Rada Bonassola

The Bonassola anchorage consists of an inlet in front of which there is a free and equipped beach. The bay is in front of the town of Bonassola, a seaside resort along the Ligurian coast located between Levanto to the south and Deiva Marina to the north in the province of Genoa. The anchorage does not have any equipment or even a pier where to dock, however, there are slip and haulage services and the possibility of storage for up to 60 boats.

The maximum length of boats that can be left ashore is 6 meters. The village offers numerous services, including drinking water and accommodation facilities equipped with stores and workshops. The resort is very crowded in summer, the beach fills with tourists, and the sea is also popular because the anchorage offers shelter from winds and currents.

The area is highly sought after by scuba diving enthusiasts; a short distance from the beach is a wreck of a ship that sank during World War II. Spearfishing enthusiasts pound all the shores of the inlet, and swimmers go offshore to swim. One must be very careful of people in the sea and also of the many boats.

Bonassola’s anchorage is accessible at all hours, and the nearest other safe harbors are Porto Venere to the south and Sestri Levante to the north. Bonassola offers many recreational opportunities both along the coast and inland. The town is surrounded by terraced hills crisscrossed by many footpaths and bicycle paths, and the sea water is very clean. The total extent of Bonassola is about 5 km, and the first human traces date back to 1269, when the local church San Giorgio di Reggimonti was built.

On June 29, 1943, the steamer Bolzaneto was torpedoed in front of Bonassola, and the wreck lies at a depth of 55 meters inside the anchorage. It is a continuous destination for visiting groups of divers who come from all parts of Italy in order to explore the many wrecks on the Ligurian coast.

Bonassola is part of the Cinque Terre National Park, and there are many initiatives organized by the local pro loco. From May 30 to June 2 there is the sea festival dedicated to the Madonna della Punta, venerated in a church located in the western part of the gulf on a promontory overlooking the sea. The church is visible from the sea but can only be reached by land and is well known and characteristic of this stretch of coastline.

The Gulf of Bonassola is battered by frequent swells, and when mistral winds blow it is impossible to enter the anchorage.

The wreck of the steamship Bolzaneto