Holiday apartment in San Lorenzo della Costa – Art, trails and landscape

Art and history in San Lorenzo della Costa

San Lorenzo della Costa brings together art, ancient routes and connections to the landscape in its local history. An important cultural reference is the Trittico Fiammingo di Sant'Andrea, a work of the Flemish school dating from 1499. The central image of the triptych is called Martirio di S. Andrea; the side panels depict Nozze di Cana and Risurrezione di Lazzaro. The two side panels complement the central image to form a three-part depiction within this triptych. This gives you a specific way to access a place where visual art and historic routes meet.

The parish of San Lorenzo della Costa has existed since approximately the 13th century. The church of San Lorenzo della Costa stands along the original Via Aurelia. Archaeological traces of a Roman settlement are associated with San Lorenzo della Costa along the Via Aurelia. The Torre di San Gioachino served as a watchtower for the old mule route. These four local references lead from religious history and Roman traces to the routes used in earlier times.

The Sentiero dei Fiamminghi also directly references the Flemish paintings. It uses the two paintings to explain the economic and commercial ties that existed for centuries between the Republic of Genoa and Flanders. This gives the art theme an additional historical perspective that extends beyond the individual pictorial motifs.

Trails between San Lorenzo and the landscape

The ridge line running through San Lorenzo della Costa separates the Santa Margherita valley from the Rapallo valley. For active day planning, the Sentiero da Santa Margherita a San Lorenzo della Costa is also of interest: the ancient footpath leads from Santa Margherita to San Lorenzo della Costa and takes approximately 30 minutes to walk. The approximate duration of 30 minutes can be assumed for this individual section of the route. This means the ancient footpath can be clearly limited in time when planning the day.

The path ends in San Lorenzo della Costa at the road, directly next to the turnoff for Santa Margherita. A path through the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino leads across the Dolcina landscape to San Lorenzo della Costa.

Between 8 and 10 August 2025, San Lorenzo della Costa hosted its patron saint celebrations, with dance evenings, food stalls, fireworks and religious celebrations.

Choose the right holiday apartment based on your travel interests

When choosing a holiday apartment in San Lorenzo della Costa, you can base the focus of your stay on specific local and route-related points of interest. The Flemish triptych, the church on the original Via Aurelia and the archaeological traces of a Roman settlement form the cultural element; the Sentiero da Santa Margherita, the ridge line and the path via Dolcina provide the connection to routes and landscape. This allows you to choose a holiday apartment in San Lorenzo della Costa according to the planned mix of culture, trails and landscape.

Other destinations for orienting yourself in the region include Pedemonte, Leivi, Ruta, Roverazza, Sella, Orero, Cogoleto and Mele.

For the overarching travel overview: Genoa.