Castle of Levanto, Medieval castle in Levanto, Italy

The Castle of Levanto stands between Salita San Giorgio and Salita al Castello in the southern part of the historic centre, within the old town walls. Its four stone curtain walls form a quadrilateral around a round tower. The projecting patrol walkway rests on brick arches and sandstone corbels, with Ghibelline merlons on the walkway and tower and Guelph merlons elsewhere. Gun ports on two levels open in the south and east walls.

A defensive building in the village is documented in 1165, when the area was held by the Malaspina; a 13th-century document names a "castle of Monale". The present structure dates from the second half of the 16th century under the Republic of Genoa, probably rebuilt on the medieval castle's site. From 1637, with the Capitaneato of Levanto, it housed the Captain, then served as a prison until the fall of the Genoese republic in 1797.

Two slate bas-reliefs of the Genoese school are set into the castle walls: an Annunciation from the 15th century and a Saint George and the Dragon from the 16th century. Local tradition also holds that underground passages once linked the cellars to the beach and to the church of the Santissima Annunziata.

The castle stands between Salita San Giorgio and Salita al Castello, in the southern part of Levanto's historic centre, within the old town walls. It is privately owned, so the grounds are not open to visitors; the four curtain walls, the round tower and the battlements are seen from the surrounding lanes.

The structure displays architectural features from both Guelph and Ghibelline traditions, reflecting its strategic role in medieval power struggles. This blending of opposing political styles makes the fortress a rare example of the complex conflicts that shaped the Ligurian coast.