Parco Naturale Regionale di Montemarcello-Magra
Rising immediately behind Lerici, the Montemarcello-Magra Regional Park protects a sweep of Mediterranean macchia, olive groves and hilltop villages that most visitors to the coast never bother to explore. The reward for going uphill is a perspective on the gulf that no postcard has adequately captured.
The Montemarcello loop
The village of Montemarcello sits at 300 metres on the southern tip of the park, reachable by bus from Lerici (Line 11 towards Tellaro, change at Ameglia) or by a 90-minute uphill walk on the signed CAI trail 431. The village itself is a medieval gem of stone arches and window boxes, but the real prize is the belvedere at its southern edge.
From the Montemarcello viewpoint on a clear day you see the entire Gulf of La Spezia to the north, the marble-white Apuan Alps inland, and the Tyrrhenian coast stretching south towards Versilia. In spring the surrounding hillsides are dense with wild orchids, cistus and tree heather — the park records over 1,400 plant species.
Wildlife and the right season
The Magra river estuary at the park's northern edge is one of the most important bird-migration staging posts in northwest Italy. In April and October, birdwatchers from across Europe arrive to watch raptors, herons, egrets and warblers moving through in serious numbers. The park authority runs guided birdwatching walks during peak migration — check parcomagra.it for dates.
Wild boar are common in the wooded interior and you'll hear them crashing through the undergrowth on dusk walks. Roe deer, stone martens and Hermann's tortoises also live here — the tortoises are occasionally seen sunning on rocky outcrops on warm spring mornings.
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