Museo Civico Amedeo Lia
At Via del Prione 234, in a pedestrian stretch of La Spezia's old centre, a 17th-century convent holds one of the more quietly serious art collections in northern Italy. The rooms — thirteen of them, spread across two floors — belong to what was once the complex of San Francesco di Paola, and the stone and plaster still carry the proportions of a place built for contemplation.
The collection spans the 13th to 18th centuries: Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Bellotto, Canaletto. It arrived not through institutional acquisition but through the patient eye of one man, Amedeo Lia, who bought most of it from antique shops rather than auction houses, and eventually gave it all away.
💛 What travellers fall for
The guards are worth paying attention to — they'll steer you before you double back through a room you've already seen, and occasionally point out something specific on a canvas without being asked. Budget more than the suggested two hours if you want to sit with the paintings rather than pass them.
The story behind Museo Civico Amedeo Lia
In 1616, land in La Spezia was granted to the Friars of San Francesco di Paola, who had been in the area since around the second decade of the century. They built their convent here, on a road that once led out through the walled city toward Genoa — a route marked still by street names referencing mills and a long-gone pond.
The convent survived the friars by centuries, passing through the upheavals of 1798 as a military hospital, then a civic one, before being abandoned in 1914 and later pressed into service as barracks, a magistrates' court and municipal offices. In 1995, Amedeo Lia and his family donated their collection to the Municipality of La Spezia; the restored convent opened as a museum on 3 December 1996.
Good to know
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00–18:00 (ticket office closes 17:30). Admission is €8.50, or €14 on a combined ticket covering four other municipal museums. The audio guide runs about an hour and comes in Italian, English and German. No vehicle access — the street is pedestrianised.
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What travellers say about Museo Civico Amedeo Lia
Collections of the paintings of 13-14th centures are absolutely mind breaking. Adds to understanding where we are from and where we are going to. If you are fun of the art, there you will study a lot, and if you are not fun, you certainly will become.
I recently took an insightful museum tour in English about the Grand Tour of Italy, which young aristocrats took in the 18th and 19th centuries. The guide was engaging, sharing fascinating stories, artifacts, and artworks that brought this cultural journey to life. A great experience for history and travel enthusiasts. If you’re in the area, definitely check out the museum!
Unusual collection. Lighting need to be improved on ground floor or maybe it's my old age. Enjoyed the Pieter Bruegel paintings.
Beautiful Renaissance collection nicely completed with 17th and 18th century work from all over Europe. Friendly staff and tour. The toilets however are to be avoided: light doesn't work and cleaning is not up to level.
Interesting artefacts on display. However, very little information was given about these artefacts and if so written in convoluted English hard to engage with. The information cards appeared disorganised and didn’t make it clear which arti fact they relating to. There were no audio guides which could have been helpful. For families or children it was very hard to engage with and considering how many tourists visit La Spezia because of cinque terre I think this is a huge opportunity missed by the museum. This could be such a lovely museum with more creative imagination.
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