Only 25 kms north of Watamu is Malindi, a seaside Swahili town, bigger than Watamu. Already founded in the 13th Century, the city centre has some interesting, yet crippling, historical buildings. Since the 1960s, Malindi has been known as “Little Italy”. The tourist resort is brimming with Italian owned restaurants, pizzerias, delis and gelato shops. Italian restaurant menus offer after-dinner liquors such as Limoncello and the African beach boys – hawking snorkel trips, woodcarvings or ganja, all make their pitch in Italian. What an odd sight.

Why are there so many Italians living along the Watamu and Malindi coastline? During the Second World War, Italian regiments were stationed in this part of the Kenyan coast. Apparently, the Italians were given land as a form of compensation, so they were able to settle in the town with their families. In the 1960s, the opening of the Italian run Broglio Space Centre in this region attracted more Italian engineers and scientist with luck seekers following in their footsteps. In its heydays in the 1980s and 1990s, over 4,000 Italians lived in Malindi town.

We really enjoyed to have some good coffee, ice cream and pizza, and appreciated to look at tastefully restored villas. But a shadier side to Malindi are rumors about underage sex and drugs trade, and racial politics.

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