The old town of Sestri Levante

Source www.life-globe.com

The historic center of Sestri Levante overlooks two bays: the Bay of Fairy Tales and the Bay of Silence, separated by an isthmus that connects a large rocky cape, the oldest part of the resort, with the mainland. The cape and the isthmus form the Sestri Levante peninsula. This part of the town is its historical center, where the main tourist life is concentrated.

The historic center of Sestri is two waterfronts, a tangle of small narrow streets, along which historical buildings are located close to each other, on the first floors of which there are stores and souvenir stores, as well as an abundance of cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables.

The bays of the historic center of Sestri Levante

Because of its geographical position, Sestri Levante is called the "City of Two Seas".

Silence Bay (Baia del Silenzio) is the smaller and most picturesque of the two bays.

In the center of the bay is the beach, which is a narrow sandy, sometimes sandy-pebble strip, on the one side separated from the main part of the city by a dense row of colorful buildings, characteristic Ligurian style, and on the other - the waters of the Ligurian Sea.

Fables Bay (Baia delle Favole) is a larger bay within which there is a small harbor, sandy and pebble beaches, along which runs a long, picturesque promenade that is a popular place for walking and relaxing.

Sestri-Levante historical center attractions

Most of the attractions of the historical center of Sestri are concentrated in the old part of the city.

Piazza Giacomo Matteotti is a small central square located in the heart of the primary medieval village of Sestri Levante.

Notable within the square are:

- Palazzo Durazzo-Pallavicini
- the place of Sestri's town hall.

The palace was built in the second half of the 17th century and preserves in the meeting room, on the second floor, a painting by the artist Francesco Bassano depicting the Adoration of the Magi.

Opposite Palazzo Pallavicini there is a small fountain, and another historic building that is located just in the center of the square and catches the eye with its exquisite architecture;

- The Basilica of St. Mary of Nazareth built in the seventeenth century with a neoclassical pronaos.

A chapel on the site dedicated to Mary was conceived in 1368, and in 1604, after the sale of the land by local nobleman Bernardo Bolasco, construction of the present church began.

In the 18th century Sestri Levante was frequently visited by Bishop Brugnato, to which Sestri belonged until 1959, and the church of Santa Maria di Nazareth was elevated to the rank of cathedral.

Today, two towers on both sides of the main structure remain from the 17th century facade. From the 19th century there is a portal over the central entrance, where there is a marble statue of the Madonna and Child. Baroque paintings are kept inside the church.

Palazzo Fascie Rossi or Red Palace, a center of art and culture, is the undoubted jewel of Sestri. Square tower of Red Palace now is a symbol of the city.

The palace was built at the beginning of the twentieth century (1903-1904).

Within the walls of the former palace are located the headquarters of the municipal library, historical archive, archaeological and municipal museum (entrance fee 5 Euros), which has been open to the public since the spring of 2013 and the tourist information center on the first floor.

Classical music concerts, conferences, various thematic meetings, exhibitions aimed at restoring the memory of the origins of the city and the region, as well as artistic and cultural workshops for children and teenagers are held in the spacious halls of the palace.

The address of the palazzo is Corso Colombo, 50.

Not far from the Rossi Palace, in Piazza Repubblica, there is a memorial and a majestic building with a clock tower and colonnaded portal that houses a school and the municipal police today.

Church of San Pietro in Vincoli (Chiesa di San Pietro in Vincoli) is located in the heart of the historic center of Sestri, at Piazza Italia, 4.

The shrine was built by the Capuchin Fathers in 1640 with the addition of a convent. The new urbanization of Sestri Levante in the following years, no longer allowing the monks to be properly isolated, led the latter to prefer to move elsewhere, selling the building in 1686 to the secular priests of San Pietro-in-Vincoli.

The whole complex subsequently underwent several modifications and expansions.

CREATINI & LANDRIANI Gallery is located near the Vincoli Church, on Piazzetta Marcello Rizzi, 16.

