After the Portofino Marathon: Sestri Levante

The Route: Rapallo → Sestri Levante → Rapallo Logistics: The coast line towards La Spezia, about half an hour from Rapallo and a little more from Santa Margherita Ligure. Check the Sunday and Monday timetable on the Trenitalia site before you plan the return. Marathon Month: January Duration: Day trip

Rapallo ──(train, about 25-30 mins)──> Sestri Levante station
                                             │
                          Via XXV Aprile through the old town
                                             │
                    Baia del Silenzio ── the peninsula ── Baia delle Favole

Sestri Levante is built on a thin peninsula that was once an island, and the sums are simple: one bay on either side and a street across the neck of land. The Baia delle Favole is the wider, open bay with the long beach. The Baia del Silenzio, on the other side, is a small curved cove with a sand beach, shallow water and a ring of tall houses behind it. In January it is one of the most sheltered places to sit on this stretch of coast.

The town is mostly flat. The only gradient is the climb onto the headland, which is short but steep, and which a Monday-after-marathon body can skip. The rest is promenade, old town street and a sandy beach where you can walk barefoot if the day is mild enough.

January in Sestri Levante: beach clubs are closed and the sand is empty. The cafés in the old town stay open for locals, and the sun on the Baia del Silenzio can be warm at midday when the wind drops. Expect a sea breeze in the afternoon.

Getting there

The station is on the main coast line, a few minutes' walk from the old town. Regional trains from Rapallo take about half an hour. Buy a ticket in advance, check the platform on the board, and look at the last evening trains before you leave. Services are less frequent on holidays.

The old town

Walk from the station down to the main street, Corso Colombo, which runs through the town to the peninsula. At the end, the street narrows and becomes Via XXV Aprile, lined with shops, bakeries and wine bars under painted arcades. The neck of the peninsula is only a few hundred metres wide, so you can see both bays within five minutes of each other.

The Baia del Silenzio

This is the place to stop. The cove is small, the water is calm, and fishing boats are pulled up on the sand. A few cafés and trattorias face the water, some open all winter. Sit with a coffee and watch the light change on the houses.

The headland

A short, steep path climbs the peninsula to the Chiesa di San Nicolò dell'Isola, a Romanesque church on the top, and on to a lookout over both bays. The path is paved but uneven, with steps. If your quads are sore, skip it, because the gradient is short and unforgiving. The view is best on a clear day.

Lunch

Ligurian food is at its plainest here. Look for trofie or trenette with pesto, anchovies fried or marinated in lemon, and focaccia, the thick oily type found in bakeries all along this coast. Ask what came in that morning. Check opening days, because some restaurants close for a winter break.

Getting back

Return by the same train line. If you are staying in Santa Margherita Ligure, change nothing: the line runs straight through. Allow time for the walk to the station and check the last service. If the day turns cold, the old town cafés are warm and close to the platform.