In these bleak mid-winter days of sleet, snow and icy winds: what could possibly bring more joy than a trip to a place where you can still feel the breath of summer on your neck, a place where, while the season’s paraphernalia (parasols and pleasure boats) may have been mothballed, the spirit of summer is still alive?
Not much, I am sure you will agree, which is why I am asking you today to accompany us for a visit of Sestri Levante.
This small resort town on the eastern side of the Italian Riviera, about half way between Genoa and the villages of Cinque Terre, has all the charms of a Italian seaside town: ice-cream parlours, charming restaurants and lively street scenes steeped in Ligurian yellows and terracotta reds, while featuring not one but two beaches, both with a character of their own and located opposite each other on the two sides of the Sestri peninsula.
Best of all, however, the package of Sestri Levante also includes a unique hiking experience: just outside the city limits, you will find the steep Rocks of Santa Anna, which still qualify as “easy hiking” territory but which are challenging enough to have once represented a formidable obstacle in the way of the Roman legions on their march to the northern provinces.
Experience that moment of magic !
You can spend hours exploring the coastal cliffs but even a brief walk can deliver the two ingredients of all the best hikes: first, it gets your heart pumping, and then, at its highest point, it can deliver that moment of magic that makes you feel richly rewarded for all the troubles you took getting there.
You can visit both the rocks and the town of Sestri Levante in a single day, provided you arrive early enough to finish the 90-minute walk before a long Mediterranean lunch. (Remember: it’s your holidays!)
There is another good reason for starting the Sestri “double-bill” with the hike through the Rocche di Sant’Anna if you arrive by train: the trailhead is only about 500 metres away from the station, while the town lies in the opposite direction.
So having descended from the train (which takes 45 minutes from Genoa and approx. one hour from La Spezia), you should leave the station through the exit in the back (the one that faces inland), turn left and continue for 15 to 20 minutes by the side of the tracks, until you arrive at the trailhead.
After a brief prologue of strolling on a gentle incline, the ascent becomes steeper and more rugged rather quickly …
… but if you feel tired, there are many places where you can have a brief rest. Take the time to enjoy the views of Sestri – you can see the town centre on the thin strip of land in the middle of the promontory – …
… and of the Ligurian Sea on the other side.
Further up the cliff, you will soon arrive at a plateau where hiking maps and information panels are on display. This is also where the trail forks …
… and where you can turn right for the Strada dei Ponti (the “Road of Bridges”) and the opportunity of exploring the territory a bit further.
The “ponti” of the trail’s name were first constructed in antiquity when the Roman army needed a passage that was wide enough for its horse-drawn supply carriages.
But it is best to leave that detour for later and first turn to the left, at least for a few hundred metres, until you arrive at the Chapel of Santa Anna – or what is left of it.
According to local legend, this chapel was erected in the 1300s by a French knight to thank Santa Anna for his survival after he had fallen down a precipice while returning from a pilgrimage to Rome. Municipal documents, however, suggest that the chapel was built somewhat later (in the 16th century) and that it was financed by a group of wealthy local women.
What is certain is that the chapel fell into neglect in the early 19th century after the region had come under the control of the (firmly anti-clerical) government of Napoleonic France – and that, whatever the details of its history, it provides a splendid sight.
Now you will have to make up your mind: you can continue on the Sentiere Sant’Anna all the way to Cavi di Lavagna from where you can then catch a train to Genoa or La Spezia.
Alternatively, you can take the fork at the Strada dei Ponti for a further exploration of the Rocche, or return to Sestri to have a look at the town, its two beaches and the forest around the cape of the promontory which is steeped in history.
Which is what we did – and what we will tell you about next week.
