Sori, Italy is a popular beach resort on the Riviera di Levante in Liguria

Visit Sori

The seaside town and resort of Sori is situated on the Ligurian coast of north-west Italy, about 20 kilometres to the south-east of Genoa and a similar distance west of Portofino and Rapallo.

There are several resorts along this section of the Riviera di Levante (the eastern Italian Riviera) including Sori and also Bogliasco, Camogli, Pieve Ligure and Recco. Together they are called the Paradise Gulf, an area very popular with Italian holidaymakers.

Exploring Sori

Sori is quite a small resort and it is easy to get your bearings. Not surprisingly tourist activity is based along the beach - a mixture of sabd and pebbles - and the promenade just behind the beach. You will also see that the local fishermen drag their boats on to part of the beach when they are not at sea.

There are cafes, shops and restaurants in the old town just behind the promenade, and this historic centre also has some attractive alleys of tall brightly painted houses to explore, very traditional in Liguria. The town is divided in two by the Sori river, quiet in summer and crossed by a bridge. Near the mouth of the river you will notice a small statue of the Madonna.

The miraculous Madonna of Sori

The statue of the Madonna was stolen by pirates in the 16th century who then threw it into the sea, only for it to be rediscovered on Sori beach more than 50 years later, undamaged. The statue then once again got thrown into the sea when the town was bombarded in the Second World War, and was once again found on the beach 11 years later, again undamaged.

The Madonna now stands quietly on the seafront awaiting her next adventure!

You can also see the Church of Santa Margherita in Sori, a pink baroque style church with a large belltower and campanile right next to the beach and built between 1711 and 1714 on the site of a 12th century church. There are various other churches and religious monuments in Sori, with the renaissance style Oratorio di Santa Maria delle Grazie among the most interesting

Attractions nearby

If you venture into the countryside north of Sori, in no time at all you escape the crowds and find yourself on quiet country roads that pass firstly through the olive groves and then through the forested hills of the Ligurian interior discovering small traditional villages.

Other popular places to visit nearby along the coast include the town of Rapallo and the lovely fishing harbour at Portofino (a major destination for visitors to this part of Italy) as well as the nearby resort at Camogli which also has a picturesque seafront.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Genoa guide and the Liguria guide.