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Lerici


“The Pearl of the Gulf of Poets”: one of the most developed towns of the province,
displays an excellent organization and thoughtfully developed touristic services.

Located in the south-east of the province of La Spezia, the town of Lerici is surrounded by hills and placed in one of the most attractive bays on the entire Riviera.

Lerici, which lies partly in the Montemarcello-Vara Regional Park, is known as the ‘Pearl of the Gulf of Poets’, and is one of the most established centres in the region, boasting excellently organised and developed tourist services.

From the early 1800s, Lerici has hosted several poets and writers:  Percy B. Shelley and his wife Mary, George G. Byron, Sem Benelli, Mario Soldati (in Tellaro) and others. In those years, the Gulf of Lerici became a renowned art centre, and was awarded the name ‘Gulf of Poets’.

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The Castle

Amongst Lerici’s most important monuments, Castello San Giorgio is the most noteworthy.

The castle dominates the town from the top of a rocky promontory, and is considered one of the most spectacular in all of Liguria. Built by the Pisani in the first half of the 13th century, the castle still retains its outer walls and the internal small Gothic/Ligurian chapel dedicated to St. Anastasia. Now completely restored, the castle houses the palaeontology museum and is also a venue for cultural exhibitions, conferences and events.

The castle is located in the ancient part of the city, which also houses the old tourist harbour with a capacity of around 2000 vessels. Here, the city’s original medieval layout can still be seen in the characteristic houses that are built along the winding ‘carruggi’.

Lerici's Surroundings

In addition to the castle, Lerici has preserved other traces of its historic, artistic and religious past. In the city centre, you can visit the St. Rocco Oratory, built on the ruins of an ancient 1287 church and expanded in 1524; the St. Rocco Tower, of Roman origin, built as a lookout tower and transformed into a bell tower in the 16th century; and the parish church of St. Francesco, rebuilt around a church that is thought to date back to the 13th century.

The Lungomare Vassallo (Promenade), located next to a green park with children’s play area, connects the old part of the city with the new, where you will find most of the hotels, restaurants and private beaches.

The town of Lerici also has other important places of interest; in addition to the gulf area, the territory reaches the Valle del Magra, including parts of the Montemarcello Park and the surrounding hills.

The most important hamlet is San Terenzo, found in the western part of town and 2km from the centre of Lerici, which has retained its typical Ligurian features and whose name references the worship of San Terenzio, bishop of Luni.

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San Terenzo stretches along a wide beach, in front of which you will find the main hotels. Here, the development of tourism closely mirrors the history of the town itself, which for centuries had been prey to pirate invasions; the medieval castle, located on a relatively low rock, was built to protect the area.

Situated on a small promontory that separates San Terenzo from Lerici, is Villa Marigola, immersed in rich and varied vegetation. The building is surrounded by a large park that houses the typical English-style Bocklin Garden, which contrasts with the Italian Garden.

In the centre of the Gulf of Lerici, equidistant from San Terenzo and Lerici’s centre, is Venere Azzurra, whose easily-reachable beach offers bathing facilities and is one of the most frequented by La Spezia’s younger residents. Next to the beach is the multi-purpose Venere Azzurra complex, which boasts two swimming pools (one of which is Olympic size), and tennis, golf and archery facilities.

When talking about the hamlets of Fiascherino and Tellaro, we must reference a different type of tourism.

Here, we leave typical, chaotic seaside tourism behind and visit a landscape whose atmosphere is much more serene.

Fiascherino is a small and pleasant place, nestled in a picturesque bay between jagged rocks, pine trees and decidious and evergreen oaks.

Its beaches are small and isolated, the sea is clear in a few places and facilities are modern and well-equipped. In addition to hotel beaches, there are a few family-run beaches that offer a more intimate and quiet atmosphere.

The charm and beauty of the landscape is the main driving force behind tourism marketing for the area.

The village of Tellaro lies on a small rocky peninsula that slopes towards the sea. The local architecture is particularly evocative: houses are built alongside each other and only separated by small, steep paths that are reminiscent of the winding Cinque Terre trails.

At the very tip of the town, you will find the old church dedicated to St. Giorgio, which dates back to the second half of the 16th century and stands on a rock overlooking the sea.

Tellaro is surrounded by hills, allowing you to hike amongst olive groves, dry stone walls and Mediterranean shrubs. The most intriguing local trail is the one that leads to the medieval towns of Barbazzano and Portesone.