Levanto

Just north of Monterosso, the slumbering seaside town of Levanto (LAY-vahn-toh) makes a fine base for exploring the Cinque Terre with somewhat smaller crowds. A settlement has existed here since the Roman times (when it was known as Ceula), with fragments of its storied past still sprinkled around town. Among other things, Levanto is home to a UNESCO-listed 13th-century loggia, a rare example of late medieval architecture that survives intact up to the present.