Portovenere & the Grotta di Lord Byron
Just 13 km southwest of La Spezia by bus or boat, the UNESCO-listed village of Portovenere clings to a narrow promontory above water so intensely blue-green it looks digitally enhanced. The crowds thin dramatically beyond the main caruggio lane, rewarding those who walk to the tip of the headland.
The Village & the Church
The striped Gothic church of San Pietro sits at the very tip of the promontory on a wave-lashed rock, its black-and-white marble façade framing views of the Palmaria island and the open Ligurian Sea that have inspired painters and poets for centuries.
The narrow caruggio — a single lane of tower-houses painted in vertical stripes of ochre, red and dark green — is one of the most photogenic streets on the Ligurian coast, best explored in the early morning before the day-trippers arrive from La Spezia.
Above the village, the Doria Castle (Castello Doria) offers a free exterior walk along its ramparts with views back toward La Spezia's gulf that rival anything in the region.
Lord Byron's Cave & the Swimming Coves
At the base of the San Pietro headland, a sea cave known as the Grotta di Lord Byron is named for the Romantic poet who allegedly swam from here to visit Shelley in Lerici across the gulf in 1822 — a feat of around 8 km that cemented the spot's literary mythology.
The rocky coves immediately below the castle walls are accessible via iron ladders bolted into the cliff and are among the clearest swimming spots on the entire Ligurian coast, with visibility reaching several metres.
The car ferry to Palmaria island departs from the small harbour every 15 minutes in summer; the island has no cars, one trattoria, and a pebble beach facing Portovenere that is worth every minute of the crossing.
More of La Spezia
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore La Spezia →
