Santo Stefano al Mare

Santo Stefano: between beaches and history along the bike path

Leaving the villages of San Lorenzo, Costarainera and Cipressa, the bike path leads straight into the heart of Santo Stefano the third leg of this exciting journey.
The bike path follows the coastline so you can admire the shores of the village with the old fishermen’s houses, colorful and full of life. Santo Stefano is a very popular tourist destination but at the same time never too crowded allowing for a proper while you will not miss all the amenities and attractions of a bigger city.

The timeless beauty of Santo Stefano

Santo Stefano has many interesting sights such as the octogonal tower, unique in Italy, created in 1556 to protect the town from Saracen raids. The old part of the village then holds more surprises: winding alleys in perfect Ligurian style unroll in Santo Stefano leaving visitors to discover of votive chapels, churches and ancient remains of the villages past, especially the parish church of Saint Stephen which contains a lot of artwork.

From the bike path you will then see the actual expansions thanks to the tourist port of Marina Aregai that, with its approximately 1000 berths is one of the most important outlets on the sea of the Riviera di Ponente.

Continuing along the bike path, you can now already catch a glimpse of Riva Ligure, a new stage waiting to be discovered along the bike path.

The bike path in Santo Stefano: all you need to know

This leg of the cycle path of Santo Stefano has no difficulty whatsoever. It rolls along the marina of Marina Aregai and continues parallel to Via Aurelia allthough well underneath it. The sea on one side and the hinterland on the other are the two main landscapes here. From here you’ll overlook the entire marina (porto turistico) which is really special.

After riding straight ahead for a while you will meet a bridge that crosses the bike path and will eventually lead to the seafront. After the bridge the path continues along a cemetery  and after a small viaduct, leads into the heart of the village. Here the bike path almost touches the houses and extends only near the old station, now used as a resting spot, then follows  its journey between nature and country roads until you get to Riva Ligure.