LAVAGNA, a market-town of Italy, in the province of Genoa, situated on the sea-coast about a mile east of Chiavari, on the railway between Genoa and Pisa. It has a little shipbuilding, and exports (to France, Portugal, Constantinople, &c.) large quantities of excellent slate quarried in the vicinity. Among its buildings are two fine churches, and palaces belonging to the Rivarola, the Pallavicini, and Fransoni families. The population in 1871 was 5055 for the town and 6066 for the commune.

In the 10th century Lavagna was the seat of the independent counts Fieschi, who, after a severe struggle (1166-1198), were obliged to recognize the supremacy of Genoa. Among the members of the family born at Lavagna are Sinibaldo (Pope Innocent IV.) and Giovanni Luigi, the famous conspirator against the Doria party in Genoa, Filippo of Lavagna was the first printer in Milan (1460).