Sentiero e promontorio di Punta Manara

Punta Manara is a wooded headland between Sestri Levante and Riva Trigoso at the eastern end of the Gulf of Tigullio. The promontory rises to Monte Castello, 264 metres above sea level, and its trail crosses olive-growing slopes, Mediterranean woodland and the remains of coastal defences. The area is protected as a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation.

Why it matters

The headland's slopes frame Sestri Levante's two bays on one side and the open gulf and Riva Trigoso shoreline on the other. Its 205 hectares preserve a varied coastal landscape close to the built-up Riviera: olive terraces, holm-oak woodland and Mediterranean maquis coexist with traces of settlement and defence. The Punta Manara conservation area is designated as ZSC IT1333308, with a management plan adopted in 2023.

What to notice

The landscape changes from olive groves and kitchen gardens around Mandrella to maritime pine, holm oak, cork oak and maquis vegetation on the higher ground. Near the promontory's tip stand the ruins of a coastal watchtower, while Monte Castello preserves the remains of two fortifications associated with its later military use. A shrine to the Madonna della Neve and open viewpoints form further landmarks along the headland.

Context and history

The sandstone promontory falls steeply toward the sea and is cut by the Rio Ravino, which feeds cultivated plots on its landward slopes. The watchtower, generally dated to the sixteenth century, belonged to a wider coastal system built to warn of corsair raids. Fortification remains on Monte Castello recall the use of the headland by coastal militia and occupying troops during the Second World War. The area has received environmental protection since the late 1970s; its management plan continues that work through the conservation of the headland's natural and historical landscape.