Lerici

San Giorgio castle stands on the headland that closes Lerici bay to the south and is the symbol of the Gulf of Poets. Its first core was built by the Pisans after defeating the Genoese at the battle of Giglio (1241); in 1256 Lerici passed to Genoa, which over the centuries turned the castle into a fortress. A plaque above the entrance records the major reinforcement works of 1555, when the sloping walls that still wrap around it were built.

Inside you walk through the covered moat, now an exhibition hall, the great vaulted hall and the chapel of Santa Anastasia, a 13th-century gem that has survived almost intact, with the black-and-white banded decoration typical of the Pisan-Genoese style. Within these walls, in 1528, Andrea Doria decided to leave France and side with Charles V, a choice that changed the history of Genoa.

From the rooftop terrace the view takes in the whole gulf: the harbour, the promenade to San Terenzo, Villa Marigola and, on clear days, Portovenere and the Apuan Alps. The castle hosts exhibitions, concerts and events; the Geopalaeontological Museum it used to house has been closed since 2015. Opening hours and tickets change with the seasons, so check them on the town’s tourism website before you climb up.

The heart of Lerici is Piazza Garibaldi, open to the marina and framed by pastel houses: in summer it fills with café tables and in the evening it is the place for an aperitivo. From here the lanes and stairways climb up to the castle.

Next to the square, in Largo Marconi, stands the Oratory of San Rocco. It was founded in 1287 and originally dedicated to Saint George; it took the name of Saint Roch, protector against the plague, when it was enlarged during the 16th-century epidemics. The 14th-century bell tower has two 16th-century reliefs. Inside are a 16th-century panel with Saints Martin, Christopher, Sebastian and Roch and the Madonna della Salute, painted on a slab of slate.

The seafront promenade links Lerici harbour with the village of San Terenzo: about three flat kilometres among palm trees, beaches and lidos, with San Giorgio castle behind you and San Terenzo castle ahead. It is the most beautiful walk in the gulf at sunset, when the façades glow and the lights come on in the harbour.

On the headland between Lerici and San Terenzo, surrounded by a park of holm oaks, pines and old olive trees, stands Villa Marigola. The 18th-century villa has one of the most spectacular views of the Gulf of La Spezia and a rare Italian garden by the sea, alongside an English-style garden.

Today it belongs to Carispezia (Crédit Agricole group) and is a conference centre that hosts exhibitions, concerts and meetings. The interiors open during events and the gardens can be visited by appointment: up-to-date information is on the Grandi Giardini Italiani page.

San Terenzo is a small fishing village with colourful houses right on the beach, a little harbour and its own castle on the headland. On the seafront stands Villa Magni, the house where Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, lived in the spring and summer of 1822: from here the poet set sail on his last voyage to Livorno, from which he never returned. The villa is private and can be seen from the outside.

Heading south, the coast road passes Fiascherino, with its coves among the rocks and the Mediterranean scrub. In 1913 and 1914 the English writer D. H. Lawrence lived here and, in a small pink house by the sea, worked on the novel The Rainbow.

At the end of the road lies Tellaro, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy: tall, narrow houses clinging to the cliff and the church of San Giorgio on the sea. Legend has it that a giant octopus rang the church bells to warn the villagers of an attack by Saracen pirates. Every 24 December the village celebrates its Underwater Christmas, when divers bring a statue of the Infant Jesus up from the sea among hundreds of torches.

On the hills above Lerici, on Monte Caprione (Monti San Lorenzo area), you can watch a surprising phenomenon. In the weeks around the summer solstice the light of the setting sun passes through a stone structure called the Quadrilite and draws on the rock a glowing figure that looks like a butterfly. The area has several stone structures studied by archaeoastronomy enthusiasts; the phenomenon can be seen from mid-June to mid-July, peaking close to the longest day of the year.