La Spezia - Porto Venere,Tellaro and Lerici

Porto Venere, Tellaro and Lerici, - the La Spezia Region

The Poets Knew Best

The area on the Italian Riviera known as the Cinque Terre is one of the most visited and loved areas in a country famed for its endless coasts, its rugged coves and its cliff -hugging villages and dwellings. Two small towns near to the Cinque Terre but not actually a part of the famous five, are certainly equally deserving of a visit, equally as appealing but yet distinctively different. These are the small towns of Lerici and Porto Venere.

Lerici

Lerici is a working town and a fishing village. Here the waterfront hums with activity from dawn to dusk; the cafes open and quickly fill up for that short espresso coffee hit and a fresh pastry to start the day. Fishing boats may already be back with their catch, ready to sell to the locals and to the restaurants. At weekends the entire beach-front promenade is packed with market stalls and vendors laying out truck-loads of wears, brick-a-brack,  clothes, laces, and manchester.

The bay is thronged with boats making the most of the sheltered harbour . Pleasure boats intermingle with fishing fleet and tourist launches depart for Porto Venere. Towering over one side of the bay is an ancient castle framed against the perfectly blue sky. This bay is also known as the Gulf of Poets as it was here that Lord Byron and the Shelleys found their inspiration nearly two centuries ago.

Porto Venere

Further along the coast by boat is the enticing town of Porto Venere. This richly colourful town is crammed along the waterfront, its tall narrow apartment buildings wrapping around the edge of the water, with just enough room for the cafes on the water’s edge. Behind these apartments, ancient ruins and castle ramparts spill down the  hillside. On the headland at the entrance to this bay stands the stark Church of Saint Peter (Chiesa di San Pietro) with it’s traditional black and white banded facade -  perched on the rocks of the promontory, surrounded on three sides by the sea. 

From Portovenere the boats depart for the Cinque Terre but if you manage to find some time to spend in either of these wonderful towns you will not regret it.

Chiesa di San Pietro on the cape

La Spezia - the large industrial town between Lerici and Porto Venere
Tellaro  - A small commune close to Lerici where an excellent camping ground can be found

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