Traversata dell'Amicizia / SantAnna Swim 2.0

Gliding across the sheltered curve of the Baia delle Favole, open water swimmers trace the maritime shoreline of Sestri Levante along the Ligurian Sea. This setting hosts the Traversata dell'Amicizia, also known as the SantAnna Swim 2.0, an open water swimming race held in the coastal waters of Liguria in northern Italy. Traced along the broad sweep of the inlet, the event offers sea courses of 2,500 and 4,000 meters in October, sending swimmers out into the wide natural amphitheater of the bay. Swimmers enter the calm salt water at Cavi Borgo and make their way along the coast directly toward Sestri Levante. The race is celebrated as an evocative open-water swim where athletes share the simple pleasure of navigating the sea together along a scenic coastal route.

That communal tradition reaches back to its origins in 1975, when the inaugural gathering took place as a non-competitive event with just 28 swimmers. Escort boats accompanied the participants across the water, tracking their times while deliberately omitting a formal ranking to keep the focus on shared accomplishment. Organized by the local club ASD Aquamanara 1968, the modern competition pays tribute to founders Franco Lo Cascio and Vittorio de Salsi. Their initiative in the autumn of 1975 carried lasting significance, prompting the Italian Swimming Federation to grant official recognition to open water swimming on September 24, 1975. What began as an informal group crossing along the Ligurian shore became a milestone for open water sport across the entire country.

The two bays of Sestri Levante: sand, seabed and swimming

At Sestri Levante a sandy isthmus divides the Baia di Ponente, called Baia delle Favole, from the smaller Baia di Levante, also known as Baia del Silenzio. The beach of the Baia delle Favole is fine sand mixed with gravel, white-grey in colour, and stretches for about a kilometre. The seabed in the Baia delle Favole is sandy and generally gradual. A small tourist harbour sits in the Baia delle Favole. Sailing, windsurfing and canoeing are the activities listed for the Baia delle Favole, with restaurants and venues along the waterfront. The Baia del Silenzio has received the Blue Flag, and the municipality of Sestri Levante has limited the flow of visitors to protect the environment.

Gulf of Tigullio: Marconi's gulf and the Apennine skyline

The race takes place inside the sweeping Gulf of Tigullio, a picturesque marine expanse located within the Metropolitan City of Genoa along the Riviera di Levante. The waters of the Gulf of Tigullio are demarcated by two prominent headlands, bounded by Punta di Portofino to the northwest and Punta Manara to the southeast. The body of water is also known as the Gulf of Marconi, honoring the radio experiments conducted over its waves by inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Farther west along the coast, the Entella River empties into the gulf between Chiavari and Lavagna following an eight-kilometer descent from the mountains. The maritime panorama extends past the coastline toward the towering Apennine mountain spine, where Mount Maggiorasca reaches 1,804 meters, Mount Penna stands at 1,735 meters, and Mount Aiona rises to 1,702 meters above sea level.

The western half of the wider gulf holds varied inlets, including the roadstead of Santa Margherita, the sheltered cove of Paraggi, the Gulf of Rapallo, and the inlet of Pagana with the small bays of Prelo, Trelo, and Pomaro. Around fifteen kilometres across the water, Paraggi Castle stands on a promontory guarding the eastern edge of Paraggi bay. Built during the Republic of Genoa to protect the coast from seaward attacks, the stone stronghold was later occupied by Napoleonic forces between 1812 and 1814. About fourteen kilometres away on the western extremity of the gulf, the Portofino Lighthouse marks the seaward limit of the promontory. Constructed in 1917, the station features an optical lantern perched at an elevation of 40 meters above the sea. The light emits a regular white flash every five seconds, sweeping across the open Ligurian waters with a visibility reaching up to 16 nautical miles.

Punta Manara: the green promontory and the Saracen watch

Punta Manara is a prominent triangular promontory that has enjoyed environmental protection since 1977. Covering roughly 190 hectares, the rocky headland ascends from the water to reach 265 meters above sea level at the summit of Monte Castello. The promontory's vegetation includes sea fennel, myrtle, mastic, and black alder. High above the sea at 140 meters altitude stands a sixteenth-century Saracen tower, originally erected as an observation point. Near the crest of Monte Castello, visitors can also inspect the ruined stone fortifications constructed as coastal military positions during World War II. About six kilometres farther along the coast between Riva Trigoso and Moneglia, another marine Site of Community Importance protects the waters fronting Punta Baffe and Punta Moneglia.

The territory climbs rapidly from sea level up to 520 meters at the top of Monte Moneglia, featuring dense Mediterranean scrub and garrigue. Nearby, riparian plant life lines the banks of the Petronio stream, adding to the botanical richness of the coastal slopes that frame this corner of the gulf.

The Sestri Levante isthmus: twin bays and coastal strongholds

Sestri Levante is an ancient town built on a headland that was originally a detached island before joining the mainland. Over the centuries, an isthmus connected the promontory and created two distinct bodies of water. In the waters of the Bay of Silence, the town celebrates the Barcarolata, featuring a procession of decorated boats parading across the cove. At the extreme seaward tip of the peninsula sits the Convento dell'Annunziata, surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Ligurian Sea.

Riva Trigoso: the launch and loss of the Principessa Jolanda

About three kilometres from the race course lies Riva Trigoso. On this stretch of coast, the local shipyard Cantiere Navale di Riva Trigoso undertook the construction of the SS Principessa Jolanda. As soon as the hull slid into the water, the ship became unstable and capsized directly off the slipway. The vessel settled onto its side in the coastal shallows, leaving its massive funnels visible just a few meters above the surface of the sea. To avoid an identical disaster, the shipyard altered the launch plan for her sister ship, the SS Principessa Mafalda, which was launched into the water in 1908 without most of her superstructure. Open water swimmers navigate the Baia delle Favole today.