Sea, silence and a walk above the Ligurian coast

There is a different Sestri Levante waiting for you when summer begins to loosen its grip on the Ligurian coast.

Come in July or August and this beautiful seaside town is very much discovered. The beaches fill quickly, tables spill onto the streets and the famous Baia del Silenzio — the Bay of Silence — can feel rather less silent than its name suggests.

But arrive when the main summer crowds have gone home and Sestri Levante changes character.

The pace slows. There is room to breathe. The light becomes softer, the promenade becomes a place for walking rather than weaving through crowds, and suddenly you begin to understand why this little corner of Liguria has inspired travellers for generations.

A beach with room to breathe

Sestri Levante is sometimes called the Town of Two Seas, squeezed between two beautiful bays: the Baia del Silenzio on one side and the larger Baia delle Favole — Bay of Fairytales — on the other. (Sestri Levante)

In high summer, finding your own little piece of beach can be a challenge.

Come later in the season and it is a completely different experience.

There is space to spread out your towel, read a book or simply sit and watch the boats drifting offshore. On a warm, settled autumn day, the Ligurian Sea can still be wonderfully inviting. The water seems impossibly clear and, without the constant movement of the summer crowds, there is a wonderful stillness to the bay.

This is the Sestri Levante we love.

There is no urgency to do anything.

Have a swim. Dry off in the sun. Walk barefoot along the edge of the water. Stop for a coffee. Then perhaps go back for another swim simply because you can.

Slow travel does not always have to involve discovering somewhere completely unknown. Sometimes it means visiting a well-known place at the right time and allowing yourself enough time to experience it properly.

Then leave the beach behind

As beautiful as the sea is, one of the best things about Sestri Levante is what happens when you turn your back on it.

Behind the town, the hills rise quickly from the coast, threaded with walking paths through Mediterranean vegetation, olive trees and maritime pines. Within a surprisingly short time, the streets and beach umbrellas disappear below you and the view opens across the sea.

One of the loveliest walks is towards Punta Manara.

The path can be reached from the historic centre, beginning around Via XXV Aprile and Vico del Bottone. From there it climbs above Sestri Levante through typical Ligurian vegetation, with viewpoints looking back towards the peninsula and its two bays. The regional tourism site describes the walk to Punta Manara as taking around an hour, while a longer route continuing to Riva Trigoso takes roughly 2 hours 45 minutes. (Sestri Levante)

But don’t rush it.

This is a walk made for stopping.

Bring a picnic

Before you leave town, buy some focaccia, local cheese, fruit and perhaps something sweet from one of Sestri’s bakeries. Add plenty of water, find a place with a view and make lunch part of the walk.

There are benches and panoramic stopping points along the Punta Manara route, and the official trail description even suggests taking a break for a picnic. (Sestri Levante)

Sitting above the coastline with your lunch spread out beside you is one of those wonderfully simple Italian experiences that needs very little planning.

Below, Sestri Levante curves around the water. From higher up, you can see how dramatically the green hills meet the blue Mediterranean. Depending on where you stop, the panorama stretches towards the Gulf of Tigullio and across the surrounding Ligurian coastline.

The beach where you were swimming only a couple of hours earlier suddenly looks very far away.

And this is perhaps when you appreciate Sestri Levante most.

Not simply as a beach resort, but as a place where sea, town and landscape exist almost on top of one another.

The reward for travelling out of season

Eventually, make your way back towards town.

Perhaps there is time for one final swim. Perhaps the sun is beginning to disappear and the colours of the buildings around the Baia del Silenzio are reflected in the water. Or perhaps it is simply time for an aperitivo before dinner.

There is no complicated itinerary required here.

Swim. Walk. Picnic. Look at the sea. Come back down.

And travel a little more slowly.

For us, this is exactly what Off the Beaten Track Italy is about. It isn’t always about searching for somewhere nobody has heard of. It is also about discovering a different side to places we think we already know.

Visit Sestri Levante after the summer crowds have gone home and you may discover that the Bay of Silence really can live up to its name.

Sometimes the best time to arrive is when everybody else is leaving.