In the Town of Two Seas That Inspires Artists: A Day in Sestri Levante

“I have finally found a land that soothes my soul, makes it sweet and content with life”. So wrote Lord Byron when, in October 1822, aboard his yacht Bolivar, he landed in the Bay of Silence, the beach so named by the Sestri poet Giovanni Descalzo. Lord Byron was arriving from Lerici, and had come off several days of physical malaise that he had tried to shake off with improvised cures in a poor inn. In the end, when he found the strength and set sail to cross the gulf to Sestri Levante, everything fell into place. Afterwards, he wrote of it like this: “The sea brought me back to life immediately and I ate the sailors' cold fish and drank a gallon of country wine and since then I have been well”. Although we arrive in Sestri Levante by car, the first destination we go to visit is precisely the splendid and intimate Bay of Silence, where today as then there are dozens of little boats.

But besides Byron there is also Andersen, who stayed here in 1833 and instead gave the name Bay of Fairy Tales to the other bay of the town, where the tourist harbour is now located. The two bays are separated from each other by a thin isthmus, that is a strip of land washed by the sea on both sides. The old town of the town “of two seas” has also inspired various other artists: a famous song by Roberto Vecchioni is dedicated to Sestri Levante, and several music videos were shot here, including that of “Megu Megùn” by Fabrizio De Andrè, starring Claudio Bisio. Immersing ourselves in these wonderful artistic atmospheres, we also visit some of the many splendid churches, including the very central Basilica di Santa Maria di Nazareth, built in the 17th century, which also houses a wooden Pietà by Anton Maria Maragliano.

Until the 17th century, however, the parish church was the very ancient Church of San Nicolò dell'Isola, built in 1151 in Romanesque style. Climbing towards the Sestri promontory we discover the remains of the Oratory of Santa Caterina, built in 1578 and devastated during the bombings of the Second World War. Like all the seaside resorts, Sestri too had had to deal in the distant past with Saracen raids and other attacks. So in 1145 the Republic of Genoa erected a fortress near the promontory, rebuilt in the 15th century, but demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. Our longing for the sea leads us to visit one of the oldest hamlets of Sestri, Riva Trigoso, also home to an important shipyard. According to legend Riva and Trigoso were two lovers, whose story was cut short by the terrible pirates who wanted to abduct the beautiful Riva.

Both young people died, but their love continued in the sky, and by divine intervention the pirates' ship lost huge chests full of gold that fell into the sea right where the Bay of Gold is today. The angels who came down from heaven placed, at the point where Riva had died, the great rock of the Asseu, and the pebbles began a song of love. After a very pleasant walk along the seafront lined with the colourful fishermen's houses, we decide to stop for dinner at the Ristorante U Cantu. We settle into the cosy veranda while the children immediately run off to the adjoining play area. “This place already existed in 1967, it was a restaurant with a small bar. We took it over in 1980, adding the pizzeria with a wood-fired oven. A few years ago we created this enclosed veranda, as well as keeping the outdoor dehor too”, Mrs Luciana, the owner, tells us.

A part of our group actually opts for the pizzas, as well as for the fantastic focaccia with cheese like the Recco one. But that all the exquisite seafood specialities are decidedly irresistible too we discover as soon as we enter, thanks to the very rich buffet of starters. It is a real pleasure to taste the anchovies in carpione, the onion and salt cod fritters, the octopus with potatoes, as well as the typical caponada, an ancient Ligurian speciality that fishermen used to make on their boats. We are also enchanted by the “U Cantu” soup, which is inspired by a Spanish recipe. We continue with the exquisite home-made pasta, such as the typical trofie with pesto, green beans and potatoes, the pansotti with walnut sauce, the fish ravioli, as well as the excellent risottos with cuttlefish ink and seafood.

We wash down these delicacies with quality wines, both sparkling and still, ranging from Ligurian to national labels including Chianti and Nero d'Avola. We continue with mixed grilled fish including sea bream and swordfish, while many of us choose the much-requested fried mixed fish. Finally, we gladly give in to the sweet temptation of the home-made desserts including cakes, tiramisù, panna cotta, as well as the cool ice cream with berries. In Sestri Levante there is still so much to discover, and the memory of this lovely day will bring us back here soon, also to taste the legendary delicacies that this sea offers.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Pizzeria U Cantu Via Benedetto Brin, 170 fraz. Riva Trigoso Sestri Levante (GE) Tel.: 0185/42495