The cliff-top village on the Gulf of Poets: San Giorgio on the rocks, the bell-ringing octopus, alleys, coves and trails to Lerici.
Welcome to Tellaro
Tellaro is a fishing village built on the cliffs at the eastern tip of the Gulf of Poets, on the Ligurian coast south of the Cinque Terre. It belongs to the municipality of Lerici, in the province of La Spezia: tall, narrow houses in warm colours, alleys and stairways dropping to the sea and, right on the rocks, the pink church of San Giorgio. It is listed among I Borghi più belli d’Italia, the “most beautiful villages in Italy”, and has fewer than 600 residents.
The village was founded by people from Barbazzano, a hilltop settlement destroyed by Saracen raids between the 14th and 15th centuries: the survivors moved down here, where walls and a castle already stood. The houses still follow the line of those fortifications, and from the sea Tellaro looks like a ship about to be launched. Until 1939 it belonged to Ameglia, then passed to Lerici.
Only one road leads here, the coast road from Lerici through Fiascherino, and the village itself is car-free: you park at the entrance and walk down. Half a day is enough to see Tellaro, but it also makes a quiet base for swimming and for the trails of the Montemarcello park, with Lerici, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre within easy reach.
Tellaro is in Liguria (Riviera di Levante, Golfo dei Poeti, province of La Spezia).
What to see
The village is tiny and takes about an hour to explore, but it is almost all steps: wear comfortable shoes and leave the pushchair behind.
Tellaro’s landmark is an antique-pink church built directly on the rocks at the end of the headland. Its current form dates from the second half of the 16th century, when it was adapted from an older defensive building; the bell tower was one of the castle towers. The interior is plain. Saint George is the village’s patron saint, celebrated on 23 April.
According to tradition, on the night of 19 July 1660 Saracen pirate galleys tried to land while the watchman was asleep. A giant octopus climbed the bell tower of San Giorgio and rang the bells with its tentacles, waking the villagers, who drove the raiders off. Historical accounts mention a landing attempt by the corsair Gallo d’Arenzano and a bell that rang by accident. Either way, the octopus became Tellaro’s symbol: it is the star of the local dish and has its own festival in August.
Just above the church, the 17th-century oratory of Santa Maria Assunta, known locally as “in Selàa”, has a Baroque façade with a marble relief of the Assumption. It closes a small terrace-square that drops straight into the sea: the best viewpoint in the village, looking across to San Giorgio and the gulf. In summer the square hosts book talks and concerts.
The old centre is a tangle of narrow lanes, covered passages, steps and tiny squares. The houses are tall and tightly packed, painted in typical Ligurian colours, with flowers on the terraces and sudden glimpses of the sea. Look for the stone tower, one of two survivors of the three that once defended the village, and piazza Figoli, one of the few open spaces between the houses.
Go all the way down and you reach the Marina, the lowest part of the village: a small landing for the fishing boats, old stone wash-houses and a tiny beach beneath San Giorgio. At sunset it is the most photographed spot in Tellaro.
In the upper village, where the road ends, the church of Stella Maris is much more recent: it was built in 1942. It is where the procession of the Underwater Christmas ends on the night of 24 December.
On the road to Lerici, about ten minutes’ walk from Tellaro, Fiascherino is a scattered hamlet among pines and cliffs with two of the prettiest coves in the gulf. In 1913–14 the English writer D. H. Lawrence lived here with Frieda in a pink house by the sea. He walked to Tellaro to collect his post and described it in his letters as a pirates’ nest of some two hundred souls.
On the hill above the village, among olive groves and dry-stone walls, lie the ruins of Barbazzano, the settlement Tellaro’s founders came from: a tower, the old gate and a small chapel, also dedicated to Saint George. They can only be reached on foot, along the park trails.
Tellaro sits on the edge of the Montemarcello-Magra-Vara Regional Natural Park, which protects the Caprione headland down to the mouth of the river Magra. Trails leave from the village and climb through ancient olive groves, pine woods and Mediterranean scrub towards La Serra, Montemarcello and Lerici, with constant views over the gulf and the Apuan Alps.
Sea
Tellaro has no real beach: you swim off the rocks or in the coves along the road to Lerici. The water is among the clearest in the gulf, but every access involves steps or a path.
the tiny beach beneath San Giorgio, next to the harbour; a few metres of pebbles, handy for a quick dip.
the cliffs facing the village, popular for jumping into the sea; reached by small lanes before the old centre or by swimming.
two small beaches of coarse sand separated by a rocky spur, partly free and partly with sunbed rental, reached by stairways from the road. Blue Flag 2026.
wild beaches below Montemarcello, in the municipality of Ameglia; Punta Corvo is reached down hundreds of steps.
In summer arrive early: the coves are small and in the shade from early afternoon. For facilities and access details, see the beach guide in our Lerici page.
Where to stay
There are no large hotels in the village: you will find B&Bs, rooms and apartments in the old houses, often with sea views but no parking and lots of steps. It is the right choice for couples and anyone who wants quiet evenings after the day visitors leave.
