La Spezia

Where to stay in La Spezia

La Spezia lies at the head of the gulf that bears its name, also known as the Gulf of Poets after the writers who frequented its shores in the nineteenth century. It is Liguria’s second most populous town after Genoa and stretches along a narrow band between sea and hills, with a commercial port among the largest in the Mediterranean for container traffic and cruise calls.

The arsenal city

The modern shape of the city dates from the nineteenth century and the building of the military arsenal, which changed both its size and its vocation. Beside its entrance stands the Naval Technical Museum, holding models, instruments and relics of Italian seafaring. The earth dug out for the docks was tipped into the sea in front of the old town, creating the ground on which the gardens and the Morin promenade — today the seafront — were later laid out. Among the museums, the Amedeo Lia collection stands out, while the castle of San Giorgio houses the archaeological museum.

The gulf and its thirteen villages

The gulf is divided among thirteen seafaring villages, from the settlements on the western shore to San Terenzo, Lerici and Tellaro on the eastern side. On the first Sunday of August they compete in the Palio del Golfo, a rowing race that is the most keenly felt event of the year. At the opposite end, Portovenere closes the gulf with its brightly painted houses and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, which together with the Cinque Terre form the UNESCO site inscribed in 1997. The whole area is covered in our guide to the Gulf of Poets.

Why choose it as a base

La Spezia station is served by every train on the Tyrrhenian line and is the terminus of the local service that reaches the five villages of the Cinque Terre in minutes. Boats for Portovenere, Lerici and the coast also leave from the quay. Staying here generally costs less than in the villages, where supply is limited and summer demand very high, and it allows you to move around without a car. The trade-off suits anyone staying several days.

Beyond the gulf: the valleys and Luni

The province is not only coastline. Behind the city open the Val di Vara, known for organic farming and stone villages, and the Val di Magra, running down towards the Tuscan border among castles and parish churches. On the eastern edge lie the excavations of Luni, the Roman colony that gave its name to the Lunigiana. These are areas almost ignored by coastal tourism, with small properties and prices far from those of the seaside villages.

When to go

May, June and September offer the best conditions: swimmable sea, walkable trails and fewer visitors than in July and August, when the Cinque Terre reach their peak. In winter the city stays lively and the museums open, while some boat services are reduced. Northwards the coast continues into the Tigullio with Sestri Levante; for connections there is our guide on how to get to Liguria and an overview in where to stay in Liguria.