Baia Dei Saraceni 

Baia dei Saraceni is one among the most beautiful anchor spots of Varigotti, a hamlet of Finale Ligure, famous for its history and traditions since always. It is located at the foot of the promontory westward from the Castle and it is characterized by a wonderful sea, sandy seabottoms and some old Mediterranean buildings. More than a Ligurian bay, it seems a tropical white-sand beach located east of the village of Malpasso.

It's a wild oasis where rocky walls mix with hills, olive and lemon trees and crystal waters, all enjoying a mild weather and sheltered by the Manie plateau.

The whole village of Varigotti is linked both to land and sea thanks the promontory overlooking the bay. Reaching this anchorage is, however, possible only by sea since, on land, there are no parking lots. The beach is reachable by a small path which, starting from Aurelia, gets the sea. The anchorage offers a private beach equipped with a toilet, a dressing room, showers and a small coffee bar, all available at just few euros.

The white-sand beach, characterized by the presence of some little pebbles, has also a free zone, very crowded in summer, even though there are some small coves from which you can enjoy the view in a more sheltered position.

The name of th anchorage dates back to the Imperial and Byzantine period when the peninsula was fortified and became the seat of a famous castrum. The natural underlying port, known as the Saracen Port, became the main maritime basis until 1341, when it was completely buried after the first war against Genoa in order to avoid attacks of piracy.

Today, the Bay is protected by the Port Authority of Finale Ligure which fines any boat staying at anchor few metres from the coast of the bay. Boats, in fact, are not allowed to transit, moor and drop the anchor at less than 200 m from the coast, from May to September, from 8:30 to 19:30