Discovering Savona
Coasts and beaches
No matter how many colours Liguria may be painted with, the blue is constantly present and the coastal strip of Savona is no exception to that. Its coastline comprises three main beaches: ‘Prolungamento a Mare’ Beach (
how to reach it). ‘Fornaci’ Beach (how to reach it) and ‘Zinola’ Beach (how to reach it).Since the 2000s, Savona has boasted the Blue Flag, a European recognition. It is guarantee of its tourist vocation and environmental quality, which over the years has further improved thanks to the awareness and efforts of environment-sensitive professionals. You can enjoy sports, wellness and fitness on the beaches of Savona, along with candle-lit evenings, music entertainments, and social events. Savona is a fully-fledged seaside resort, with more than thirty beach clubs and a wide choice of free public beaches.
There are several seaside resorts, each with its own attractions. Besides beaches and beach clubs, Savona is a port city. In the the ‘Darsena Vecchia’ (how to reach it) you can enjoy traditional or innovative meals, while admiring the sea view, at the prestige restaurants or local ‘osterie’ along the marina. You can also order cocktails and drinks in the new pubs and coffee
shops, which have helped turn the port area into a popular nightlife and movida site for young people.
Museums and galleries
The Civic Museums of the City of Savona– MUSA are scattered over different locations and hold and display several collections:
- The Palazzo Gavotti Art Museum which is divided into the Civic Art Gallery, the Milena Milani Contemporary Art Collection in memory of Carlo Cardazzo and the Ceramics Museum - click here to find out how to reach it
- The Priamar Historical Complex and Palazzo della Loggia: theArchaeological, Civic and City Museum and the Sandro Pertini and Renata Cuneo Museum - click here to find out how to reach it
- The Museum of the Treasure of the Cathedral (how to reach it);
- The Quadreria del Seminario Vescovile (how to reach it).
The last museum in chronological order is the All About Apple Museum (how to reach it), a must-see for Apple fans with a large private collection that has become the best stocked Apple museum in the world.
Local products and recipes
The local cuisine features a lot of flavour-rich dishes, revealing centuries-old traditions: white farinata, panissa and stockfish buridda are only some of the most exquisite dishes you can taste, while enjoying a wonderful sea view. For a refreshing cocktail, do not forget to taste the fresh and delicious Chinotto, a Slow Food presidium since 2004, made from the fruits of chinotto (Citrus myrtifolia) a species of citrus.Panissa is one of the best loved street food in Savona and one of the most famous local Ligurian specialties. A well-balanced mixture of the three main ingredients (chickpea flour, water and salt) is cooked into a mush to be served as a cold dish, cubed and dressed simply with olive oil, lemon and onion at your own choice, or as oil fried tasty thin slices, called ‘tavelette/fette’ in dialect. Fried Panissa slices can also be tasted stuffed in white wheat and flat bread rolls (similar to Pita bread): that’s the favourite snack or light lunch of Savonesi, Savona’s inhabitants, who always offer it to their guests or recommend it to tourists on the lookout for local specialties. One more tip: panissa is a gluten free and vegan product!
The ‘caruggi’ – the narrow alleys of the historical centre – are filled with a distinctive scent, especially in the late afternoon. It is the smell of freshly baked, hot farinata (street food and age-old pride and joy of the local folk cuisine) coming
out of pie shops and friggitorie, fried food shops.
Many small restaurants also serve it flavoured with sausage, rosemary, or onions. The so-called ‘farinata bianca’ (‘white farinata’) is another variety whose origin is claimed in Savona. Its
recipe replaces chickpea flour normally used to make the yellow farinata with wheat flour.