Alighieri to the traffic light. Turn right and follow the fortress for 350 meters to Brandale Tower on the left. Continue to the Pertini Bridge, cross it, then turn left for the port, stopping at the souvenir shops on the way. This is a suggested 3-4-hour route, especially handy for cruise passengers, and you can spend more or less time at each sight depending on your interests. Enjoy your visit!

The old centers are lovely, as they are throughout Italy, and the architecture here is lovely too. Still, plenty of streets, especially the narrow ones, smelled of urine, and not dog urine. I was also struck by the poor service in many places, without generalizing: no “buongiorno” or “grazie.” It seems to me some businesses rely on their location more than on how they treat people. That makes the lovely people who offer a smile for free stand out all the more.

Savona was a real surprise to me. There’s the tower, the castle, and the fortress, and the cathedral is worth seeing all the way around.

Really nice.