There exists, along the eastern coast of Genoa, a neighborhood that has managed to preserve itself in perfect balance between the city and the sea, between the modernity of an Italian municipality and the slow rhythm of a village overlooking the water. That neighborhood is Sturla: residential, bourgeois, discreet, without the big attractions that bring crowds of tourists but with a quality of daily life that many Genoese Levantines consider the best in the city. A walk from Boccadasse to Sturla and beyond, towards Quarto dei Mille, is one of the most beautiful routes that can be taken along the Ligurian Tyrrhenian Sea without having to move away from the urban fabric of a large city.
What to see in Sturla
The small port of Sturla
The small port of Sturla is one of those places that real Genoese people know and would hardly mention in a tourist guide – not out of jealousy, but because they experience it as something so normal that they don’t realize how special it is. Some fishing boats, traditional gozzo boats alongside pleasure craft, nets hung out to dry, fishermen patching them up in silence in the early morning: the small port of Sturla is a living postcard of maritime Genoa that has resisted standardisation.
“Sturla is the Genoa of the Genoese: here you experience the sea without filters, between cliffs and boats beached”
— Riviera di Levante Magazine
Explore the nearby neighborhoods too: if Sturla has intrigued you, also discover our guides on Albaro, Boccadasse, Quarto e Quinto and Marassi. Each area of Genoa has its own character and its own surprises.
The genovabb.it residences in the eastern part of Genoa are selected to offer maximum comfort in neighborhoods like Sturla, where you can truly immerse yourself in local life without feeling out of place. You can check availability and prices on genovabb.it/prenota-ora/ and choose the most suitable solution for your stay. Staying in Sturla means having the sea as your neighbor and the authentic city as your daily landscape.
The History of Sturla: An Eastern Village Between Nobility and the Sea
The Origins and the Medieval Era
Sturla was, before being incorporated into the expansion of Genoa, an independent village with a distinctly maritime and agricultural character. The position on the eastern coast, with the small natural landing place which later became the current small port, made it a natural stopping point for sailors going up or down the Ligurian coast. Medieval documents testify to the presence of families of fishermen and small shipowners who set out from the village of Sturla for their activities at sea, under the nominal protection of the Genoese archbishopric which held feudal rights over many of the lands of the East.
The beach establishments of Sturla have in many cases been managed by the same families for decades, with a business model that does not change with fashions: umbrella, sunbed, shower, bar. Someone added the swimming pool or the beach volleyball court, but the essence remains that of the traditional Genoese bathing season – short, intense and very much enjoyed by the local community. The Sturla beach in summer smells of sun cream and salt, and the sound of voices mixed with the sound of the sea is the soundtrack of the Genoese summer in its most genuine versions.
Artisanal Fishing: An Art That Endures
The small port of Sturla still hosts some professional fishermen who go out to sea using Ligurian artisanal fishing methods: gillnets for bottom fish, pots for crustaceans, longline for pelagic fish. It is not a form of folklore kept alive artificially: it is a real economic activity, even if marginal compared to large industrial fishing plants, and the fishermen of Sturla sell their catch to local restaurants and directly to families who know them and who prefer fresh local fish.
The artisanal fishing of the eastern Genoese area has its reference species: anchovies – here called anciove in dialect – which are then salted in traditional terracotta jars according to a technique that dates back to the Middle Ages; the muscles (mussels) of the Gulf; sardin (sardines) which abound in this stretch of coast in summer. For those visiting Sturla with a gastronomic interest, there is little more satisfying than buying your catch directly from the fisherman at the marina quayside — a privilege that is still possible in few Italian coastal cities.
If you want to experience Genoa from the inside, our dwellings in the heart of the city are waiting for you. Book now at the best price guaranteed.
