Parco Pubblico della Rimembranza
On the Gaggiola hill behind La Spezia's main railway station, 538 trees stand in for 538 men. Each one was planted in 1923 to mark a life the city lost in the First World War — cypresses at the summit, oaks, pines, lindens and larches stepping down the slopes — so that the park itself is the memorial, not just a place that contains one.
Fenced off from vehicle traffic and covering roughly a hectare, the park is quiet in the way that places with a clear purpose tend to be. A concrete staircase climbs to the hilltop center, where an iron flagpole and a brass plaque hold the formal record of what happened here. A small pond sits somewhere in the wooded middle.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to arrive in the morning, when the light comes through the tree canopy at an angle and the station noise below hasn't yet built up. The staircase to the top is the thing to follow all the way — the view from the flagpole over the surrounding green gives the whole hill a sense of scale that the entrance doesn't suggest.
The story behind Parco Pubblico della Rimembranza
The park was inaugurated on 4 November 1923 — Victory Day — as part of a nationwide Italian initiative to create a Parco della Rimembranza in every town, each one a living register of the local WWI dead. In La Spezia, painter Felice Del Santo (1864–1934) designed it; agronomist Alfredo Bartolozzi oversaw its construction. The choice of trees was deliberate: species that would outlast stone, planted one per casualty, with the names originally recorded on plaques hung from the trunks.
For decades the park fell into neglect, the plaques and flag eventually fading from regular view. A major restoration was completed and reopened on 19 March 2022, adding new lighting, repaired paving and playground equipment while preserving the memorial structure that Del Santo and Bartolozzi laid out a century earlier.
Good to know
The park sits directly behind La Spezia Centrale station — on foot, it's a short climb up the Gaggiola hill. Entry is free. There are no cafes or facilities inside, so come prepared. Mid-April through mid-June and early September are the most comfortable times to visit.
Mid-April to mid-June is the easiest window — warm enough to sit, green enough to read the tree canopy properly. The October-to-December stretch brings the bulk of La Spezia's rainfall, so the paths can be slick; summer is reliably sunny but can get hot on the exposed upper staircase.
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What travellers say about Parco Pubblico della Rimembranza
The park is closed until December 2021 due to construction works. It looks good looking from the fence.
It should be more open.Its a little bit dark
Ok
Nice park.
Small park in La Spezia. Four benches, a hill, and a flag. No view of anything. Quite quiet. Perfect for a 30-minute break with Jack Daniels and sandwiches. Penny supermarket around the corner.
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