 At the beginning of the 9th century, the bell tower of the present church, the Chiesa di San Siro, served as a watchtower and as a defence against dangers from the sea.From the 13th century, however, the importance of the area began to decline – this was to the advantage of Levanto itself, which was expanding by the sea.Levanto first became the feudal stronghold of the Malaspina, before passing to the Da Passano and then, in 1229, to the Republic of Genoa.