This historic Art Nouveau villa is located on the seafront of Fairy Tales Bay. The 4-star Suite Hotel Nettuno, the only one with direct access to the beach in this part of Sestri Levante, is currently located in the villa.

Villa Brignole-Balbi is historic aristocratic residence built in the 17th century and located near the promenade of Fairy Tales Bay.

The 4 star Grand Hotel Villa Balbi is located in the villa's walls with an internal Italian garden, private beach area, outdoor swimming pool, free Wi-Fi, restaurant and bar.

In the historic building of the Rizzi Palace with its decorated facade, the most recent from the northern part of the beach of Silence Bay, located just next to the beachfront, is the Galleria Museo Rizzi.

The entrance ticket costs 5 Euros. The address of the museum is Via Cappuccini, 8.

The gallery was born out of the will of Marcello Rizzi, who after his death wanted his residence to become a real city museum, where the artworks and objects exhibited to the public. The artworks and objects Rizzi had collected during the years.

The museum was opened in 1960. On the three floors of the building several works have been preserved and exhibited, including paintings by the most famous Genoese, Ligurian and Emilian artists, sculptures and ceramics typical of western Liguria.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception with its adjacent 17th-century Convento Frati Cappuccini is located on the slope of the massive Punta Manara cape, on the north side of the beach in Silence Bay.

The shrine was built in 1688 in medieval style with a distinctive facade with black and white stripes.

Inside, there is an 18th-century wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception on the main altar, a painting by Domenico Fiasella depicting the miracle of St. Anthony of Padua, and a canvas depicting St. Felix of Cantalis by the same artist.

A sculpture of a fisherman, pulling a net out of the sea, is located at the south end of Silent Bay beach.

The building of the former Annunciation Monastery, built in the 15th century, which is now a venue for cultural conferences and various events, where there is also an viewpoint offering views to the sea and the beach of Silence Bay.

The rocky cape of Sestri Levante, which separates the two bays of Sestri and extends into the sea, is a landmark in itself.

On the cape you can see:

- the portal topped by a crenellated canopy;

- The open-air Teatro Arena Conchiglia, located on the slope of the Cape;

- The ruins of the ancient church of St. Catherine (Ruderi dell'Oratorio di Santa Caterina), built in 1578 and destroyed during the aerial bombardment of World War II in 1944;

- Church of San Nicolò dell'Isola (Chiesa di San Nicolò dell'Isola) or St. Nicholas Church, originating in 1151, built most likely on an earlier and primitive shrine constructed by the Bobbio friars of Colombia.

It is the oldest church in Sestri, originally built in Romanesque style and transformed in Baroque style in the fifteenth century. Restoration interventions in 1912 and in 1928 returned the ancient church to its original appearance, removing some of the Baroque architecture.

Until the 17th century it was the main parish church of Sestri Levante, after which the church of Santa Maria di Nazareth became the main shrine of the town.

The bell tower of the church with its pyramidal spire stands out and serves as an unmistakable decoration of the church.

The Gothic interior consists of three naves divided by columns with cubic capitals.

Near the church is a viewpoint with views to part of Silence Bay;

- Villa Gualino is a historic building, also known as Castelli Gualino, which is a historical and architectural monument of Sestri.

So called (because it imitates the ancient medieval style) "Castelli Gualino" was built between 1925 and 1929, ordered by the Piedmontese industrialist Riccardo Gualino.

The Villa Gualino complex consisted of three buildings. Around the buildings of the villa there was an extensive garden with views to the sea and surrounding countryside.

In 1950 the whole complex of Villa Gualino was transformed into the 4-star Grand Hotel Dei Castelli, which it is today.

The hotel has preserved the exterior and interior structures of the castle. The hotel is still surrounded by extensive gardens.

Hotel Dei Castillo has a private beach area located among the rocky shores of the peninsula, with access to the sea and all the necessary infrastructure.

The beach has a so-called natural pool, a cut-out space in the rocks where the sea water flows in.

From the hotel to the beach and the port of Sestri Levante you can go down (and back up) by elevator.