La Spezia

The city of La Spezia is the largest and most populous town in the far eastern part of Liguria.
At the same time it is, without a doubt, a city with fewer attractions than the surrounding villages, those in the magnificent Gulf of Poets.

In most cases, in fact, it is only touched by the large tourist flows attracted by the most illustrious names of the Cinque Terre, Lerici or Porto Venere.

Visiting La Spezia, however, can be a pleasant surprise for the interesting museums, the lively life of the city center and the panorama, with the wide opening on the gulf and with the Apuan Alps in the background.

Staying a few days in La Spezia, moving during the day to explore the surroundings, can be an excellent idea.

Those who want to admire the beauties of this stretch of Liguria, while keeping a low budget, will be able to do so thanks to the cheap hotels and apartments in the city.

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To discover the best of La Spezia, a day and some good advice on what to visit will be enough.

The Thaon di Revel Bridge is the 150-meter-long pedestrian bridge built within the Port of La Spezia in July 2013.

This beautiful piece of architecture that connects the Morin promenade to the mirabella marina is constructed of steel concrete and wood. It has fine finishes and represents a modern La Spezia.

In addition to the structure itself, the bridge is also worth a visit for the beautiful view of the spice harbor area.

To return toward the city center from the Thaon di Revel bridge, walk along la spezia’s beautiful waterfront.

Taking a walk on the Constantine Morin promenade is certainly pleasant. In fact, today it is a popular gathering place for citizens and tourists alike.

You can stroll along the beautiful row of lush palm trees, relax on a bench, and perhaps peek at the luxurious yachts moored in the harbor.

Proceeding toward the historic center from the waterfront, the public gardens of la spezia are definitely worth a brief visit.

This beautiful green area testifies in the center of La Spezia to the great biodiversity that distinguishes all the cities of Liguria.

Within this park built in the nineteenth century stands the monument to Garibaldi: this equestrian statue represents the great commander who stayed in La Spezia on more than one occasion.

La Spezia has the largest Naval Museum in Italy, which has very ancient origins.

In fact, the original core of the museum dates back to the late 18th century. The museum you can see today was opened in 1958.

The entrance is right next to the door of the La Spezia arsenal.

The museum is organized into 6 sections:

• Origins: the close connection between La Spezia and the Navy;
• Craftsmen: The heirlooms resulting from the work of the Arsenal’s craftsmen;
• Figureheads: the wooden figures that were placed on the bows of ships to ward off bad luck or to flaunt power and wealth;
• Men, exploits, heroes: the North Pole expeditions and the Hero of the Red Tent
• Technology and excellence: the development of naval architecture from prehistory to the present;
• Marconi: the world’s most important collection of original Marconian apparatus (opened in 2017)

Along this truly interesting exhibit you can discover the technological advancement of the means and instruments that over the centuries have enabled explorations across the world’s seas.

You will find exhibits of historical documents, artifacts, and memorabilia from the navies prior to the unification of Italy.

And more vessels in dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, authentic figureheads, antique weapons and ancient diving tools.

Via del prione and corso Cavour are the busiest and liveliest streets in the center of la spezia.
Here you will find many shops where you can shop in peace, well-frequented bars and cafes and the oldest noble palaces in La Spezia with typical Ligurian architecture.

At the top of the “Poggio,” a knoll behind La Spezia stands the castle of San Giorgio, an ancient defensive fortress.

This castle of 13th-century origin was rebuilt in 1371 and expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries.

During your visit, in addition to admiring this impressive structure, you can visit the la spezia civic museum founded in 1873, now the Formentini Civic Museum. It was moved inside the castle after the 1998 restoration.

The Castle is also a venue for cultural events and performances especially in the summertime.

The terrace offers an exceptional view of the gulf over the city and harbor.

CAMeC, a modern and contemporary art center, is housed in a modern early 20th-century building in the historic center on Cesare Battisti Square.

This space was created for the purpose of preserving, promoting and displaying on a rotating basis the plastic and pictorial art collections from the various editions of the Gulf National Painting Prize.

Exhibitions and temporary exhibitions are held here on a rotating basis, offering the public an opportunity to approach new languages of multimedia art (design, video, computer, film) and performance art (dance,theater, and speech arts).

The radical restoration of the Paolotti Convent, dating back to the 1600s, has given a worthy setting to the exceptional art collection donated by the collector to Amedeo Lia to the city of La Spezia.

It is considered one of the most important private collections in Europe for paintings between 1200 and 1400.

During your visit, you can move among 13 exhibition rooms arranged on two levels.

Here you can admire paintings by famous artists such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Canaletto.

But also liturgical objects, medieval ivories and furnishings.

Around La Spezia there are vantage points from which to view the city that are also worth a visit to appreciate their Art Nouveau architecture.

These are the famous stairways that connect the upper parts of the city to the waterfront:

• The Cernaia Steps;
• St. George’s Steps;
• The Lazzaro Spallanzani staircase.

La Spezia is not the ideal city for a seaside holiday. The surroundings, however, are full of beaches, some of which are among the best beaches in Liguria .

A few kilometers away from the capital, in fact, you will find wonderful beaches where you can spend relaxing days under the banner of tanning.

You can go to discover the beaches of Lerici , Portovenere , or go as far as Riomaggiore , the first of the Cinque Terre coming from the Levante.

Often travelers who stay in La Spezia are just passing through.

Many in fact are then directed to the discovery of the Cinque Terre and the other wonderful places of the Levante Ligure .

This type of traveler is often looking for cheaper solutions. For this reason La Spezia is a city full of hotels and apartments for everyone.

In any case, sleeping in La Spezia is much cheaper than staying in the surrounding tourist destinations.

Exploring the Ligurian Levante from La Spezia, moving within a day, could be very practical using the trains and boats that connect the capital to the most beautiful places on the Riviera di Levante.

Reaching La Spezia is very simple.

La Spezia is easily accessible by car because it is connected by 2 motorways. The A12 Genoa-Livorno and the A15 which connects La Spezia to Parma and the main cities of northern Italy.

The train is just as convenient because the city is located on the railway line that crosses the whole of Liguria. From La Spezia station, as well as easily reaching all the tourist destinations in the surrounding area, you can take advantage of the direct trains to the major Italian cities.

From the port of La Spezia you can depart and arrive from the most beautiful places in eastern Liguria: the Cinque Terre, Levanto, Lerici, Portovenere, Tellaro, and even Genoa.

Boat trips are recommended during the summer, when they are more frequent and the sea is calmer.

LA SPEZIA Meteo