Town on the Golfo Paradiso between Recco and Pieve Ligure: 2026 Blue Flag beach, hamlets, trails, trofie and the Grazie festival.
Welcome to Sori
Sori is a town of about 3,900 people on the Golfo Paradiso, in the province of Genoa, between Recco and Pieve Ligure. The centre sits where the Sori stream meets the sea, in front of a beach about 400 metres long; behind it terraced hills rise to almost 900 metres, with eight hamlets and a dense network of old mule tracks. The railway station is right on the sea, a few steps from the beach.
There are three reasons to come. The first is easy sea: in 2026 the Spiaggia Centrale has a Blue Flag, and the train from Genoa takes 24–30 minutes. The second is walking: from the hamlets of Sant’Apollinare and Capreno, paths climb towards the Redentore and Monte Cornua with the gulf below. The third is food: trofie with pesto, fried focaccette and cheese focaccia di Recco, because Sori lies inside the PGI production area.
It is not a town of famous monuments. It is a quiet commuter and family town that livens up in summer and has its biggest celebration on 15 August. It works well as a day trip from Genoa or as a cheaper, less crowded base for the Golfo Paradiso, one stop from Recco and Camogli.
Sori is in Liguria (Riviera di Levante, Golfo Paradiso, province of Genoa).
What to see
You can walk around the town in two or three hours. The centre is squeezed between the beach, the railway and the stream; the hamlets are higher up and are reached on foot, by the stairway that starts at the station, or by car.
The parish church, dedicated to Saint Margaret, stands at the bottom of the town, almost on the beach. It was built between 1711 and 1714 to a design by Antonio Maria Ricca, the same architect as San Martino in Zoagli. The pink Baroque bell tower is the most recognisable feature of Sori seen from the sea. Sources disagree on the patron saint: the festival that matters most to the town is that of Our Lady of Grace (Nostra Signora delle Grazie) on 15 August.
This is the town’s sanctuary, dating from 1509, with a late-Renaissance façade in white stone. It holds a much-venerated black Madonna and is the centre of the August festival. Opening times are not confirmed and some visitors have found it closed: if you want to go in, ask in town or at the Pro Loco. Do not confuse it with the church of the Provvidenza, which is in the hamlet of Levà.
Via Sant’Erasmo is the oldest and best-preserved lane in Sori, once part of the coastal route between Genoa and the Levante. You will find tall narrow houses, arches and the oratory of Sant’Erasmo. It takes ten minutes to walk and is the best way to picture the town before the railway.
The Sori stream divides the town and reaches the sea among the houses. On the Aurelia road, laid out in its present form between 1816 and 1818, there is a stone bridge known as “Napoleonic”. The railway arrived in 1870 and crosses the town above the beach. The A12 motorway viaduct, much higher up, is 380 metres long and 120 metres high.
In town, by the sea, stands a monument to the fallen of the sea (caduti del mare). The seafront is short and good for an evening stroll: there is no continuous promenade either towards Pieve Ligure and Bogliasco or towards Recco.
Facing the sea is a stone statue of the Virgin known as the Madonna del Pontin, tied to legends of an image found in the sea. Details vary from one version to another: treat it as a local curiosity, not a stop.
Sant’Apollinare is the hamlet to see first, high above the town. The church is Romanesque, 13th century according to the most authoritative sources (others give different dates), and from the churchyard the view reaches the Portofino promontory. On the path towards Polanesi stands the Torre di Sant’Apollinare, called Saracen, from the mid-16th century. It recalls the years of pirate raids: on 1 July 1584 Saracen corsairs attacked Sori and carried off 134 people.
The municipality has eight hamlets: Canepa, Capreno, Lago, Levà, San Bartolomeo, Sant’Apollinare, Sussisa and Teriasca. Capreno has the old church of San Pietro and a chestnut wood; Sussisa has the church of Santa Maria Immacolata, from 1754, and the committee that runs the focaccia festival in May; Canepa was an independent municipality until 1929. These are villages of scattered houses, kitchen gardens and terraces: visit them on foot rather than with a fixed itinerary.
Villa Marina was built in 1811 for the Marquis De Franchi and is now a care home run by the Suore di Santa Marcellina. It is private and cannot be visited: you can see it from outside.
Sea
Sori has one main beach and a rocky coast. In 2026 the Blue Flag goes only to the Spiaggia Centrale di Sori, according to the official list of the Foundation for Environmental Education. The flag is valid for the current year and the municipality must lower it if the criteria are not met: check on the spot.
about 400 metres of dark sand mixed with fine pebbles, between the municipal swimming pool and Capo Pino, in front of the railway viaduct. There are beach clubs and free stretches.
a rocky point where you swim from the rocks, with a small beach club.
cliffs and small coves, with rock faces up to 30 metres. It is not a coast for walking or sunbathing.
Names of beach clubs, prices, lifeguard hours and dog rules are not available from up-to-date official sources: ⚠️ check on the spot or on the Comune di Sori website. The town’s beach concessions are being reassigned, so operators in 2027 may change. The comparison with nearby beaches, the walk from the station and parking are in our guide to the beaches of Sori.
The beaches of Recco, to the east, are an alternative with a Blue Flag; Bogliasco, to the west, does not have one in 2026. Mulinetti and Ciappea belong to the Recco promenade, not to Sori.
