"The most beautiful coastline in Italy" Top 5 Page for this destination La Spezia by matcrazy1
La Spezia Travel Guide: 176 reviews and 250 photos
I was in La Spezia twice: in 1994 (visiting Pontovenere and Riomaggiore by a car) and in 1999 visiting Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare by a car and a train.
La Spezia itself seems not to be very interesting place but the coastal region north of La Spezia called Le Cinque Terre (Five lands) is the MOST BEAUTIFUL coastal area of Italy, in my opinion even more beautiful then amazing Costa de Amalfi south of Naples.
CINQUE TERRE
Eighteen kilometers (11 mi) of sheer rocky coastline, terraced hills and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea.
Five little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. You can hike, swim, drink red wine, and watch blazing Mediterranean sunsets away from the tourist throngs in the Italian cities and the French Riviera. Centuries old footpaths and mule tracks wind about 500 to 1,000 feet above the sea, leading through olive groves and vineyards, orchards and chestnut woods.
Each village has its own character, they are a few minutes apart by train.
There are almost no cars as the villages are not easily accessible by road, but the main railway between Rome and Paris runs along the coast, mainly in tunnels.
Much more about Portovenere and 5 villages of Cinque Terre on their own pages:
- Portovenere - click here
- Riomaggiore - click here
- Manarola - soon,
- Corniglia - soon,
- Vernazza - soon,
- Monterosso al Mare - soon.
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La Spezia is located on Mediterranean Coast (Ligurian Sea, Gulf of La Spezia) of Liguria 99 km (62 mi) southeast of Genova.
La Spezia is a pleasant city at the centre of the Gulf, with a beautiful panorama and an extremely mild climate.
It's mainly known as industrial and port city. There are passenger and car ferries departuring from la Spezia to Bastia in the French island of Corsica.
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La Spezia is well known NATO naval base, so you can see there many naval ships (I preferred not to take them pics hehe). There is the Naval Museum founded in 1870 in La Spezia - quite interesting if you like model ships from Egyptian and Roman times to the more recent ships of the Italian Navy and the Navies of various European states.
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- Pros:Nearby fantastic rocky coast and villages (Cinque Terre)
- Cons:Industrial city and port - busy, surely not very charming city
- In a nutshell:Escape to Cinque Terre - the best coast of Italy
Reviews (30)
Vineyards
Off The Beaten Path
(10)
. Climbing up around Manarola take a look at terrace vineyards - don't they look fantastic? . more travel advice
Riomaggione - Mediterranean Coast
Off The Beaten Path
(10)
. Hmm... the coastline looks rather not inviting in Riomaggione. But go down, look and listen to the sea. . more travel advice
Stairs in Riomaggiore
Off The Beaten Path
(10)
. Don't forget to go downstairs from the main tourist trail in Riomaggiore to admire the beautiful sea. Remember that... more travel advice
Streets
Off The Beaten Path
(10)
. Don't forget to walk narrow side streets in all 5 Cinque Terre villages - some of them look very charming. . more travel advice
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Things to Do (10)
See All Monterosso al Mare
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Favorites (10)
See All The naval dockyard
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Comments (91)
What a great collection of small villages on this scenic and rugged coastline! Great photos Matt! I'm about ready for something like La Spezia area after enduring another Canadian winter! Loved those huge waves in the Riomaggiore shot!
Wow! Beaches, amazing scenery. This sure is a beautiful area Matt, especially La Cinque Terre, Lerici and the medieval sea village of Portovenere. Awesome!!!
Fantastic photos. Lovely area indeed. I would love it there by the sea.
Lovely pictures! This is a part of Italy that I haven't visited so far, but I should do it soon. Thanks also for visiting my pages.
I was in La Spezia to the the Same Naval base you saw..It is now call FINCANTIERY (SP), I also was in the adjacent company called OTOMELARA. But, I didn't have fun like you; as it was an official trip. Thanks for sharing the other side of this town.
now and then its great visiting the past. La Spezia and surroundings is such a place I have very, very fond memories of. excellent page Matt, well done superb pix. tks for sharing oh by the way..one day you might get a plane
i know a really good tidings aboyt this place..looks like costa brava in catalonia... its a gorgeous place...congratulations for this page
Can you imagine I've never been there? you made me willing to schedule a trip there in November (I love the sea at winter). Take care, mac
Superb views of Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola. A great page. It is not really far from home, but I have never been to that area ! The guy with the big moustache should be Umberto 1st of Savoy (1844-1900), king of Italy, surnamed "the good".
My mouth is hanging open at the impressive photographs. I fell in love with the one called "Streets" taken in Monterosso. Your true love of this area is obvious. I think it is almost bewitching, don't you?
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