What is Sestri Levante known for?

The smaller of the two bays, ringed by pastel houses, named by the Ligurian poet Giovanni Descalzo in 1919. The Danish writer stayed in Sestri in 1833 and gave his name to the children's literature prize that has run here since 1967. Guglielmo Marconi ran his shortwave radio experiments from the peninsula watchtower in 1933-1934; the Italian Navy renamed the gulf for him.

When is the best time to visit Sestri Levante?

Apr–Oct. April through June and September into October are the dry months on the Tigullio. The sea warms enough for swimming by late May. The Premio Andersen children's literature festival runs in June with author events across the town. July and August are full: the Aurelia slows from Chiavari onward, the Baia delle Favole fills with weekenders, and the Baia del Silenzio gets crowded by mid-morning. The peninsula keeps a steady residential rhythm. November through March is quiet. The Marconi tower is closed; the museum runs winter hours.

Where is Sestri Levante?

Sestri Levante is a comune in the province of Genova, Liguria region of Italy, about 48 kilometers from Genova.

How do I get to Sestri Levante?

From Genova, Sestri Levante is roughly 48 km by road.

Liguria · Genova

Sestri Levante

The Tigullio town of two bays, where Hans Christian Andersen stayed in 1833 and Guglielmo Marconi ran his shortwave radio experiments.

Known for

BAIA DEL SILENZIO
The smaller of the two bays, ringed by pastel houses, named by the Ligurian poet Giovanni Descalzo in 1919.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
The Danish writer stayed in Sestri in 1833 and gave his name to the children's literature prize that has run here since 1967.
MARCONI
Guglielmo Marconi ran his shortwave radio experiments from the peninsula watchtower in 1933-1934; the Italian Navy renamed the gulf for him.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

Sestri Levante sits at the head of the Tigullio gulf, forty kilometers southeast of Genova, on a former island the Gromolo river silted into a peninsula by the eighteenth century. Roman Segesta Tigullorum was the predecessor; the town joined the Republic of Genova in 1133. The peninsula split the coast into two bays.

To the north, the long beach is the Baia delle Favole, the Bay of Fables, named by television host Enzo Tortora in a 1950s broadcast for Hans Christian Andersen, who stayed in Sestri in 1833 and looked out on the smaller bay from his inn. The poet Giovanni Descalzo named the smaller one the Baia del Silenzio in 1919. Guglielmo Marconi ran some of his most advanced shortwave radio experiments from the old watchtower on the heights of the peninsula; the Italian Navy renamed the gulf Golfo Marconi in his honor.

The Premio Hans Christian Andersen for children's literature has run since 1967. The beach holds Bandiera Blu.

We've been

Feature from our free newsletter

Tigullio Roadtrip | Four Versions of the Same Liguria

A steep hill falls into the sea. The houses are crammed on the slope and painted in bright colors because they are old, packed tight, and need help. There is a small port if the cove allows it and a bigger port if the cove is generous. There is a small piazza around a small church, with maybe four restaurants, three bars, and a gelato place. There is no space for a grand square, because there is no space for grand anything in Liguria.

From the Sestri Levante letter, June 2026

Read the full feature on anywhereitaly.com

What to see

Baia del Silenzio
Smaller southern bay enclosed by colorful seventeenth- and eighteenth-century houses, named by poet Giovanni Descalzo in 1919.
Baia delle Favole
Long northern beach, named by television host Enzo Tortora in the 1950s for Hans Christian Andersen, the Bandiera Blu stretch of the town.
Torre Marconi
Old watchtower on the heights of the peninsula where Guglielmo Marconi carried out shortwave radio experiments in 1933 and 1934.
Basilica di Santa Maria di Nazareth
Seventeenth-century parish basilica between the two bays, rebuilt in Baroque style with a high single-nave interior.
MuSeL
Museum of Sestri Levante in the former Convent of the Annunciation, with archaeology, fine art, and rotating exhibitions.

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Living here

Population 17,349
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Train station in the comune
Nearest airport Genoa, 54 min drive
Regional capital Genova, 44 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 10 m
Population: 17,349
Surface area: 33.62 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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