Sestri Levante suits beach holidays on fine-sand bays and day trips along the Ligurian coast by train. Homes are small, mostly for two to four, and private pools are rare.
Sestri Levante began as a small island with a promontory that was later joined to the mainland, and its oldest part still sits on that peninsula between two bays. The Baia delle Favole lies on one side and the Baia del Silenzio, also called Portobello, on the other, and the town's beaches are known for fine sand. About 18,000 people live here, roughly halfway between Genoa and La Spezia. At Riva Trigoso, a village within the comune, fishermen still head out to sea each day from the beach. Sailing, windsurfing and canoeing are on offer, along with dives to wartime wrecks. Our homes sit close together near the town and are mostly small, about half with air conditioning and a few with a pool.
A village within the comune, with a beach where fishermen still head out to sea each day and a long-standing shipyard.
About 40 minutes from Sestri Levante by train, or around 42 minutes by road.
About 40 km north-west of Sestri Levante, with the airport around 45 minutes away by car.
Genoa Airport is the practical choice, about 45 minutes by car (roughly 34 miles). Trains run along the coast, with Monterosso al Mare about 40 minutes away by rail, so day trips are easy without a car. A car is still useful for reaching homes outside the centre.
Summer centres on the water, and the calendar gives dates to plan around: the Sagra del Bagnun, a fair for the local anchovy, onion and basil soup, in Riva Ponente on the second-to-last weekend of July, and the Barcarolata, a parade of decorated boats in the Bay of Silence, on the last Sunday of August. Spring brings the Andersen Prize and, from late April to early May, a film festival.
Sand. The town's beaches of fine sand are well known, and they lie in the two bays on either side of the peninsula, the Baia del Silenzio and the Baia delle Favole.
The bay honours Hans Christian Andersen, who often stayed in the town in the 19th century. Sestri Levante also names a children's literary prize after him, awarded each spring.
Yes. Portofino and the Cinque Terre are the best-known places on this stretch of coast, and Monterosso al Mare is about 40 minutes away by train, with services roughly every half hour.
The Sagra del Bagnun fair celebrates anchovy, onion and basil soup in Riva Ponente in late July, and the Barcarolata boat parade crosses the Bay of Silence on the last Sunday of August.
Yes. Sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and swimming are all mentioned for the town, and divers can visit wrecks sunk off the coast in the Second World War.
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed October 2026.
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