Piazza di Sant'Agostino

The centrepiece of Verezzi, the highest of the four medieval hamlets that make up the upper village, Piazza di Sant'Agostino is an open terrace above the sea formed by the convergence of several narrow lanes between close-packed stone houses. On one side the land drops away toward the Ligurian coast; on the other, the church of Sant'Agostino and its campanile close the view. Theatre professionals have long described it as "the most theatrical square in Italy."

The square is beautiful at any time of day, but it becomes genuinely magical at dusk when the pink limestone of the buildings takes on a warm glow and the sea below turns silver. The annual Festival Teatrale di Borgio Verezzi, one of Italy's longest-running outdoor theatre festivals, takes place here each summer (usually July), transforming the piazza into an open-air stage for touring productions from major Italian companies.

things to do sight
A story
The Festival Teatrale di Borgio Verezzi was founded here in 1967 by a group of local enthusiasts who simply set up a stage in the square and started performing. Almost sixty years later it draws some of Italy's most celebrated theatre companies, and a production on a warm July night — the sea far below, the pink stone houses on three sides — remains one of those experiences that theatre lovers travel specifically to have.