Portovenere is often proclaimed the Cinque Terre’s “sixth town”. But for me, that distinction belongs to the far less heralded Levanto. The first time I visited Cinque Terre, before I moved to Italy, my travel companion insisted we stay in Levanto, the town northwest of Monterosso.
I went along with the plan, though part of me worried I wouldn’t be getting the full Cinque Terre experience. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only that, I’ve returned to Levanto time and again since I’ve lived here – it’s my Ligurian beach getaway of choice when I need an escape from Milan.
For starters, it couldn’t be easier to reach Levanto from Milan and the Cinque Terre from Levanto. The Intercity trains serving Monterosso also stop in Levanto, so there’s no need for a regional connection. Monterosso is just one stop (five minutes) away on the Cinque Terre Express, and the seasonal ferry service between the villages also makes select calls in Levanto.
Yet despite its proximity to the Cinque Terre, Levanto remains a world apart. Home to around 5,000 residents, which is more than three times the population of Monterosso, it’s a lived-in town first and a tourist destination second, a reprieve from the over-tourism that has engulfed the Cinque Terre. Every year, around four million visitors converge on the five tiny fishing villages, placing immense pressure on their narrow streets, hiking trails and centuries-old buildings.
While Levanto has its share of visitors, it never appears overrun. Most are Italians or other Europeans, particularly the French, German and British. I rarely hear an American accent besides my own.
The town itself is also noticeably more widespread than the villages of the Cinque Terre. While the same steep leafy green hills surround the historic centre, Levanto stretches along a broad gulf, giving it a palpable sense of space. The turquoise, kilometre-long shoreline is fronted by a palm-lined promenade and stately Belle Époque villas, including the bougainvillaea-draped Villa Agnelli, once the FIAT family’s summer residence. Unlike Cinque Terre’s beaches, which are pebbly and tucked into tiny coves (except for Monterosso’s), the shoreline here is surprisingly sandy, with both private clubs and ample stretches of public beach.
Medieval remnants survive throughout Levanto, including the 13th-century Gothic Church of Sant’Andrea and the Castello di San Giorgio, which rests atop a low hill. The Loggia Comunale, a 16th-century reconstruction of the medieval merchants’ loggia, is recognised by UNESCO as a “Monument Witness to a Culture of Peace”. Inside, there’s a 15th-century fresco from the original structure. Just around the corner, PAT Bakery is the place to try gattafin, Levanto’s signature savoury fritter, usually piled high behind the glass.
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