Sights in Riviera Di Levante
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Chiesa di Santa Margherita
Vernazza's tiny harbour is a delight, so perfectly quaint you'll think you've wandered onto a film set. The small waterfront piazza is watched over by the harbourside gothic church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia complete with bell tower which has stood here since 1318.
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Via dell'Amore
The Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Lane) is a well-paved coastal path linking Manarola with Riomaggiore (1km/0.6mi). Studded with picnic areas and stone beaches embedded in the cliffside, it affords stunning ocean views. At either end, steps lead up from the train station to the path - checkpoints along the way ensure no one sneaks by without a valid trail pass.
The Via dell'Amore is part of the 12km-long (7.4mi) sentiero azzurro (blue trail) that runs the length of the coast between Monterosso and Riomaggiore. Unlike Lovers' Lane, which is flat, well-paved and suited to walkers of all abilities, the rest of the footpath is only for the sure-footed and well-equipped.
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Castello Brown
The Genoese-built castle saw action against the Venetians, Savoyards, Sardinians and Austrians and later fell to Napoleon. In 1867 it was transformed by the British diplomat Montague Yeats Brown into a private mansion. The fabulous tiled staircase is one of the showpieces of the neo-Gothic interior, while there are great views from the garden. For a better outlook continue for another 300m or so along the same track to the lighthouse.
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Abbazia della Cervara
Abbazia della Cervara was built in 1361 and is surrounded by formal gardens. Over the centuries, the abbey has hosted Benedictine monks, three popes and a saint (Catherine of Siena), and the French king, François I, who spent a less convivial time here as a prisoner after the 1525 Battle of Pavia. Tours take in the gardens, 15th-century chapterhouse, 16th-century cloister and the Saracen Tower.
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Museo Amedeo Lia
La Spezia’s star attraction is the Museo Amedeo Lia, a fine-arts museum in a restored 17th-century friary. The collection covers the 13th to 18th centuries and includes paintings by masters such as Tintoretto, Montagna, Titian and Pietro Lorenzetti. Also on show are Roman bronzes and ecclesiastical treasures such as Limoges crucifixes and illuminated musical manuscripts.
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Torre Guardiola
Bird life and local flora can be seen from the Torre Guardiola, a nature observation and bird-watching centre located on Fossola Beach, immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. From the centre a botanical walking trail leads along the coast.
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feast day
La Spezia's bustle peaks on 19 March, the feast day of the city's patron saint, San Guiseppe (Saint Joseph). Celebrations see a giant market fill the port and surrounding streets, and the naval base (off-limits the rest of the year) opens to the public for the day.
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Villa Durazzo
You can take an aromatic stroll among lemon trees, hydrangea and camellia hedges, and other flora typical of Santa Margherita’s hot climate, in the lavish gardens surrounding the 17th-century Villa Durazzo, a favourite wedding spot.
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Castello Doria
In Chiesa di San Lorenzo's shadow is the 16th-century Castello Doria, a formidable example of the Genoese military architecture offering magnificent views from its ornate terraced gardens.
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Museo Tecnico Navale
See model ships and polene (statuettes that graced the prows of vessels) at the 1870-founded naval museum, Museo Tecnico Navale.
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Castello di San Giorgio
There is an assortment of local archaeological artefacts from prehistoric to medieval times at the Castello di San Giorgio.
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Museo del Sigilio
Pop into the Museo del Sigilio to see some 1500 seals dating from the 4th millennium BC to the present day.
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