Deiva Marina is a popular seaside resort, with a wide beach, in the province of La Spezia, situated on the mouth of the river Deiva, in the Riviera di Levante. The hills are an attraction for trekking lovers along the paths between the chestnut trees and the rocks overlooking the sea. It is divided into two areas: the historical center, located at the foot of a hill covered with lush vegetation and the main center, situated in a privileged position, and features the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, with its square and the Marina, a district which stretches towards the sea.
The area near the present Deiva in ancient times was most likely inhabited by people of Lombardy, although historical documents attest to the existence of a settlement only in 774. It was around the VIII century when some residents moved to the hills surrounding the valley closer to the sea and built what is today's old town. Only later, when the coast became more secure and maritime commerce was considered essential, the Marina area was built. The territory was initially under the control of the Marquis Da Passano and in the XIII century, the town was submitted to the rule of Genoa ., During this period two fortified defensive towers were built: one rectangular and one round shaped. Even Deiva was conquered by Napoleon who proclaimed the town as Capocantone.
Not to miss:
The Parish Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, built in 1730, which is located in the heart of the old historic center and it features two overlapping rows of columns surmounted by a pediment and niches on the symmetrical façade, inside it preserves decorations in Baroque style, an organ of 1848 and paintings of the XVIII and XIX centuries.
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption.
The Parish Church of San Michele Arcangelo in the village of Mezzema, which has been stated in an Imperial diploma of Charlemagne in 774, and probably built as early as VII or VIII century. It keeps inside the statue of St. Michael the Archangel by Anton Maria Maragliano.
The Parish of St. Anne, located in the district of Piazza's square with a short and large bell tower, built in the XVIII century.
The remains of the church of St. Nicholas, located in the village of Passano, which was nominated for the first time in a history book in 1160. The building was abandoned in 1754.
The well-preserved watchtowers which were built by the Republic of Genoa: the square located in front of the church of St. Anthony in the main old center, the cylindrical built near the coast in the district of Marina.
The ruins of the feudal castle in the village of Passano that belonged to the family Da Passano and was destroyed by the Republic of Genoa in 1174, when the local family, allied to the Fieschi and the Malaspina, tried to contrast Genoese expansion throughout the Ligurian coastline.