The sea off Sori, together with Bogliasco, Pieve Ligure and Nervi, forms a Natura 2000 site with posidonia meadows and coralligenous reefs: if you snorkel, do not touch the bottom.
Where to stay
Choice is limited: few hotels, mostly B&Bs and apartments, both by the sea and in the hills. If you want more choice, base yourself in Recco, Camogli or Nervi and come to Sori by train.
Getting there
Take the A12 Genoa–Livorno and leave at the Recco toll gate, about 4 km away, then follow the Aurelia. The Genova Nervi exit is about 10 km away. In summer the Aurelia is often busy and spaces near the beach are few: come by train if you can.
Sori station is on the Genoa–La Spezia line, in via Stazione, on the sea and a few steps from the beach. From Genova Brignole there are about 37 direct trains, almost all regional, taking 24–30 minutes (figure from an unofficial portal: check the timetable on Trenitalia). The neighbouring stations are Pieve Ligure and Recco. Intercity and Frecce trains do not stop.
Local service is run by AMT along the Aurelia. Lines and times are not clearly published: check the AMT website before you leave.
Sori has no landing stage. Boats to San Fruttuoso leave from Recco and Camogli.
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo airport is about 30 km away. From there take a taxi or go into the city for the train.
There is paid parking (blue lines) under the flyover and in nearby streets, and free parking at the Rio Cortino sports ground, about 2.5 km from the sea, with a free shuttle. Spaces, fees and the shuttle season are not published by the municipality: ⚠️ check the Comune website or on the spot. There is no car park at the station as far as we know.
By car
A12, Recco exit (~4 km), then the Aurelia; free parking at Rio Cortino with shuttle (to be checked)
By train
Genoa–La Spezia line, regional trains only: 24–30 minutes from Genova Brignole, station on the sea
By plane
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo, about 30 km
The guide
The dish of the town is trofie with pesto, the pasta of Sori and the coast. Two fresh-pasta makers work here; one of them, Pastificio Novella, runs the trofie festival in June with the Pro Loco. Several towns claim to be the birthplace of trofie, so say they are a dish of Sori, not that they were invented here.
Sori lies within the production area of focaccia di Recco with cheese (PGI), together with Recco, Avegno and Camogli. You will also find fried focaccette, the subject of a spring festival. Pansoti with walnut sauce is a dish of the Ligurian Levante in general, not a speciality of Sori.
There are no reliable sources to recommend specific restaurants: ask at the Pro Loco or check recent reviews. In the evening you are also one stop from Recco, where focaccia is at home.
Behind Sori lies a hinterland of mule tracks, terraces and woods, with Monte Cornua (687 m) and Monte Becco (894 m), the watershed with the Fontanabuona. People speak of “about a hundred paths”, but no authority confirms the number: use GPS tracks with caution, check waymarks and path conditions before you set out, especially after rain, and avoid the hot hours in summer.
A coastal path Sori–Recco or Sori–Bogliasco is not documented: do not count on a walk along the sea. For the best-known paths of the area go to Camogli and Portofino.
The calendar is mostly food festivals run by the Pro Loco and volunteer groups. Dates and times change every year: check the Pro Loco website and our events calendar.
One thing worth knowing about 15 August: the “sparata dei mascoli”, the traditional large Ligurian fireworks shot in the bed of the stream on the evening of the 14th and at noon and in the evening of the 15th. They are very loud: bear it in mind with dogs or small children. Times are announced every year by the Gruppo Festeggiamenti 15 Agosto.
Sori is on one of the most convenient lines in Liguria: stations are close together and regional trains are frequent.
Weather
Late May to September for the sea; spring and autumn for hiking
Forecast: MET Norway (Yr), CC BY 4.0 licence. Updated hourly.
Sori weather: 10-day forecast and climate →
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea | Off season | Off season | Off season | Off season | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Possible | Off season | Off season |
| Sightseeing and hiking | Possible | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Possible |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Few people | Few people | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Few people | Quiet | Quiet |
| Don't miss | Carnival | Focaccette festival | Sussisa focaccia festival | Trofie festival | Ravioli festival | Nostra Signora delle Grazie | ||||||
IdealGoodPossibleOff season
Crowds:QuietFew peopleBusyVery busy
FAQ
The beach, the church of Santa Margherita, via Sant’Erasmo and the sanctuary of Grazie. With more time climb to Sant’Apollinare, on foot from the station.
Yes, in 2026 the Spiaggia Centrale is on the official list. The flag is valid for the current year.
It is dark sand mixed with fine pebbles. Do not expect golden sand.
About 400 metres, between the municipal pool and Capo Pino.
By train from Genova Brignole in 24–30 minutes. By car on the A12, leaving at Recco.
On the blue lines under the flyover, or free at Rio Cortino with the shuttle. Check details on the Comune website.
The sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie, from 1509, with a black Madonna. The church of the Provvidenza is in the hamlet of Levà.
The festival of Nostra Signora delle Grazie, from 12 to 15 August, with the sparata dei mascoli and fireworks.
Trofie with pesto, fried focaccette and focaccia di Recco with cheese (PGI), whose production area includes Sori.
Yes: the loop of the hamlets, Sant’Apollinare and the Redentore, Monte Cornua. Always check waymarks and path conditions.
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