The first village you come to, as you travel westwards
from La Spezia, is Le Grazie, which
lies in an enchanting natural inlet quite close to the important
archaeological site of "Villa Romana del Varignano", which is open to
visitors.
Worth visiting is the Monastery of the Olivetani, where some fifteenth-century frescoes by Nicolo' Corso
have been discovered - evidence of the important cultural
activity of the brotherhood during mediaeval times. Also worth a
visit is the late-Gothic Sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie.
One place you really must stop at is Portovenere, which is
recognized by UNESCO as part of world cultural heritage.
Portovenere
The picturesque Genoese-style village (twelfth
century) is full of typical coastal charm. You can admire the
Genoese castle and the Church of San Lorenzo (consecrated in 1130
and entirely rebuilt in 1931-35), which preserves some remarkable
works of art (a marble altarpiece attributed to Mino da Fiesole, the
fourteenth- century "White Madonna" and a fifteenth- century
triptych over the main altar) and, in the vestry, some magnificent
treasure (Arabic- Phoenician and Byzantine ivory caskets).
At the
far end of the promontory stands the ancient Church of San Pietro,
which was built in 1277 on existing sixth-century foundations. You
can leave Porto Venere by boat to visit the island of Palmaria, a
marine reserve lying in the centre of the "whale sanctuary". You can
then visit Tino and the ruins of the Monastery of San Venerio.
The festival of San Venerio, a religious hermit
who lived on the island of Tino, is held on 13 September every year. The
island itself, a jewel in the Gulf of La Spezia, is occupied by a naval
garrison but can be visited on the occasion of religious services in remembrance
of the saint. You can visit the remains of the abbey, the small cloister
and the reconstructed church. Not far from Tino is the small island of
Tinetto, where you will find the ruins of a fifth-century church. The
island of Palmaria is a splendid nature reserve.
Its
host of beaches and coastal rocks make it an ideal place for a holiday
with a difference. The network of paths running across the island are
ideal for rambling in the greenery. All kinds of water sport can be practiced
in the Gulf. There is no shortage of accommodation in Porto Venere and
its beaches have many facilities.
The typical dishes (seafood and an infinite variety of fish) are
quite rightly famous throughout the western part of the Gulf and are
served in nearly all restaurants. The seascape of the Gulf is marked
by rows of wooden poles: these are part of the breedinggrounds for
mussels, which are another fundamental ingredient of La Spezia
cuisine.
The ancient Portus Veneris is believed to date back
to at least the middle of the 1st century BCE. It has been said that the
name refers to a temple to the goddess Venus which was sited on the
promontory where the church of Peter the Apostle now stands. The name has
also been linked to that of the hermit Saint Venerius. In Roman times the
city was essentially a fishing community.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Portovenere
became the base of the Byzantine fleet in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, but
was destroyed by the Lombards in 643 CE. Later, it was a frequent target of
Saracen raids. First indications of the existence of a castle date from
1113, and in 1161 the walls were erected. Portovenere became a fiefdom of a
family from Vezzano before passing to Genoa in the early 12th century. In
1494 it suffered a devastating bombardment from the Aragonese fleet during
their war with Genoa: subsequently the old part of the town declined in
importance, giving way to the development of the Borgo Nuovo (or new
district), which had existed from 1139 and is centred on the church of St.
Peter.
A tour of the eastern side of the Gulf is just as
interesting for its natural variety. After leaving the city you go
through the commercial and industrial ports. As far as Muggiano, you
will see a never-ending series of small and large shipyards and
factories.
Once you have
gone through the Scoglietti tunnel, you see the charming bay of Lerici. You then go through San Terenzo, the historic site of Villa
Magni, where the Shelleys stayed. You will also see the Genoese
castle, which is to be a precious museum dedicated to the memory of
the nineteenth- century novelist and poet Mary Shelley, the
interesting seventeenth-century parish church containing a painting
by Fiasella (1629) and magnificent Villa Marigola (formerly Villa
Pearce), where Sem Benelli wrote his Cena delle Beffe and where many
illustrious figures have stayed.
The villa belongs to the "Cassa di
Risparmio della Spezia" Bank and is used for conferences and
important cultural events. It gives onto a beautiful Italian-style
garden that is the only one of its kind in the province. After San
Terenzo comes Lerici with its Genoese castle (thirteenth-sixteenth
century), which was basically an extension of an earlier mediaeval
castle. Inside the castle you can visit a very old chapel dedicated
to Sant'Anastasia (1250).
Lerici
Castle - Photo by Comune di Lerici
Lerici Castle houses the Museum of
Geo-paleontology, which was created after the discovery of
prehistoric remains in the area. The museum also has a
virtual-reality section, which offers scientifically guided tours
through fantastic worlds. The earthquake room actually simulates
earthquake phenomena. The castle is also used as a venue for
important cultural events. Also of interest is the Oratory of San
Rocco (a Baroque church built on the ruins of an older church),
which has a remarkable painting by Fiasella, a bell-tower and some
fourteenth-century gravestones.
The
parish church of San Francesco was entirely rebuilt in 1632
following its total destruction. It contains some impressive works
of art: two canvases by Fiasella, a marble triptych by Domenico Gare
(1529), a "dead Christ" by Maragliano and some remains from the
earlier church. The climate of Lerici makes it a pleasant place to
stay all year round: the surrounding countryside is characterized by
green hills and lush vegetation. You can visit charming Fiascherino,
where D. H. Lawrence once stayed, and then go on to Tellaro, where
the buildings are particularly charming.
The greenery covers the
whole eastern side of the Gulf as far as Bocca di Magra: above
Lerici is Barcola and beautiful Villa De Benedetti (now Villa
Picedi) and Villa Cochrane (now Villa Carnevali) and its wonderful
park. Then there is La Serra, where you can take a path that offers
beautiful panoramic views and leads you through woods and pine
groves as far as Montemarcello.
From here you can walk down towards Ameglia (with its castle and sixteenth century church) and the Magra
estuary. Lerici has good accommodation facilities, including all
categories of hotel, bed and breakfast and camp sites. There are
many typical restaurants, bathing establishments and discos. Dishes:
mussels, all kinds of fish, Lerici-style spaghetti.
The beaches of Lerici and San Terenzo (the neighboring
town) are the first beaches south of the Cinque Terre. The beaches are few
and often over-crowded in high season, but in June and September you will
enjoy the mild climate, the empty beaches the great eating and the quiet
life of a traditional village on the Italian north west coast.
A regularly scheduled boat trip makes it possible to admire the whole Cinque Terre coastline
along with other nearby places and allows you to move from one village
to the next, the boat leaves from the central square Piazza Garibaldi up
to several times a day depending of the season. The service is not provided in wintertime, for further information on timetables and connections you
may visit the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti web site. In winter you can rent private
boats.
This same boat also brings you to Portovenere right in
front of Lerici.
