thumb|250px|Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy.

Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main city of the western section of the Italian Riviera. It has a population of 58,690.

After a long struggle against the Saracens, Savona acquired independence in the 11th century, becoming a free commune allied with the Holy Roman Emperor (similar to a free imperial city). Savona was the center of religious culture (13th to 16th centuries) due to the work of two important monasteries: Dominican and Franciscan. Subsequently, it fought against the Republic of Genoa before being definitively conquered in 1528. The Genoese destroyed the upper town and buried the port. It then shared the fortunes of the Republic of Genoa until Napoleonic times. In 1809 the city received Pope Pius VII, prisoner of Napoleon Bonaparte, for a few years. Between April and mid-May 1800, Austrian forces besieged the city while a small British naval force maintained a blockade; the fortress surrendered on 15 May. Subsequently, Savona was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont (1815). Eventually, it became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy, now a republic.

During the 20th century Savona became a regional industrial hub.

Geography

The town is situated west of Genoa and circa (east) of Nice, in France, on the western Italian Riviera, between the Ligurian Sea and the Ligurian Alps.

Climate

Savona has a borderline humid subtropical (Cfa) and Mediterranean climate (Csa).

The average yearly temperature is around during the day and at night. In the coldest months: January, February and December, the average temperature is during the day and at night. In the warmest month – July and August – the average temperature is during the day and at night. Generally, a typical summer season lasts about 4 to 6 months, from May/June to September/October. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about 7 °C (13 °F) between high and low temperatures. Rain occurs mainly in autumn, the summers being generally dry. Sunshine hours total above 2,097 per year, from an average 4 hours of sunshine duration per day in winter to average 9 hours in summer. Savona usually sees snow once or twice per year.

Demographics

As of 2025, Savona has a population of 58,690, of whom 47.5% are male and 52.5% are female. Minors make up 13.0% of the population, and seniors make up 29.3%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively. project based in nearby Noli, born to face main global issues, such as climate change, pollution, malnourishment and hunger.

Events

  • The Carnival, with a parade in the centre of the town, the typical costume of Savona is Cicciulin.
  • The Patron saint's festival of Nostra Signora della Misericordia, on 18 March.
  • The Holy Friday, with a spectacular procession in streets of the city which takes place every two years.
  • The Santa Lucia fair in the central street of Via Paleocapa on 13 December.
  • The Confuoco (in local dialect U Confeugu), it takes place the last Sunday before Christmas in the square of Sisto IV.

Sport

Rari Nantes Savona is an aquatic sports club, mainly known for its professional men's water polo team, which competes uninterruptedly in the Serie A1, the top division of Italian championship, since 1982; the team has been national champion for three times.

Savona FBC is the local association football club, based at the Valerio Bacigalupo Stadium (named after Valerio Bacigalupo). The majority of their history they have oscillated between Serie C and Serie D.

People

thumb|250px|Panorama of Savona and [[Priamar fortress.]]

thumb|250px|Savona, painted by a 19th-century tourist, 1860.

  • Davide Biale (born 5 April 1994), YouTube personality and bassist
  • Paolo Boselli (1838–1932), Prime Minister of Italy during World War I
  • Gianni Baget Bozzo (1925–2009), priest and politician
  • Susanna Bonfiglio (born 1974), basketball player
  • Giacomo Boselli (1744–1808), Rococo-period sculptor of ceramics
  • Elenoire Casalegno (born 1976), actress and TV host
  • Luis Fernando Centi (born 1976), footballer
  • Gabriello Chiabrera (1552–1638), poet
  • Christopher Columbus (c. 1450–1506), explorer
  • Enrico Cucchi (1965–1996), footballer
  • Federico De Caroli (born 1964), musician
  • Renato Dossena (born 1987), footballer
  • Giulia Dotta (born 1992), professional dancer
  • Fabio Fazio (born 1964), TV host
  • Giuseppe Ferrerio (1554–1610), Roman Catholic archbishop
  • Luca Ferro (born 1978), footballer
  • Nando Gazzolo (1928–2015), actor
  • Orazio Grassi (1583–1654), astronomer
  • Bartolomeo Guidobono (1654–1709), painter
  • Domenico Guidobono (1668–1746), painter
  • Pope Julius II (Albisola 1443–1513)
  • Michele Marcolini (born 1975), footballer
  • Maria Christina of Naples and Sicily (1779–1849), Queen of Sardinia, died in Savona
  • Leon Pancaldo (1488 or 1490–1538), explorer
  • Christian Panucci (born 1973), footballer
  • Sandro Pertini (1896–1990) President of the Italian Republic
  • Daniela Poggi (born 1956), actress
  • Girolamo Riario (1443–1488), lord of Imola and Forlì and one of the plotters behind the 1478 Pazzi conspiracy
  • Pietro Riario (1447–1474), cardinal and Papal diplomat
  • Della Rovere noble family that flourished in the 15th century
  • Annalisa Scarrone (born 1985), know simply as Annalisa, singer-songwriter
  • Renata Scotto (1934–2023), opera singer
  • Stephan El Shaarawy (born 1992), footballer
  • Pope Sixtus IV (Pecorile 1414–1484)

Twin towns and sister cities

Savona is twinned with:

  • Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
  • Saona, Dominican Republic
  • Bayamo, Cuba
  • Mariupol, Ukraine

See also

  • Corale Alpina Savonese
  • Savona Football Club
  • Nemo's Garden (Noli)

References

Sources

  • Genoa Airport :: What to see :: Varazze
  • Savona Web
  • Confraternita di S. Domenico