La Spezia

A medieval hilltop castle overlooking the Gulf of La Spezia — the Archaeological Civic Museum inside houses Bronze Age artefacts found in the Lunigiana region, including enigmatic anthropomorphic stone figures (stele lunigianesi) unique to this area.

La Spezia's main pedestrianised square and the Via del Prione shopping street — a lively Italian city centre with Art Nouveau buildings, the covered municipal market, and locals going about their morning routines free of tourist crowds.

La Spezia's palm-lined waterfront promenade stretching along the Gulf — a flat, traffic-free walk with views of the naval base, the Apuan Alps across the water, and the colourful small boats of local fishermen.

Italy's oldest naval museum (1860), set inside the naval base — collections of figureheads, historical ship models, torpedoes and the figurehead from Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, given to Italy as a diplomatic gift.

La Spezia's covered fish market with a row of stalls serving freshly fried seafood — fritto misto di mare, fried anchovies and mussels cooked to order using the morning's catch from the Gulf of La Spezia.

A much-loved family trattoria serving classic Ligurian cuisine — trofie al pesto made with basil grown in local gardens, seppie in zimino (cuttlefish with chard), and a farinata that has been in the family recipe for three generations.

A garden-terrace restaurant near the castle walls serving Ligurian seafood — mixed grilled fish from the Gulf, pansoti (walnut-sauce filled pasta), and the local white wine Vermentino served carafe-chilled.

La Spezia's most famous farinata bakery — a century-old institution producing the city's signature dish: a thick chickpea flour flatbread baked at extreme heat in a wood-fired oven, served hot in wedges.

A respected wine bar and osteria in the city centre combining a 500-label wine cellar with a kitchen serving Ligurian small plates — anchovies marinated in local oil, bruschetta with Ligurian olive paste, and charcuterie from the Lunigiana hills.

A classic Italian bar on the main piazza — the unofficial social hub of La Spezia since the 1950s, serving aperitivo hour with local wines, Campari soda, and complimentary snacks from 6pm.

A nautical-themed wine bar near the waterfront — locally known for its selection of Ligurian and Tuscan natural wines and the cicchetti-style small plates of cured fish and local cheeses.

A classic Ligurian pasticceria and café serving the best cornetti in the city, along with regional pastries — focaccia dolce, pan dei morti, and the local specialty of torcetti with a proper Italian macchiato.

The small pebble beach at the foot of Riomaggiore village — the southernmost of the Cinque Terre, with colourful houses stacked above clear turquoise water and the village wine bar visible from the shoreline.

The beaches of Lerici in the Gulf of Poets — a string of small sandy and pebble beaches beneath the medieval castle, where Percy Shelley spent his final months in 1822. Calmer water than open Mediterranean beaches.

The quintessential Ligurian excursion — a regional train from La Spezia Centrale connects the five UNESCO-listed coastal villages in 20 minutes. Vernazza is the most photogenic; Monterosso al Mare has the only true sandy beach.

A boat excursion to the UNESCO-listed village of Portovenere at the tip of the La Spezia peninsula — coloured houses on a rocky promontory, the 12th-century Church of San Pietro perched above the sea, and the Grotto of Lord Byron.

The famous 'Path of Love' — a cliffside walkway blasted into the rock face between Riomaggiore and Manarola, with sheer drops to the sea below. Reopened in 2024 after years of restoration following a rockfall.

Pisa is just 75km from La Spezia — the Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) contains the Leaning Tower, the Duomo and the Baptistery in one UNESCO World Heritage site, accessible by direct train in 70 minutes.

The marble quarries above Carrara that supplied Michelangelo with the stone for the David and the Pietà — a surreal lunar landscape of white marble mountains accessible by jeep tour from the city below.