La Spezia is the “big city” of the Gulf of Poets, a modern city with its port, its arsenal and its industry. Ignored by mass tourism, it is nonetheless a good base for exploring the region. In addition, it has a heritage, such as the historic center with Via del Prione, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, or the seafront promenade and Costantino Morin with its palm trees and views over the gulf, its Art Nouveau buildings, the Lia Museum, the Naval Museum, the San Giorgio castle, the churches of Santa Maria Assunta and Santa Maria della neve.
La Spezia was frequented by writers and poets in the 18th and 19th centuries, including George Byron and Shelley who resided there. Napoleon described the Gulf of La Spezia as “the most beautiful in the universe” and the ideal place to build a military port, which Count Cavour took charge of realizing, creating a great maritime stronghold.
What to see in La Spezia and its surroundings
The Carugio Drito, Via del Prione, is the lively artery of La Spezia, blending modern and old noble houses, with its shops, cafes and restaurants.
The lower town and the promenade are connected to the upper town by beautiful staircases.
Besides the promenade, the seafront covers several kilometers, between the tourist port of Mirabello, the naval museum, the Thaon de Revel pedestrian bridge, the commercial port, the public garden, and the imposing Forteresse Del Mare.
The Naval Technical Museum of La Spezia focuses on maritime and naval history and technology, having a vast collection, with scale models of ships and submarines, ancient instruments, naval weapons, uniforms, photographs and documents. It is organized into 6 sections, including one on naval workers and craftsmen; figureheads (anthropomorphic or animal sculptures at the bow of ships used to ward off bad luck); men and heroes with great expeditions; techniques since prehistory; and the important collection of radio devices in the Marconi room.
The San Giorgio castle, built in the 14th century probably on a Roman site, houses between its thick medieval walls the Ubaldo Formentini archaeological museum of La Spezia. The vast collection documents the history of the city from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
The Camec, the Centre for Modern and Contemporary Art, houses a collection of modern and contemporary artworks.
The former San Francesco del Prato monastery hosts the Amedeo Lia civic museum with its collection of artworks, containing more than 1200 pieces ranging from the Middle Ages to the modern era. It is distinguished by its miniatures, but also has many paintings, sculptures, illuminations, with great masters present such as Tintoretto, Titian or Brueghel the Younger.
The beaches are mainly found in the direction of Lerici, such as at Baia Blu, a pretty sandy beach, clean and equipped ; those of Terenzo, Lerici, at Fiascherino, or even further Punta Corvo, a small wild pebble beach in a cove, which can be reached by sea, or by stairs for a drop of more than 200 meters.
In the surroundings, there are of course the Cinque Terre, Portovenere, and to the south, Lerici and Tellaro. The latter, a fishing village, is a pretty pearl of the coast.
Weather in La Spezia
Map
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Information
- Wikipedia page: fr.wikipedia.org
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