Castello di Lerici
Perched on a volcanic promontory that juts straight into the Gulf of La Spezia, Lerici's 13th-century castle is the town's undisputable crown jewel. Its ochre-and-rust walls glow at golden hour like something conjured from a Ligurian fairy tale.
A fortress with serious history
Built by the Pisans in 1152 and later seized by Genoa, the castle changed hands repeatedly as rival maritime powers fought for control of this strategically priceless gulf. Walk the ramparts and you're treading the same stones that once decided the fate of entire trade routes.
Inside, the Museo Geopaleontologico di Lerici fills the castle's vaulted rooms with an unexpectedly absorbing collection of dinosaur footprints and Jurassic fossils discovered right along this stretch of Ligurian coastline — a genuine scientific rarity housed in a genuinely beautiful shell.
Making the most of your visit
Climb up via the stepped lanes from Piazza Garibaldi in around ten minutes, or take the panoramic lift carved into the cliff on the seaward side — it deposits you just below the main gate and rewards you with a jaw-dropping view of the marina on the way up.
The castle terrace hosts open-air cinema and concerts in summer; check the comune's events calendar before you visit because stumbling into a live jazz night here, with the gulf shimmering below, is the kind of evening you'll describe for years.
More of Lerici
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Lerici →
