Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Rapallo (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro, Villa Pagana, and Bagni Tigullio Rapallo. Also, be sure to include Museo del Merletto in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Rapallo (Liguria).
Table of Contents
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro
Also known as: Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montallegro
Sanctuary in Italy. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro is a major Marian sanctuary in the Province of Genoa, located on a hill inland in Rapallo. It was built - along with the annex shelter for pilgrims - in 1558 thanks to the funds of the inhabitants. The current marble facade was built in 1896 by the Milanese architect Luigi Rovelli and opened with a solemn ceremony on June 21 of that year. Our Lady of Montallegro is the patroness of the city of Rapallo from 1739, when she was elected as the patron saint of the community rapallese, his Captaincy and the parishes of Santa Margherita Ligure. This recognition is reproduced on the municipal coat of arms showing from 28 November 1948 a letter "M" in the center of the two griffins below the royal crown. The hymn of Our Lady of Montallegro, entitled shines on high, was composed and set to music by teacher and priest Giovanni Battista Campodonico.[1]
Address: Via Santuario di Montallegro, 16035 Rapallo
Villa Pagana
Building. Villa Pagana, formerly known as Villa Spinola, is a residential building in the frazione of San Michele di Pagana in Rapallo, within the Metropolitan City of Genoa in Italy.
It is located on Punta Pagana, close to the boundary with Santa Margherita Ligure, and it includes a private park containing the 17th-century Castello di Punta Pagana. The house has been one of the magisterial residences of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta since 1959, and it is therefore locally known as the Villa dei Cavalieri di Malta or simply Villa Malta. These names are incorrect since they should be exclusively associated with the Villa del Priorato di Malta in Rome.[2]
Bagni Tigullio Rapallo
Sailing, Beach, Park, Outdoor activities, Marina
Address: Via Montebello, 16035 Rapallo
Museo del Merletto
The Lace Museum is a museum site in Rapallo, in the metropolitan city of Genoa. Located within the "Luigi Casale" municipal park, the exhibition venues are housed on the lower floors of Villa Tigullio, the latter of which is municipal property and formerly home to the local international civic library.
Castello di Rapallo
Forts and castles
Address: Piazza Giovanni Battista Pastene, 16035 Rapallo
Basilica Santi Gervasio e Protasio
Sacred and religious sites, Church
Address: Piazza Cavour, 23, 16035 Rapallo
Monastero delle Clarisse
The monastic complex of the Poor Clares was a Catholic place of worship located in the municipality of Rapallo, in Piazzale Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, in the metropolitan city of Genoa.
A cloistered convent of the Order of St. Clare of Montefalco since 1691, after its purchase by the civic administration, the religious spaces of the former church and convent have been converted into the town theater-auditorium, state high school and museum hub of the civic museum "Attilio and Cleofe Gaffoglio."
Address: Via Montebello 1, 16035 Rapallo
Church of San Michele
Also known as: Chiesa di San Michele
The church of San Michele Arcangelo is a Catholic place of worship located in the hamlet of San Michele di Pagana, at 1 Via Prelo, in the municipality of Rapallo in the metropolitan city of Genoa. The church is the seat of the parish of the same name of the Rapallo-Santa Margherita Ligure vicariate of the diocese of Chiavari.
Address: Via Prelo, 1, 16035 Rapallo
Monastero di Valle Christi
The monastery of Santa Maria in Valle Christi is a ruined Catholic monastery in the hamlet of San Massimo in the municipality of Rapallo, Liguria. The former 13th-century monastic complex is listed as an Italian national monument; it is one of the few surviving examples of Gothic architecture in the Ligurian territory.
Address: Via San Massimo 4, 16035 Rapallo
Castello di Punta Pagana
Castle in Rapallo, Italy. The Castello di Punta Pagana is a 17th-century fort located on the homonymous Punta Pagana, within the grounds of Villa Pagana in Rapallo, within the Metropolitan City of Genoa in Italy. It is located west of San Michele di Pagana, close to the boundary with Santa Margherita Ligure. The fort was originally built by the Republic of Genoa, and today it belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta along with the rest of the villa.
Together with the Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure to the west and the Castello di Rapallo to the east, it formed part of the Genoese coastal defence system for the protection of villages on the western Tigullio gulf.[3]
St. Anne's Church
Also known as: Chiesa di Sant'Anna
St. Anne's Church is a Catholic place of worship located in the neighborhood of the same name, on Sant'Anna Street, in the municipality of Rapallo in the metropolitan city of Genoa.
The church is locally referred to as the "little old church" to distinguish it from the modern parish church of the same name, the latter of which was built between 2004 and 2016 in the southernmost part of the Santannino neighborhood. Its parish, established in 1968 by Monsignor Francesco Marchesani, is part of the Rapallo-Santa Margherita Ligure vicariate of the diocese of Chiavari.
Address: Via S. Anna 78, Rapallo