Emotional
Itineraries
Besides the steps and the elevator locating along the wharf, there is another, more eventful way to walk up to the Lerici Castle: If you want see Lerici’s beating heart, try and walk through the “carruggi”, the narrow streets stretching between houses with red roofs and painted walls. These structured houses hide small terraces with spectacular views of the Gulf. Choose this path and discover the real Lerici vibe!
Tellaro has often been reviewed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and this should be enough to convince you to go there. Still, we would like to tell you about its beautiful sunsets. Don’t miss the moment when the warm sunlight shines on the jumble of pastel buildings creating a unique atmosphere, and make sure you walk down to the little harbour to see the sun that slowly sinks into the sea. This spectacular panorama will enchant you!
Lerici and its surrounding area hosted many Italian and foreign artists and intellectuals. Lord Byron and Percy and Mary Shelley decided to move to Villa Magni, in San Terenzo, and lived there for a number of years. Next to this Villa is the charming Shelley Park. During the warm, summer nights it hosts cultural and theatrical performances. If you wish to take a dip into our history and culture, make sure you don’t miss this tour!
If you have an adventurous spirit and you love to discover new and quiet places, you should definitely sail around the gulf. Due to its rock configuration, the Lerici coast hides a myriad bays and coves that can only be reached by sea. Sail around the gulf and enjoy these mysterious and fascinating spots where nature is at its’ finest and the “macchia mediterranea” drops into the sea.
Enjoy a beautiful day far from the crowd, in the mesmerizing inlet that hides the “Caletta”. You can reach this wonderful spot either by sea or down the steps from Maralunga (on the road to Tellaro). But the real magic of this place is hidden in its depths – in the first century BC, a big ship sunk while transporting marble from Carrara to Provence, and the wreck, as well as a part of a massive white column, are still underwater. Dive down and discover these ruins and the sealife that now live on them.
On the hills above Lerici, in a place called Monti di San Lorenzo, during the summer solstice and in the following days you can enjoy a unique and mystical spectacle. At sunset, the sunlight slips between the standing stones creating a butterfly of light. The golden butterfly will be visible for almost a month: from late May to late July. There are hundreds of theories about the meaning of this prehistoric butterfly, but the most reliable one links the phenomenon to the shamanic cosmogony. This mystical wonder will amaze you and give a hint of magic to your holiday.
The Gulf of Poets coast is bookended by two beautiful castles linked by a breathtaking promenade along the sea. This promenade was recognised as a “Meraviglia italiana” (Italian Wonder), a prize given by the National Youth Forum during the 150th anniversary of Italian unification on March 17th, 2011. Take a walk along this promenade and enjoy the beauty of the traditional Ligurian houses on one side and the marvel of our sea on the other.
Lo sapevi che la mitilicoltura spezzina affonda le proprie radici nella seconda metà dell’800? I pionieri di questa attività erano coltivatori di ostriche, ma ben presto l’attività più remunerativa si è rivelata la “coltura” del muscolo (vietatissimo chiamarlo “cozza” da queste parti!). Se è vero che i vivai sono sparsi un po’ in tutto il mare della Spezia, proprio a Lerici, nella baia di Santa Teresa, si trova l’impianto di depurazione dove il prodotto viene lavorato dopo la raccolta e preparato per la commercializzazione in tutto il mondo. Qui è possibile acquistare il prodotto per cucinarlo a casa e visitare un piccolo museo (aperto su prenotazione) in cui si ripercorre la storia centenaria della mitilicoltura spezzina. Come condimento per un buon primo, alla marinara, fritti, ma soprattutto ripieni, i muscoli della Spezia si possono degustare in quasi tutti i ristoranti di Lerici, mentre ogni due anni (anni pari) nel mese di settembre, torna con cadenza biennale Mytiliade, la storica rassegna dedicata alla mitilicoltura e alla cultura mediterranea … non solo gastronomica!
Si fa presto a parlare di Golfo dei Poeti ed immaginarlo in tutto il suo splendore, ma non sono molti i luoghi che permettono di abbracciarlo in un solo sguardo… e di immortalarlo, quindi, in uno scatto. Alla Serra questo è possibile: come se si fosse trasportati su un drone – o ancor meglio sul dorso di un gabbiano – basta percorrere in auto la strada tortuosa che conduce al paese per percepire già la sensazione di “volare” sul Golfo. Ma è solo percorrendo a piedi i carrugi del borgo, fermandoci alla piazzetta Santa Croce, proprio davanti alla Chiesa, o salendo ancora fino al Belvedere che si può abbracciare in uno sguardo la vera “poesia”.
The new Literary Park dedicated to Percy B. Shelley was created to mark the bicentenary of the poet’s death in 1822. The objective of the project is to bring together in an ideal way – and not only – two unique and iconic places: the Shelley Park in San Terenzo and the so-called “Pietraia”, at the foot of the Forte della Rocchetta.
At the “Pietraia” (La Rocchetta) eight works of art by Marco Nereo Rotelli – literary books in marble, inscribed with Shelley’s verses – create a contemplative space where you can admire the landscape and let yourself be carried away by the poetic suggestion.
In San Terenzo, the Shelley Park – next to Villa Magni, the poet’s last earthly abode – becomes the scene of a new scenography where one can admire poetic books and discover the iconic and timeless place that inspired Shelley’s last compositions before his tragic death.
One of the works located in Shelley Park presents a verse by Eugenio Montale, in a sort of literary bridge connecting the Gulf of Poets to the Cinque Terre, through two voices that have sung, each in its own way, about Liguria… a Region that is poetry in itself.