The Bay of Fables: how a great writer changed a city's destiny
It was 1833 when Hans Christian Andersen arrived in Sestri Levante during a journey through Italy. He was already a writer, but not yet famous — his most celebrated fairy tales would come later. What he saw struck him so deeply that he wrote that Sestri Levante was "the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my whole life". He called the bay where the town stands the "Bay of Fables" — a name given by a travelling Dane, which has endured for almost two hundred years.
Everything else grows from that moment of wonder. In 1967 the Municipality of Sestri Levante established the Andersen Prize for unpublished fairy tales: an international competition that over the decades has become one of the most prestigious of its kind. In 2026 the 59th edition of the prize is celebrated, with 463 stories in competition from around the world. In 1998 the full Festival was born — shows, performances, music, theatre for children and adults — which today brings families, artists and enthusiasts flooding into the city every June.
The festival's formula is simple and effective: 50 or more shows spread across 10 different locations over 4 days. Most are free and take place outdoors, in places whose beauty alone would justify the journey — the Bay of Fables, the seafront, the old town gardens, the squares. The programme mixes children's theatre, adult storytelling, music, award ceremonies and meetings with authors. This is not a children's festival with adults merely tolerated: it is genuinely designed for everyone.
In 2026 the 29th Festival edition continues a well-established tradition. Sestri Levante in the weeks around the event transforms: bookshops display fairy tales from around the world, venues come alive with evening readings, and the historic centre with its distinctive double bay — the Bay of Fables on one side, the Bay of Silence on the other — becomes a natural backdrop that is hard to beat.
What to expect in practice
The festival runs over four days in early June (2026: 4–7 June). Shows begin late morning and continue until late evening. The historic centre of Sestri Levante — with its narrow strip of land between the two bays — is almost entirely involved: you cannot get lost. Free outdoor shows need no booking, but arriving early is advisable to find a good spot. In the evening the atmosphere shifts: more adults, more intense shows, the Bay of Fables seafront lit up against the dark.
A practical tip: download the full programme from the official site andersensestri.it before you travel and mark the must-see shows. With 50+ events in 4 days it is impossible to see everything — better to choose wisely than to be overwhelmed by fear of missing out.