Along the road to Fiascherino there are villas, holiday homes and a few hotels with parking, better for families and drivers. If you want everything on foot, restaurants, ferries and buses included, stay in Lerici and come to Tellaro by bus. In summer, book well ahead.
Getting there
Take the A12 motorway to the Sarzana exit, then the SP331 to Lerici; alternatively the A15 to La Spezia. From Lerici follow signs for Tellaro: the only road is narrow and scenic and runs through Maralunga and Fiascherino. During weather alerts the road may be closed: check the municipality’s notices before setting off.
Tellaro has no station. Get off at La Spezia Centrale, on the Genoa–Pisa line and the hub for Cinque Terre trains, or at Sarzana, and continue by bus.
From La Spezia, ATC buses on lines L and S reach Lerici in about 30 minutes. From Lerici a local bus climbs to Tellaro in about fifteen minutes and stops in the upper village. Timetables and tickets are on the ATC Esercizio website: check the last bus back.
From late March to early November, Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti ferries link Lerici with La Spezia, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre. From Lerici continue by bus or on foot along the trail.
The nearest airport is Pisa Galileo Galilei, about 70 km away; Genoa Cristoforo Colombo is about 110 km. From either, continue to La Spezia by train or car.
The village is entirely pedestrian. Park at the entrance, in the car park by Tellaro cemetery (about 50 spaces), or along via Fiascherino (around 30 spaces), a ten-minute walk away. In summer parking is paid and fills up early: arrive in the morning, or leave the car in Lerici and take the bus. Rates and alternatives are in our Lerici guide.
By car
A12, Sarzana exit, SP331 to Lerici and coast road; car-free village, parking at the entrance
By train
La Spezia Centrale station, then ATC bus to Lerici (30 min) and local bus to Tellaro (15 min)
By sea
Boats from Lerici (summer)
By plane
Pisa Galileo Galilei (about 70 km); Genoa (about 110 km)
The guide
The Gulf of Poets owes its name to the Shelleys, Byron and the 19th-century travellers, but Tellaro has a literary story of its own. Besides Lawrence, the Italian writer and film director Mario Soldati discovered it in the late 1960s, made it his home and died here in 1999; he called it “a nirvana between sea and sky”. The poet Attilio Bertolucci came in spring and autumn in search of peace. Pixar’s team also visited Tellaro while preparing the film “Luca”.
The finest way to arrive in Tellaro is on foot. The park’s network of CAI trails links the village with Lerici, La Serra, Fiascherino and Montemarcello; paths are waymarked in red and white, with plenty of steps and stony stretches.
Routes, times and tips are in our guide to the Tellaro trails.
There are only a few restaurants in the village: book for dinner in summer.
Weather
May–September for swimming; spring and autumn for hiking; Underwater Christmas on 24 December
Forecast: MET Norway (Yr), CC BY 4.0 licence. Updated hourly.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea | Off season | Off season | Off season | Off season | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Possible | Off season | Off season |
| Sightseeing and hiking | Possible | Possible | Good | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Ideal | Good | Good |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Few people | Few people | Busy | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Few people | Quiet | Busy |
| Don't miss | Saint George | Octopus festival | Underwater Christmas | |||||||||
IdealGoodPossibleOff season
Crowds:QuietFew peopleBusyVery busy
FAQ
In Liguria, in the province of La Spezia, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Poets. It is part of the municipality of Lerici, under an hour by bus from La Spezia, the gateway to the Cinque Terre.
The church of San Giorgio on the rocks, the oratory of Santa Maria in Selàa and its sea terrace, the alleys, the Marina with its harbour and, nearby, Fiascherino and the ruins of Barbazzano.
The story goes that in 1660 a giant octopus climbed the bell tower of San Giorgio and rang the bells to warn the villagers of a Saracen pirate attack. The octopus has been the village’s symbol ever since.
No, the centre is car-free. Leave the car in the car parks at the entrance or along via Fiascherino and continue on foot.
By train to La Spezia, then ATC bus to Lerici and the local bus to Tellaro, about fifteen minutes. From Lerici you can also walk along the park trails.
On the evening of 24 December. Divers bring a statue of the Baby Jesus ashore among thousands of candles, followed by a procession and fireworks. Check the 2026 programme with the municipality of Lerici.
Only a tiny one at the Marina. People swim off the rocks, such as at Trigliano, or in the coves of Fiascherino, a few minutes away.
A couple of hours for the village. Add a swim at Fiascherino or a hike towards Lerici or Montemarcello and it becomes a full day.
May to September for swimming, spring and autumn for hiking and a quieter village. August and the night of 24 December are the busiest times.
Nearby
2 km as the crow flies
The castle on the sea, the bays of Fiascherino and Tellaro and boats to Portovenere: the pearl of the Gulf…
Discover →7 km as the crow flies
Art town of the Ligurian Lunigiana: Firmafede and Sarzanello fortresses, a painted cross from 1138, antique shops and the beach…
Discover →8 km as the crow flies
San Pietro on the cliffs, Doria Castle, the tower houses on the harbour and Palmaria Island: what to see in…
Discover →10 km as the crow flies
San Giorgio castle, Museo Lia, Via del Prione and the Passeggiata Morin: the Gulf of Poets city and the easiest…
Discover →
