A Fairy-Tale Bay on the Italian Riviera

May 16, 2011 by Anna Merulla / Tags: andersen festival , Bay of Fables , Bay of Silence , Cinque Terre , Fairy tales , family , fiaba , Italian Riviera , kids , Liguria , prize andersen , racconti , sestri Levante , travel / 1 Comment

If you have followed Beautiful Liguria’s blog since today, you have certainly read about Sestri Levante town on the Italian Riviera and its two bays “Baia del Silenzio” (Bay of Silence) and “Baia delle Favole” (Bay of Fairy Tales). In fact, in the following post I’ve told you about the marvellous Bay of Silence “Bay of Silence – Golfo del Tigullio“.

Today, I’d like to talk about the other bay of this charming town, the “Bay of Fairy Tales”, which has been named in honor of the danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen, who lived in this town for a short time in 1833.

The story says that during a sea storm Andersen decided to stop and spend a night in Sestri Levante town. The bay immediately enchanted him and he renamed this bay as “Baia delle Favole”, a lucky name which has made this small town famous.

In fact, since 1967 the Hans Christian Andersen Prize takes place here and it is dedicated to the Fairy Tales (to children’s literature and unpublished fables). It is an important and prestigious price recognized both in Italy and at international level.

This year it will take place from 26th May to 29th May 2011 and the town will be transformed into the town of kids with four days of events and shows dedicated to them!

H. C. Andersn wrote in 1883 about sestri Levante and its bay:

“What a fairy-tale evening did I spend in Sestri Levante! The inn was very close to the sea, and a strong undertow lapped against it; clouds in the sky were crimson red and the mountains were sparkling in the brightest colours. The trees themselves were like gigantic fruit baskets, full of rich bunches of grapes.”

photo courtesy by andersenfestival.it

Suggested Stay in Sestri Levante: Maison de Charm in Sestri Levante

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