Savona is a seaport and comune in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chief seats of the Italian iron industry, having iron-works and foundries, shipbuilding, railway workshops, engineering shops, and a brass foundry. From Varazze to Andora, it is 598 sq. mi. of coast, valleys and mountains. Here, winter or summer, life is lived amongst the blue sea and the green of olives and pines. A territory with unique panoramas and a mild climate eased by the sea allows for comfortable living all year-round on the Riviera. Expansive sandy beaches alternate with rocky promontories encapsulating suggestive, uncontaminated shores. Vivacious coastal resorts offer guests a vast choice of where to stay, where to dine and where to go for a night out; whether in beach resorts, restaurants and clubs, there is always the option of environments suitable for both children and adults. The towns' historical centers, with their characteristic narrow streets (carruggi) that open out onto sunny little piazzas and wind past houses with façades of typical Mediterranean colors and unique architectural elements. Here lie the towns of Alassio, with its beach of very fine sand and its famous Muretto; Loano and its artistic fountains; Pietra Ligure with its monumental square; Finale Ligure and its ample palm-lined seafront; Varigotti with its old center of colorful houses right on the waterfront; and Spotorno, celebrated by Sbarbaro and Varazze and boasting a modern marina. Not far from the coast lie two small, pristine islands, Bergeggi and Gallinara, regional natural reserves protected for their precious landscapes. Short journeys allow for the discovery of panoramas alternating hills with mountains, transparent seawaters and karstic landscapes with grottoes and cliffs that take one's breath away. More than half this territory is covered with woods and forests, where old dwellings have been transformed into rural guesthouses. With opportunities to taste local produce and savor historical towns rich in traditions trip and excursion ideas are truly limitless.