Discover La Spezia between museums, golf and trails

La Spezia combines maritime history, art, urban trails and regional food culture. The city centre, redesigned for pedestrians, and the waterfront promenade overlooking the Golfo dei Poeti give your stay a range of possible focuses. The name Golfo dei Poeti was first used by playwright Sem Benelli. When choosing accommodation in La Spezia, culture, trails, landscapes and local cuisine can all be incorporated into your travel plans.

Maritime History and Museums

The Museo Tecnico Navale preserves original Marconi apparatus and original Morse messages exchanged on 17 July 1897 during the world's first trials of maritime radiotelegraphy in the Gulf of La Spezia. It also contains artefacts and memorabilia relating to seafaring, discoveries, battles, scientific experiences, inventions and innovations. The Museo del Castello San Giorgio houses archaeological collections with finds dating from prehistory to the Middle Ages and is accessible to people with disabilities; it has no architectural barriers.

Art Spanning Several Periods

The Museo Amedeo Lia displays artworks ranging from the classical period through late antiquity and the Middle Ages to the modern era. It includes more than 70 panels by the so-called “Primitives”, as well as works including what is believed to be an early work by Raphael, and works by Titian and Canaletto. The museum is located in a pedestrian zone and is therefore not accessible to cars or coaches. The Palazzina delle Arti “L. R. Rosaia” presents a permanent exhibition on Agostino Fossati featuring paintings from La Spezia's municipal art collections: 49 paintings are arranged in seven thematic sections. The Palazzina is also accessible to people with disabilities and has no architectural barriers.

Places of Remembrance and Living Culture

The Museo Civico Etnografico Giovanni Podenzana houses collections on the ethnography of Lunigiana and non-European cultures in a former 15th-century oratory. The CAMeC permanently displays art holdings from editions of the Premio del Golfo and from donations by Cozzani and Battolini. It also organises exhibitions on contemporary production and the historical art of modernism, and offers art education programmes for schools and the general public, including art-therapy programmes and workshops. The Galleria Quintino Sella was restored as an immersive multimedia tour commemorating La Spezia during the bombings of the Second World War.

The former Convento delle Clarisse was opened to the public after restoration work; five restored marble inscriptions are now publicly accessible there. Built in 1880, the Batteria Valdilocchi has a rare pentagonal ground plan and was reopened to the public after an initial safety measure. The Museo del Sigillo displays a collection on sphragistics assembled by private individuals and considered the most complete of its kind.

On Foot, by Bicycle and by Train

WALK! La Spezia offers themed city walks with multilingual historical and cultural information linked via QR codes. The programme connects cultural sites with walking and cycling routes accessible by conventional or electric bicycles and via the municipal bike-sharing system. The Parco delle Mura is an uphill walking trail running along the 19th-century city walls. The digital tour “Tesori nascosti” connects cultural institutions, places of remembrance, historic architecture and landscape trails in La Spezia. The Cinque Terre National Park offers a network of more than 130 kilometres of coastal, hillside and ridge trails with vertical connecting paths. On the Pisa–Genoa route, La Spezia is the railway hub or terminus indicated by the Cinque Terre National Park for travelling by train to the Cinque Terre. The information points of the Cinque Terre National Park for the Via dell'Amore extend through the area from La Spezia to Levanto.

Golf, Cuisine and Events

Mesciua is a traditional dish from La Spezia made from pulses and grains. Muscoli della Spezia are farmed in the Gulf of La Spezia; mussel farming in La Spezia dates back approximately to 1887 and continues as local production using traditional methods. The Palio del Golfo is a historic rowing regatta held every year on the first Sunday in August in front of the waterfront promenade of La Spezia. The Paleofestival has been held at the Museo del Castello San Giorgio since 2007 and includes interactive demonstrations and practical workshops on experimental archaeology. The Fiera di San Giuseppe in La Spezia is a three-day event whose origins date back to 1654.

Other Places in the Area

Pignone, Mattarana, Fiascherino, Campiglia, Marinella Di Sarzana, Ameglia, Manarola, Calice Al Cornoviglio, Santo Stefano Di Magra, Varese Ligure, Tirolo, Bolano, Castelnuovo Magra, Vignana, Framura, La Foce, La Spezia, Fiumaretta di Ameglia, Ponzano Superiore, Ceparana, San Pietro Vara, Tivegna, Bovecchio, Piano di Follo, Cembrano, Caranza, Valeriano Lunense, Madonna di Buonviaggio, Isola, Pegui, Corvara, Piana Battolla, Sesta Godano, Borghetto Di Vara, Colombiera-Molicciara, San Terenzo, Arcola, Sorbolo, Nicola, Pitelli, Carro, Tavarone, Zignago, Biassa, Castello, Luni Mare, Le Grazie, Torza, Brugnato, Cavanella Vara, Falcinello, Casale, L'ago, Bocca Di Magra, Cerreta, San Bernardino, Volastra, Beverino, Follo, Maissana, Rocchetta Di Vara, Carrodano, Riomaggiore, Sarzana, Tellaro, Vernazza, Vezzano Ligure, Ortonovo, Rio, Monterosso Al Mare, Portovenere, Riccò Del Golfo Di Spezia, Levanto, Montemarcello, Lerici, Lavaggiorosso, Bonassola, Corniglia, Deiva Marina, Bracelli.

For the overarching travel overview: Liguria.