The Riviera di Levante — the eastern Ligurian Riviera stretching from Genova to La Spezia — offers a more secluded and less internationally marketed alternative to the Cinque Terre and Portofino circuits. Sestri Levante, with its two bays and the legendary Baia del Silenzio, Camogli with its fisher-town intensity and painted facades, and Chiavari with its elegant arcaded centre: these are destinations for clients who have already explored Portofino and want to go deeper into the Ligurian character. FFGR provides a full guide programme to the Levante coast from Monaco.
Camogli: The Most Painted Town in Liguria
Camogli sits on a narrow coastal ledge above the sea, its houses painted in the characteristic trompe-l'oeil style of the Ligurian seafaring towns — windows, cornices, and architectural details painted directly onto plaster facades to compensate for the narrow street widths that made real ornamentation impossible. The effect, seen from the sea or from the road approach, is of extraordinary visual density.
The town's fish festival — La Sagra del Pesce — held on the second Sunday of May, is one of the most authentic seasonal events in Liguria. FFGR arranges a full festival day transfer from Monaco including arrival by 10:00 before the cooking begins, reserved positions at the seafront, and a return after the evening entertainment.
Sestri Levante: The Bay of Silence
Sestri Levante occupies a narrow peninsula dividing two bays: the Baia delle Favole (Bay of Fables, named for Hans Christian Andersen who stayed here in 1833) facing the open sea, and the Baia del Silenzio — a small protected cove with a mediaeval church on its flank. The Baia del Silenzio is among the most photographed views in Liguria — tranquil, enclosed, and best seen in morning light.
The town centre offers a concentrated luxury shopping experience for a Ligurian resort: ceramics from local artisans, high-quality Ligurian food products, and a sequence of seafood restaurants on the Baia delle Favole promenade. The Grand Hotel dei Castelli on the headland above the bay is the finest accommodation on this stretch of coast.
Chiavari: Arcaded Elegance
Chiavari is the commercial and cultural capital of the Tigullio Gulf — a compact city of arcaded streets and Genoese noble palaces that retains its market town character without the tourist overlay of the Cinque Terre. The Caruggi — the labyrinthine medieval lanes behind the main arcades — contain some of the best traditional Ligurian trattorias on the coast.
The Chiavari chair — the iconic lightweight rush-seat chair that bears the town's name — is still produced by traditional workshops in the town. For clients with an interest in Italian design history, a visit to one of the remaining chair-makers is among the most singular experiences on the Ligurian coast and can be arranged through our programme.
Programme Design: Levante in a Day
A Levante day programme from Monaco typically departs at 08:00, reaching Camogli by 09:30. Two hours in Camogli, then the coastal road SP1 to Sestri Levante for lunch (1h15 from Camogli), two hours in Sestri, and the short drive to Chiavari for a late afternoon visit before the return to Monaco, arriving around 20:30.
Alternative configurations include Camogli only (closest to Monaco at 1h45) for a focused half-day, or a Chiavari–Sestri Levante combination without Camogli for clients who prefer the refined resort experience over the painted harbour town character.
FFGR Monaco · Riviera di Levante Excursions
