Sestri Levante
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 14 February 2022
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Situated on Liguria's Riviera di Levante, the seaside town of Sestri Levante is one of the region's most spectacular settings.
Interrupting Liguria's rugged coastline just north of the town of Moneglia, is a large headland that creates the town of Sestri. There are various facets that go towards making this such an exceptional place to visit, including its famous beaches. However, it's worth a little explanation of the town's and indeed this area of coastline's name at this point. |
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A certain knowledge of the winds is part and parcel of growing up in Italian coastal areas and whereas our own vocabulary on the subject may be rather rudimentary, you may be surprised at the level of detail an Italian can give you on this subject. It's not uncommon to see images of the compass points around Italian seaside towns and this is called the "Rosa dei Venti" in Italian. Whereas we might think of those compass points in terms of north, north-west, south-east etc, the Rosa dei Venti is made up of names of the winds.
Tramonto is the north wind with Ostro its southern counterpart; you'll most likely have heard of the Sirocco (or Scirocco) which is the south-east wind while the south west wind is called the Libeccio. Grecale is the north east and Mistral the north west which leaves the final two and the most relevant to this explanation. The east wind is known as the Levante and the west wind is the Ponente. It's for this reason that in Liguria we have the Riviera di Levante (eastern coast) and the Riviera di Ponente (western coast) which are split either side of the region's capital: Genoa.
In fact, just to the west of Genoa is the suburb of Sestri Ponente but it's Sestri Levante, 48 kilometres east of Genoa that deservedly commands the greater attention. On this site you'll find a list of Seaside Towns of Italy and I've placed Sestri Levante right at the top. Come here on a sunny day and you'll immediately understand why.
Follow the roadsigns to the town centre and you'll approach the town from the north with the first of its two main beaches on your right hand side. This beach is called the Baia delle Favole, "The Bay of Fairytales", a nod to one-time resident Hans Christian Andersen. Links to the Danish author are further strengthened by the annual Andersen Festival which takes place in the town every June; an event that promotes street theatre, storytelling and contemporary circus.
The Baia delle Favole is a long stretch of sandy beach which culminates with the town's port and marina. Behind the marina lies the small headland that separates the town's two main beach areas. It is to the east of this headland that we find the reason why I named Sestri Levante as the best seaside town in Italy: the incomparable Baia del Silenzio, (The Bay of Silence). The horse-shoe-shaped bay consists of a partially-enclosed beach area where the colour of the water is simply dazzling. Behind the beach there are dozens of bars, restaurants and cafes while the buildings offer a beautiful contrast with their typically Ligurian array of bright colours.
Follow the bay all the way around to the opposite side of the headland and you start to climb a hill. Make a stop at the Chiesa dei Cappuccini church and you can start to appreciate some of the beauty of the sea from an elevated position. Continue on up the hill and those views just get more and more dreamy.
Away from the two main beach areas you'll find wide shopping boulevards and airy piazzas all created in that inimitably Ligurian style of colour and grandeur. Don't miss the Basilica of Santa Maria of Nazareth just behind the Bai del Silenzio; apart from the beautiful church itself you can carry on walking to explore the promontory that rises behind it and affords further breathtaking views of the town.
Incidentally, a film called Bay of Silence was made in 2020 and the title refers to Sestri's beach. Some of the opening scenes are set in Sestri Levante and give just a hint to the wider world of what a beautiful place this really is.
Tramonto is the north wind with Ostro its southern counterpart; you'll most likely have heard of the Sirocco (or Scirocco) which is the south-east wind while the south west wind is called the Libeccio. Grecale is the north east and Mistral the north west which leaves the final two and the most relevant to this explanation. The east wind is known as the Levante and the west wind is the Ponente. It's for this reason that in Liguria we have the Riviera di Levante (eastern coast) and the Riviera di Ponente (western coast) which are split either side of the region's capital: Genoa.
In fact, just to the west of Genoa is the suburb of Sestri Ponente but it's Sestri Levante, 48 kilometres east of Genoa that deservedly commands the greater attention. On this site you'll find a list of Seaside Towns of Italy and I've placed Sestri Levante right at the top. Come here on a sunny day and you'll immediately understand why.
Follow the roadsigns to the town centre and you'll approach the town from the north with the first of its two main beaches on your right hand side. This beach is called the Baia delle Favole, "The Bay of Fairytales", a nod to one-time resident Hans Christian Andersen. Links to the Danish author are further strengthened by the annual Andersen Festival which takes place in the town every June; an event that promotes street theatre, storytelling and contemporary circus.
The Baia delle Favole is a long stretch of sandy beach which culminates with the town's port and marina. Behind the marina lies the small headland that separates the town's two main beach areas. It is to the east of this headland that we find the reason why I named Sestri Levante as the best seaside town in Italy: the incomparable Baia del Silenzio, (The Bay of Silence). The horse-shoe-shaped bay consists of a partially-enclosed beach area where the colour of the water is simply dazzling. Behind the beach there are dozens of bars, restaurants and cafes while the buildings offer a beautiful contrast with their typically Ligurian array of bright colours.
Follow the bay all the way around to the opposite side of the headland and you start to climb a hill. Make a stop at the Chiesa dei Cappuccini church and you can start to appreciate some of the beauty of the sea from an elevated position. Continue on up the hill and those views just get more and more dreamy.
Away from the two main beach areas you'll find wide shopping boulevards and airy piazzas all created in that inimitably Ligurian style of colour and grandeur. Don't miss the Basilica of Santa Maria of Nazareth just behind the Bai del Silenzio; apart from the beautiful church itself you can carry on walking to explore the promontory that rises behind it and affords further breathtaking views of the town.
Incidentally, a film called Bay of Silence was made in 2020 and the title refers to Sestri's beach. Some of the opening scenes are set in Sestri Levante and give just a hint to the wider world of what a beautiful place this really is.
Comune di Sestri Levante
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Province: Metropolitan City of Genoa
Region: Liguria Population: 17,788 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2022) Size: 33 km² Highlights: Baia del Silenzio, Baia delle Favole Water quality: Blue Flag Beach 2021 - 2022 Recommended accommodation: Grand Hotel Dei Castelli Close by: Rapallo, Portofino, Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure |
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