Visiting Sestri Levante, Italy: Top Sights on Foot

Sestri Levante is a Ligurian coastal town known for its two bays, historic churches, elegant buildings, and atmospheric old streets. The town’s most memorable sights are gathered around the Baia del Silenzio, while its wider heritage includes museums, former religious buildings, villas, and landmarks in surrounding local areas. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Sestri Levante, with 19 narrated places available in 11 languages.

Part of Liguria on the Italian Riviera, Sestri Levante is also well placed for exploring the coast, including nearby Levanto, La Spezia, and the Cinque Terre. But the town itself deserves time: its compact collection of bays, churches, and historic buildings makes it rewarding to explore on foot.

What to See in Sestri Levante

Baia del Silenzio

The Baia del Silenzio, or Bay of Silence, is the defining coastal setting of Sestri Levante. The sheltered bay is framed by colorful buildings, cafés, and traditional fishing boats, creating an intimate waterfront atmosphere. Its beach is free and public, and the bay is one of the essential places to include when considering what to see in Sestri Levante.

Several of the town’s most interesting landmarks stand close to the bay, making it a natural starting point for a walk through Sestri Levante.

San Nicolo dell’Isola Church

On Via Penisola, the Church of San Nicolò dell’Isola is one of the town’s important religious landmarks. It served as the parish church until the early seventeenth century, when the newly built Basilica of Santa Maria di Nazareth inherited its parish title.

Its setting on the peninsula connects the church directly with the historic character of the Bay of Silence area.

Santa Caterina Oratory

The remains of the Santa Caterina Oratory, also called the Rovine dell’Oratorio di Santa Caterina, offer a small and quiet historic stop while exploring the town. The site adds another layer to the architectural heritage around the peninsula.

Annunziata Convent

The former Annunziata Convent, or Convento dell’Annunziata, stands on Via Portobello beside the Bay of Silence. Once a Catholic place of worship, the former convent is especially atmospheric because of its position beside the water.

Santa Maria di Nazareth Basilica

In Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, the Basilica of Santa Maria di Nazareth is one of Sestri Levante’s notable religious landmarks. The Catholic basilica took over the parish title formerly held by San Nicolò dell’Isola when it was built.

Its location in the town makes it a natural continuation of a walk from the peninsula towards the central streets.

Palazzo Durazzo Pallavicini

Palazzo Durazzo Pallavicini is a distinctive palace in Sestri Levante. It is a simple but worthwhile stop among the historic buildings encountered in the town centre.

Galleria Rizzi

A few steps from the Baia del Silenzio, Galleria Rizzi houses an art collection spanning several centuries. Its works include paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and furniture dating from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century.

The variety of objects and periods gives the museum a broad artistic character, making it one of the most substantial cultural places to visit in Sestri Levante.

San Pietro in Vincoli Church

San Pietro in Vincoli Church, also known as Chiesa di San Pietro in Vincoli, is one of the Catholic churches found in Sestri Levante. It provides another opportunity to encounter the town’s religious heritage while walking between its historic sights.

Immacolata Church

The Immacolata Church, or Chiesa dell’Immacolata, forms part of the Capuchin friars’ convent in Salita Cappuccini. This Catholic place of worship adds a different architectural and religious setting to the town’s central landmarks.

Villa Sertorio

Villa Sertorio is a historic villa connected with the Sertorio family. It was probably built between 1763 and 1776 and remains privately owned by the family, who had been admitted to the Genoese patriciate in 1749.

The villa offers a glimpse into Sestri Levante’s historic residences beyond its churches and waterfront buildings.

More Churches and Historic Places Around the Town

Sestri Levante’s heritage extends beyond the main peninsula and central streets. The Church of San Pietro in Piazza San Pietro in Riva is home to the parish that bears its name, while another Chiesa di San Pietro provides a quieter place to pause among the town’s places of worship.

Sant’Andrea, also known as Chiesa di Sant’Andrea, is another church building to encounter during an exploration of Sestri Levante. The town also includes Santa Sabina Church in Trigoso, standing in Piazza Santa Sabina and serving as the parish church of the same name.

In Santa Vittoria di Libiola, Santa Vittoria Church gives its name to the local setting. These churches show how the municipality’s religious heritage reaches beyond the best-known sights around the Bay of Silence.

For a different kind of historic stop, the ruins of chiesa di Sant’Anna stand along the ancient path connecting Cavi di Lavagna with Sestri Levante. The remains belong to a sixteenth-century Catholic building and lie in the area known as the Rocche di Sant’Anna, near the Ponti della Valle del Fico trail.

Explore Sestri Levante with Neywo

Download Neywo for a Sestri Levante self-guided walking tour that connects the town’s main sights without a group or a fixed schedule. The app currently offers one walking tour:

Sestri Levante: Between Two Bays

This walk covers 2.19 km, takes about 81 minutes, and includes 10 narrated stops:

• San Nicolo dell’Isola Church
• Santa Caterina Oratory
• Annunziata Convent
• Santa Maria di Nazareth Basilica
• Palazzo Durazzo Pallavicini
• Galleria Rizzi
• San Pietro in Vincoli Church
• Immacolata Church
• Villa Sertorio
• Cristo Re Sanctuary

Neywo tells the story of each place as you reach it, so you can explore at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. It is a free Sestri Levante audio guide designed to turn a walk through the town into a narrated visit.