Venue
Our conference venue will be the former convent of Santissima Annunziata (Blessed Virgin Mary) located in Sestri Levante, along the Portofino Coast. Situated in the Eastern Riviera (Riviera di Levante) of the Liguria region, Sestri Levante is conveniently located near and accessible from Genoa, Pisa and Florence.
With its “Baia del Silenzio” (Bay of Silence) and “Baia delle Favole” (Fairytale Bay) the town is known for its beauty and its celebration of international literature. Every year, the town hosts the Andersen Festival (the author Hans Christian Andersen having been enchanted during his time here in 1833), a street theatre and awards celebration to recognize children’s and youth literature contributions as well as the importance of cultivating imagination in human development.
The former Convent of the Annunziata, built in 1496 by the Dominican Fathers, is located on the extreme tip of the Sestri Levante peninsula, overlooking the sea on three sides, two towards the Bay of Silence and one on the open sea, since 2014 it has been managed by the in-house company of the Municipality of Sestri Levante, Mediaterraneo Servizi. The current building has undergone several alterations compared to the fifteenth-century construction. The renovation, entrusted to the architect Carlo Berio, aimed at recovering the original characteristics of the building and made it possible to create a series of equipped spaces including 5 conference rooms, with a total capacity of 480 seats, of which 250 in the main hall, the Sala Agave auditorium. The three terraces overlooking the sea and the garden occupy approximately 1100 square meters. Its shape makes modular use possible, allowing the simultaneous implementation of different initiatives. The complex is intended to host both tourism promotion projects and events such as conferences, meetings, congresses, musical concerts and even weddings in the unique setting of the Bay of Silence.
You can reach easily the conference venue from the railway station of Sestri Levante with a nice and relaxing walk of 15 minutes: check the route clicking on this map
