Levanto HISTORY AND
LANDSCAPE

Levanto is a Ligurian town overlooking the sea, enclosed between Punta Mesco and Punta di Levanto. It is ideally positioned and connected and for this reason it is considered the gateway to visit the Italian Riviera’s gems, to be reached by ferry or smaller boats, by car, by train but also hiking along the beautiful panoramic paths overlooking the sea and connecting Levanto to the Cinque Terre, the Baie del Levante and the historic villages of the hinterland.

The history of Levanto, which also tells that of the neighboring villages, lives in the well-preserved medieval center, in the many buildings of the period, in the permanent ethnographic exhibition and in the villages that dot the valley.

Among the most evocative corners of Levanto we recommend the Via dei Forni, home to the old shops and noble villas, the Clarisse Monastery from the early 17th century and the path between the narrow medieval alleys that lead from the sea to the Castle of the XII that dominates the town. From there you can then descend to the Church of San Andrea along the medieval walls and return to the sea through the Darsena, the ancient canal port of the village.

While strolling among flowered foreshortenings and breathtaking sea views don’t forget to look up at the colorful houses and painted windows.

Part of the territory of Levanto is within the Cinque Terre National Park, also known as the Human Park because it was man himself who created the landscape that characterizes it and that earned it the nomination to World Heritage Site.

The natural environment, even today unique in the world, has been painstakingly shaped to cultivate the land: sectioning the steep slopes of the hills man has obtained strips of cultivable land supported by about seven thousand kilometers of dry stone walls, called terraces. Equal in walls length only the Great Wall of China!

Located at the eastern end of Liguria, this beautiful bay has one of the largest beach in the area. Today Levanto is a popular destination among those who love surfing, but the blue and clear water make it a perfect destination for sweet idleness on the water’s edge lovers too…

The uniqueness of the village is also proven by the inclusion of part of its territory in the Cinque Terre National Park, established in 1999. Inside the National Park there is also a marine protected area, because the Ligurian Sea has a unique feature: it boasts an extraordinary richness and variety of animal and plant species. In the waters of Levanto it is not unlikely to spot dolphins and a little further offshore and with a bit of luck whales.

Parlando di immersioni, Levanto è un’ottima base di partenza per le immersioni tra Baie del Levante e Golfo dei Poeti. Da qui si può inoltre raggiungere in meno di un’ora di navigazione la zona di Portofino da un lato e tutte le Cinque Terre, fino al Parco di Monte Marcello.

However, there is no need to make a long way to find interesting backdrops to explore: the Punta Mesco Park is almost within oars reach and, although relatively recent, already shows the signs of integral protection with groupers, lobsters and many fish to populate its seabed.

If depths and shoals are an interesting attraction, so are the sunken war relics that are not lacking and attract the interest of many fans of this type of diving: Vittoria or Colosso, Bolzaneto, Marcella, Vapore, Equa and others, for all tastes and all patents, from 36 to 70 meters deep.