"Jumping off to the Cinque Terre" La Spezia by Bunsch

La Spezia wasn't part of our touring plan. We'd expected to stop at Lago di Pucchini but we missed the exit on the autostrada and before you could blink, we'd reached this naval enclave at a broad inlet of the Ligurian Sea, and we'd arrived hungry as bears because, it being Sunday, we couldn't find any open restaurants. We drove aimlessly down to the Embarcadero, assuming we'd find a lovely seaside restaurant awaiting, but all we managed to find was an off-limits area where a stern military policeman directed us to exit at once. (He did have a nice sea view, though.)

Eventually we parked and began walking about, looking for eateries. There were lovely public gardens, with well-built apartment blocks behind them, but there seemed to be nowhere to eat.

We knew that if we wanted to visit the lovely hillside towns of the Cinque Terre, this would have been our point of departure -- by boat, train, or foot -- but we were heading in the opposite direction, to Parma. We just needed some food to fuel the journey!

So...I am sure La Spezia has an abundance of treasures, museums, vistas, churches, and restaurants, but they're going to have to wait until my next visit.