Villa Marigola and Its Gardens
Perched on the hill between Lerici and San Terenzo, the early-20th-century Villa Marigola and its terraced gardens are almost entirely unknown to passing tourists yet offer one of the most serene viewpoints on the entire Gulf of La Spezia — looking directly across to the island of Palmaria and the Cinque Terre headlands. Percy Bysshe Shelley stayed near here in 1822, the last summer of his life.
The gardens and the view
The Italian-style terraced gardens descend the hillside in a series of box-hedged parterres, lemon-tree pergolas and stone fountains, all maintained in immaculate condition. From the uppermost terrace, the view sweeps across the entire inner gulf: Lerici's castle to the right, Portovenere's coloured houses to the left, and the dark green hump of Palmaria island directly ahead.
The garden is quietest on weekday mornings when local residents come for a contemplative walk. On summer evenings the villa sometimes hosts open-air classical music concerts — check the Comune di Lerici cultural calendar before your visit.
Getting there and the Shelley connection
Villa Marigola sits about 1.5 km from Lerici's centre along the coastal road towards San Terenzo. You can walk there in 20 minutes along the seafront promenade, or take the local bus that runs every 30 minutes between Lerici and La Spezia and ask the driver to stop at San Terenzo.
The nearby Casa Magni in San Terenzo — a white seafront house visible from the water — was the last home of Percy Bysshe Shelley before he drowned in the gulf in July 1822. A small commemorative plaque marks the building, and the whole area carries an atmosphere of melancholy beauty that the Romantic poets would have recognised immediately.
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