This is a welcoming little town situated on the eastern part of the Gulf of Tigullio. It has always been an important business centre and port, and has also been a sought after holiday resort for centuries. The town stretches over two bays divided by the Isola, that is the promontory with the most ancient part of the town historical centre: La Baia delle Favole (the Bay of Fables) looking west and to the modern part of the town. It owes its name to the writer of children’s fables, Hans Christian Andersen, to whose memory Sestri Levante has dedicated a special prize for writers of children’s tales. On the opposite side there is la Baia del Silenzio (the Bay of Silence) with its beautiful beach and pastel coloured houses of the fishermen’s district overlooking it. Between the two bays you can see the thin isthmus on which stands the Durazzo Pallavicini Palace that has been turned into the Town Hall and the Santa Maria di Nazarath Basilica; near there the Via Penisola di Levante winds up the Promontory, past the ruins of Saint Catherine Oratory and the XII century St. Nicholas Church, the town patron Saint. Going back to the Town Hall, we walk along the Carugio, a historical street and Sestri Levante busy centre with its fancy shops that can meet the wishes of the most demanding customers. See the most suggestive, though small Portobello bay, the natural harbour enclosed between two hills that are overgrown with olive groves and Mediterranean bushes. On the background to the north, you can see the beautiful Punta Manara promontory between Sestri Levante and Riva Trigoso.