La Spezia | Deep Inspirations on the Gulf of Poets

La Spezia is one of the provincial capitals of the beautiful Liguria, the second largest city in the region with a historic port of considerable importance on the sublime Gulf of Poets.

Located at the western end of the Ligurian coastal ridge towards Tuscany and close to the suggestive Apuan Alps, La Spezia is dominated by gentle hillsides on the slopes of Mount Verrugoli?which stands to the west of the municipal territories.

The city has in its port area the fulcrum of its main activities boasting a commercial port and another important military harbour highlighted by a very captivating Mediterranean coastline that leads to the paradise of the famous Cinque Terre.

During the Roman colonization, the settlers carried out reclamation works on the La Spezia coast, which was originally very marshy, works that facilitated the development of the first seaports.

The local gulf boasts a width of 3.2 kilometers and a depth of 4.6 kilometers?covering an area of 150 hectares.

A? 2000.0 meters long breakwater was built on this area with two passages, one to the? east with a length of 200.0 meters and another to the west? about ?400.0 meters long.

These operations allowed the gulf to be better protected from storm surges and defend itself from attacks by sea which is why it was decided to establish one of the largest arsenals of the Navy and later one of the most active merchant ports?in the Mediterranean basin.

From above you can have a different perspective with the view of the two ports and the magnificent Gulf of Poets that for its fascinating scenic beauty gave very deep inspirations as praised by the American writer Henry James?in his book Italian Hours? as well as by other famous writers such as? Percy Bysshe Shelley and Liala?who called La Spezia "a blue city of dreams and love".

You will admire a landscape full of contrasts with suggestive wooded hills of different shades that alternate with rugged rocky spurs overlooking the sea, sinuous inlets and rocks that emerge a short distance from the coast forming a divine scenery that will confirm in no way these praises linked to literature.

Afterwards you can enter the historic center passing through Via del Prione?to discover the colorful histori soul of La Spezia significantly influenced over the centuries by the Genoese culture that has left an indelible architectural and urban imprint.

All this will be visible in the decorations and colors of the buildings: the great Ernest Hemingway? classified La Spezia in a famous phrase as "a city with wide streets and yellow houses".

?Another characteristic is the presence of various baroque palaces alternating with others with mullioned windows or neoclassical columns next to others of Renaissance matrix and including medieval inspiration with engraved stones and porticoes, typical elements of the architecture of that era.

You will then reach in the central Piazza Europa which was originally a hill dismembered to join the heart of the city to the eastern suburbs where the Convent of the Capuchin Friars once stood.

In 1929 the Cathedral of Christ the King ?was built, designed by the architect Del Giudice, although later executed by his colleagues Libera and Galeazzi.

Its development on a circular plan links its architectural conception and geometric shape to the Consecrated Host, a Christian Eucharistic symbol.

Inside you can admire twelve columns with the names of the Holy Apostles , the effigy of Christ of Maragliano, the relics of Saints Terence and Eutychian and those of the venerated Patron Saint of the Gulf of La Spezia: San Venerio.?

You will also appreciate the masterpieces of the sculptor Lia Godiano who created the?altar, tabernacle and pulpit in the apse of the Cathedral ?with marbles from the Apuan Alps.

On the same square stands the Government Palace, the current seat of the Prefecture, a monumental building of the 20s by the architect Franco Oliva, a contemporary structure with a very sober profile with semi-circular openings, large arches and columns.

Not far away is Villa Marmori,? built in the same period in a splendid floral style, and the Palazzo delle Poste e Telegrafi developed in the 30s by the architect Angiolo Mazzoni, in which stands a quadrangular tower of metaphysical inspiration that in its own way breaks the existing architectural balance, in stark contrast with buildings mainly from the 1900s.

Time for your lunch, to stay in the traditional, local gastronomy level I recommend starting with an appetizer based on a slice of Ligurian focaccia, olives, anchovies in oil, Cooked Ham, and Raw Salami, first courses to choose between Trofie with Pesto or Risotto with Seafood, among the second courses options between Fried Squid and Prawns with Mixed Salad or Rib Steak with Grilled Vegetables.

After your lunch you will pass through Via Sant' Agostino conidered the shopping artery of La Spezia with various high fashion boutiques that alternate with nineteenth-century buildings.

Continuation with the Church of San Giovanni ed Agostino erected in 600 in Baroque style with a portal with bronze tiles and a showy slate dome with a lantern as its end.

You will then be in front of the Abbey Church of Santa Maria Assunta, a former Cathedral ?dating back to 1300, with a fa?ade completely remodelled after the bombings of the Second World War, it preserves a remarkable? seventeenth-century Crucifix of the Ligurian school inside.

Nearby stands the Civic Theatre? built in 1840 by the Genoese architect Ippolito Cremona, its external layout features a fa?ade with large windows and high arched doors.

From there you can reach in a few minutes in front of the iconic Arsenale, one of the symbols of La Spezia, emblem of naval activities near the attractive Public Gardens.

Afterwards you can reach the picturesque Colle del Poggio, on which stands the Castle of San Giorgio, the oldest building in La Spezia.

Erected in 1262? at the behest of Niccolò Fieschi? who decided to develop fortifications to repel Saracen raids, although only a section of the central wall and a section of the walls of the north wing remain of that legendary fortress.

Inside you can visit the Civic Museum of Archaeological Collections containing very important finds from the Roman and medieval periods found in the municipal area and neighboring localities.

The visit can be concluded here, La Spezia is a city that inspires, sea, hills and a very marked Ligurian charm, surely you will remember this city with immense pleasure.

Link : https://www.visitspezia.it/en/

Where to Stay | Recommended Accomodation

Hotel NH La Spezia

Hotel Florence & Continentale