The Bay of Portobello becomes the beating heart of Sestri Levante
The Barcarolata
On the last Sunday of July, the Portobello Bay hosts one of Sestri Levante’s most representative events: the Barcarolata, a real parade on the waters in which carnival suggestions meet maritime traditions.
An event organized by the municipality of Sestri Levante and the Lega Navale in which enthusiasts and local residents compete in decorating small hulls and boats with lights, costumes and paper mache details. The Barcarolata creates a backdrop of eccentric euphoria framed by a grand fireworks display that illuminates the nighttime sea with wonderful hues.
An event born in the 1960s and continuously revived, becoming an iconic event. The pleasant setting of Portobello Bay helps cloak the Barcarolata in exclusive charm, creating a unique natural setting that embellishes a magical evening that attracts tourists, onlookers and boaters from all over each year.
The Barcarolata harkens back to the ancient rituals of fishing, to the dilated rhythms of a bygone time when days were marked by nets cast into the waves and the wait for the harvest. Sestri Levante will set up a party where a jury will award prizes for the most beautiful and original boat: a moment of joy, merriment and lightheartedness in which historic owners and enthusiastic beginners will compete in raising the needle of decorative imagination again and again.
On Sunday, July 30, you are all invited to Portobello beach: feet on the warm sand, a smile on your lips and eyes to the sky as fireworks light up the beautiful Sestri sea.
Photo credit https://www.maranatha.it/
