What to see in the characteristic town center
Historic Center of Sestri Levante
The town of Sestri Levante has a fascinating historic center that should be seen and visited several times to catch fascinating details and desinences.
Sestri unravels along a characteristic urban fabric, a palette of bright colors painted on the sequence of narrow buildings overlooking the water: an ancient village that retains all the taint of fishermen’s villages while housing some of the most beautiful and majestic noble settlements on the coast.
During your walk through the historic center of Sestri Levante you will be enchanted by typical stores, smells and flavors that tell the story of the coast in all its nuances, postcard views and emotional carruggi.
The city of the two seas, so named for the famous and marvelous Bays, best symbolizes the concept of restanza, a neologism that indicates the desire to leave and return to the homeland, evoking all the nostalgia and sense of belonging that this area communicates to those who live there and to those who devote even a brief visit.
The center of Sestri Levante is animated by historic businesses that have been handed down from generation to generation for more than half a century: the charm of the Central Bar where you can enjoy the distinctive aroma of the city’s best coffee, the Rossignotti Pastry Shop, once the Pope’s official supplier, a treasure chest of ivory-painted wood cloaked in a timeless atmosphere.
You will find stores that evoke the activities of the master blacksmith, fry shops and housewares of the early twentieth century: craft workshops that show the most authentic face of ancient trades.
The historic center of Sestri Levante offers many artistic and architectural cues: the church of San Nicolò dell’Isola, dating back to 1151, is the oldest building in the place; the basilica of Santa Maria di Nazareth features a mix of Baroque and Neoclassical with its altar and statues sculpted by Schiaffino.
The imposing pink facade of the Durazzo Pallavicini palace, the current seat of the town hall, makes it one of the most iconic structures, and also in the Fascie Rossi palace you will find the MuSel archaeological museum that testifies to the history of the area.
Finally, let’s remember the famous Slate Portals, a material found in considerable quantity in inland quarries, which adorn the many palaces and walls of Sestri.
And as the sun flushes the placid Ligurian sea, setting the sandy expanses ablaze with its sunset, Sestri Levante transforms into a lively setting, full of life, with clubs, restaurants, stores open late and markets with handicrafts.
The perfect place to fall in love, every time like the first.
