The biggest bay, called “Baia delle Favole” (Fairy-Tale Bay) was named by the TV presenter Enzo Tortora during an episode of Campanile Sera, broadcast in the 1950s from Sestri Levante. The other bay, the smaller one, was called “Baia del Silenzio” (Silent Bay) for the first time in 1919 by the Ligurian poet Giovanni Descalzo who lived in Sestri Levante.

At first known as Segesta or Segeste, Sestri Levante was founded by the Ligurian Tigulli. After a great splendour in the Roman Era, it declined during the barbarian invasions, and the residential area started to expand on dry land.