Page 129 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italian Riviera

THE RIVIER A DI LE V ANTE  127

The old centre is dominated
by the Castello, the most
important example of military
architecture in the region.
Built by the Pisans in the 13th
century to counter a Genoese
fort at Portovenere, it was taken
by Genoa shortly afterwards,
and was enlarged in the 15th
century. It is still in a remarkably
The island of Palmaria, the largest in the Ligurian archipelago good state, with its pentagonal
tower and massive walls.
some buildings in Portovenere, Assunta; and Villa Marigola, There is an archaeological
was quarried here, which has which has lovely gardens. museum inside.
partially disfigured the island. Below the castle is the lovely
Palmaria is popular among the (and sandy) Baia di Maralunga,
locals, who visit for day trips, but s Lerici which is good for a swim.
the island’s appeal cannot com­ La Spezia. Road Map F5. * 12,000. V
pete with that of the mainland. La Spezia. @ n Via Biaggini 6, 0187 + Castello and Museo
The much smaller islands of 967 346. _ Festa di Sant’ Erasmo (Jul). Piazza San Giorgio. Tel 0187 969 042.
Tino and Tinetto lie in a military Open mid­Oct–mid­Mar: 10:30am–
zone. Access to Tino is allowed In the Middle Ages Lerici was a 12:30pm Tue–Fri; 10:30am–12:30pm,
only on the 13th September, for major port, and enjoyed both 2:30–5:30pm Sat, Sun, public hols;
the Festa di San Venerio. There is commercial and strategic mid­Mar–Jun, Sep–mid­Oct:
a ruined 11th­century abbey, imp ortance. Today, it is a popular 10:30am–1pm, 2:30–6pm Tue–Sun;
built on the site of a chapel tourist town, but one that retains Jul–Aug: 10:30am–12:30pm,
where the hermit saint lived in a working community with a 6:30pm–midnight Tue–Sun.
solitude. The island lighthouse strong identity. Closed Mon. &
guides ships into the gulf.
Tinetto is an inhospitable
rock, but the rich diversity of the
sea bed make this a popular
diving area. The ruins of two
religious buildings on the island
confirm the earliest known
Christian presence in the area
(5th century).

p La Spezia
See pp128–9.
a San Terenzo The port of Lerici, dominated by an imposing castle
La Spezia. Road Map F5. V La
Spezia. @ n Lerici, 0187 967 346. The Gulf of Poets
San Terenzo lies on the It was the Italian playwright Sem Benelli who first described the Gulf
northern side of the Golfo della of Lerici as the “Gulf of Poets” in 1919. It is an evocative and romantic
Spezia, overlooking the pretty epithet, and not inaccurate given the personalities who arrived here
bay of Lerici. Once a small in the 19th and 20th centuries: including Percy Bysshe Shelley (who
group of fishermen’s houses drowned at sea en route to La Spezia from Livorno, in 1822, and was
clustered on the shore, San cremated at Viareggio) and his wife Mary (author of Frankenstein),
Terenzo was a favourite among Lord Byron, DH Lawrence and Virginia
certain 19th­century poets, Woolf. The gulf still has strong appeal today
including Percy Bysshe Shelley. and attracts artists and intellectuals, mainly
Italians. As a consequence a “cultural park”
Casa Magni, the last home has been established, called the Parco
Shelley shared with his wife Culturale Golfo dei Poeti, joining similar
Mary, is located nearby. Today, parks dedicated to Eugenio Montale, in the
the village is suffering from the Cinque Terre, and in the Val di Magra and
effects of mass tourism. Sights Terra di Luni. For more information contact
to visit include a castle on a the tourist office APT Cinque Terre­Golfo
rocky promontory nearby; Percy Bysshe Shelley dei Poeti in La Spezia (see p207).
the church of Santa Maria

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