Sestri Levante
- History
- What to see
- Where to sleep
- Where to eat and restaurants
- Beaches
- Gastronomy
- Traditional festivals
- How to get there
- Weather forecast
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Sestri Levante is located at the eastern end of the Gulf of Tigullio, a famous tourist resort also known as the city of the two seas, due to its particular geographical conformation, located close to the so-called "island", a rocky promontory that divides the coast into two forming the renowned Baia delle Favole and Baia del Silenzio.
However, the municipal territory extends much further towards Moneglia, going beyond Punta Manara and the seaside village of Riva Trigoso.
History
In ancient times Sestri Levante was inhabited as in the surrounding areas by the Tigulli people. With the Romans it took the name of Segesta Tigulliorum, becoming a center of maritime trade. Monasticism developed with the Lombards and Charlemagne donated the area to the Abbey of San Colombano di Bobbio in 774.
In the Middle Ages, Sestri Levante saw the maritime struggle between Genoa and Pisa, with the victory of Genoa and the beginning of a long period of stability despite the sieges in several centuries by Castruccio Castracani, the Viscontis and the Turkish and Saracen pirates.
With the Napoleonic conquest, in 1797 Sestri Levante became part of the French Empire, before passing to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815 and following its fate until the unification of Italy.
What to see
The historic center of Sestri Levante is a treasure chest of architectural jewels, not only large monuments but ancient buildings, beautiful portals and the characteristic alleys.
The main attractions to visit are:
Where to sleep
There are many opportunities to stay in Sestri Levante, from luxury hotels to more accessible guesthouses, to B&Bs, guest houses and many apartments.
Please find here where to stay in Sestri Levante.
Where to eat
The choice of restaurants also widens, here are some suggestions:
Aragosta d'Oro: mainly land dishes with local cured meats and Lunigiana specialties.
150 - La Casa Delle Compere: triumph of Ligurian flavors in the center of Sestri.
Don Luigi: traditional seafood dishes in front of the sea of the Baia delle Favole.
Capocotta Lounge Bar and Kitchen: creative cuisine with seafood tapas.
Caciosteria Umbria and...: the typical Umbrian pork butchery in Riva Trigoso, sausages and meat.
Beaches
The arch-famous beaches of the Baia delle Favole and the Baia del Silenzio are the two main coastlines of Sestri Levante.
The Bay of Fairytales, named in honor of Hans Christian Andersen, is about one and a half kilometers long and stretches from the small port to the Sant'Anna tunnel in the direction of Lavagna. It is composed of fine sand which gradually becomes gravelly towards the west until it becomes rocky. Partly it is a free beach, partly with bathing establishments, the seafront is characterized by olive trees, pines and oleanders.
The Bay of Silence is smaller and more intimate, protected by a breakwater. About 300 meters long, it is a sandy beach, with large free areas. It is very suggestive thanks to the pastel colored houses, the blue sea and the fishermen's boats anchored offshore.
The other beaches in the Sestri area are located beyond Punta Manara, in Riva Trigoso. The beach, of coarse sand, is divided into two parts, Riva Ponente and Riva Levante or Riva Vecchia and Riva Nuova, separated by the mouth of the Petronio stream. From the shipyard to the mouth of the Petronio it is Riva Nuova, from the mouth to the promontory of Punta Manara it is Riva Vecchia. Here there are bathing establishments and free beaches.
Detailed information on the beaches of Sestri Levante and how to get there.
Trekking trails
The trekking paths that from Sestri Levante lead to the discovery of the neighboring coast or the hilly hinterland of Val Petronio are very beautiful. The routes extend for over 42 kilometers and the most beautiful and panoramic itineraries to follow start from Sestri towards Punta Manara and Riva Trigoso, from Riva Trigoso towards Punta Baffe, from the Sant'Anna area, at the western end of the municipality, towards Cavi and Lavagna.
Gastronomy
Typical of Sestri Levante is the bagnun d'acciughe, an anchovy soup with tomato, oil, onion, garlic, sailor biscuits and spices. The festival of the same name is celebrated in Riva Trigoso.
The ciuppin is a fish soup, cooked with the leftovers of less valuable fish, to which herbs, vegetables, oil and hard bread are added.
Then there are dishes that are also common to the rest of Liguria, such as salted anchovies, focaccia, trofie with pesto, trenette, pansotti with walnut sauce, frisceu (wheat flour pancakes), vegetable pies, cappon magro and tripe among the meat dishes.
About wines, the Tigullio offers the Golfo del Tigullio Bianco DOC, the Golfo del Tigullio Bianchetta Genovese DOC, the Golfo del Tigullio Vermentino DOC, the Golfo del Tigullio Rosso DOC, the Golfo del Tigullio Ciliegiolo DOC and the Golfo del Tigullio Moscato DOC.
Traditional festivals
The main events that take place in Sestri Levante are:
How to get there and parking
Sestri Levante is easily reachable by car along the A12 Genoa-Livorno motorway with the Sestri Levante exit. Compared to other motorway exits, the Sestri toll booth is very close to the town, 3 km from the sea, less than ten minutes.
The train is also a very convenient and cheap means of transport. There are numerous trains that stop at the Sestri Levante station, which is located very close to the easternmost part of the Baia delle Favole.
A very suggestive option for those who are perhaps on holiday on the Ligurian Riviera is the boat. The connections of the Traghetti Portofino company lead to and depart from Lavagna, Chiavari, Santa Margherita, Portofino, San Fruttuoso and also from Monterosso, Vernazza and Portovenere.
Discover detailed information on how to get to Sestri Levante.
There are numerous parking options in Sestri Levante, albeit for a fee. First of all, you need to know that the center is a ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), Limited Traffic Zone and you must therefore be careful not to get fines.
The closest parkings to the Baia delle Favole beach are the P1 Sant'Anna car parks at the end of Viale Mazzini, the P2 Stazione, the P3 Piazza Italia and the P4 Largo Sturla, further towards the centre.
Towards the Bay of Silence, the closest parking is the P5 Piazza Aldo Moro,
In the north-eastern part of Sestri there are also the P6 Piazzale Grilli, P7 Piazzale Falcone e Borsellino, P8 Manifestazioni, P9 Autobus and P10 Baden Powell car parks.
In general, parking marked by blue lines has an approximate cost of 1.5/2 euros per hour.
Always be careful to respect the ZTL when looking for parking.
Detailed information on where to park in Sestri Levante.
Boat tours
A boat trip is possible with the services of the Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio company towards Lavagna, Chiavari, Santa Margherita, Portofino, San Fruttuoso, Monterosso, Vernazza and Portovenere.
The lines offering this service are:
Line 2: Sestri Levante, Lavagna, Chiavari, Portofino, San Fruttuoso.
Line 3: Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Chiavari, Lavagna, Sestri Levante, Cinque Terre, Portovenere.
There is also the option of renting a boat, a catamaran or a dinghy in Sestri Levante, to visit the surroundings:
Silent Bay
Baia del Silennzio, Sestri Levante
Phone: 0039 320 7586263
Caicco Sestri Levante
Corso Colombo 24, 16039 Sestri Levante
Phone: 0039 0185 487015
Weather forecast
As with the rest of Tigullio, Sestri Levante enjoys good weather throughout much of the year. Even in winter the sea mitigates temperatures, which start to rise in February.
The weather forecast for today and the next seven days in Sestri Levante, if you want to spend a weekend, go swimming or follow one of the numerous trekking paths.