La Spezia: complete guide to the city and the Gulf of Poets

Almost all Ligurian cities are medieval villages sustained by the sea. La Spezia is the opposite: it is a city that was decided upon.

In 1860, Camillo Cavour and military engineer Domenico Chiodo climbed the Cappuccini hill, looked at the gulf, and established that this would be the site of the Naval Arsenal. Work began in 1861 based on Chiodo's plans, and the arsenal was inaugurated in 1869.

Then look at what happened to the inhabitants:

year	inhabitants
1861	15,300
1881	31,500
1901	60,000
1940	123,000

Eightfold growth in eighty years. No other Ligurian city has done anything like this, and it didn't happen because of tourism: it happened because the State placed its main naval base here and workers arrived. The Umbertino district, with its straight streets and uniform buildings, was built to house them.

Keeping this in mind, La Spezia becomes easy to read: the width of the avenues, the regular grid of the center, and the fact that the port isn't just a picturesque detail but the reason everything else exists.

The name of the gulf is younger than the city

"Gulf of Poets" sounds ancient, but it isn't.

It was invented by Sem Benelli on August 30, 1910, in San Terenzo. Not in a poem: in a funeral oration, for the scientist Paolo Mantegazza, where he said "Blessed are you, O Poet of science, who rests in peace in the Gulf of Poets." Benelli was a playwright and during those months he was writing The Jest (La cena delle beffe) in a villa by the sea.

Byron and Shelley had passed through eighty years earlier — Shelley drowned in these waters in 1822 — but the name celebrating them was coined by a third person, in a cemetery, for another deceased individual. It's a detail that changes how you view tourist signs.

What there is to see, in order of distance

Via del Prione is the backbone: the pedestrian street crossing the historic center, lined with museums and squares. You can walk it easily; no other orientation tools are needed.

At 234 Via del Prione is the Amedeo Lia Museum, opened in 1996 to house the collection donated to the city by Amedeo Lia. It is located inside the convent of the Minims of Saint Francis of Paola, built from 1616: a seventeenth-century building filled with a twentieth-century private collection.

Above everything, on Poggio hill, stands Castello San Giorgio, a fortification of medieval origin from the 13th century — older than the entire modern city beneath it. Today it hosts the Archaeological Museum.

And there is the Naval Technical Museum, next to the arsenal, which is the place where the history told above is seen rather than read.

The gateway to Cinque Terre, and what it really means

La Spezia is the station from which trains depart for Cinque Terre, and it's why most people arriving here do so.

It's worth stating the uncomfortable truth: many use it only as a parking spot. They get off, change trains, and return in the evening to sleep. It's a legitimate choice, but they miss out on a city with two real museums, a thirteenth-century castle, and an industrial story unlike any other on the coast.

Practical advice: if you have two days, dedicate half a day to the city before rushing to the villages. How to get there and where to park is explained in how to reach La Spezia and park.

What NOT to expect

It is not a picturesque village. Those arriving expecting Vernazza or Portovenere will find a city of ninety thousand inhabitants with a commercial and military port. This isn't a flaw; it's something different.

It is not a seaside resort. The beaches of the gulf are in other municipalities — Lerici, Portovenere, San Terenzo — and are reached by ferry or bus. In the city, you look at the sea; you don't swim in it.

The center is nineteenth-century, not medieval. It is regular, wide, and grid-like: built quickly for people arriving to work.

The two stations, and why it matters

La Spezia has two stops, and they are not equivalent: La Spezia Centrale is the main one and the hub from which regional trains depart for Cinque Terre; La Spezia Migliarina is secondary and served only by some trains. Check which one is written on your ticket before boarding. By car, two motorways converge: the A12 along the coast and the A15 descending from Parma: those coming from the north almost always pass through the latter. For the villages, the train is still preferable, as it avoids the problem of parking in the five towns in one go.

Frequently asked questions

Why did La Spezia grow so quickly?

Because of the military arsenal. In 1860, Cavour and Domenico Chiodo chose this gulf as the site for Italy's main naval base; work started in 1861 and the arsenal was inaugurated in 1869. The population rose from 15,300 inhabitants in 1861 to 123,000 in 1940.

Why is it called the Gulf of Poets?

The name was coined on August 30, 1910, by playwright Sem Benelli, in San Terenzo, during the funeral oration for scientist Paolo Mantegazza. It is not an ancient name: Byron and Shelley had passed through eighty years earlier, but never used it.

What is there to visit in La Spezia?

Via del Prione, the pedestrian street of the center; the Amedeo Lia Museum, opened in 1996 in a convent from 1616; Castello San Giorgio from the 13th century on Poggio hill, which houses the Archaeological Museum; and the Naval Technical Museum next to the arsenal.

Does La Spezia have beaches?

Not in the city. The beaches of the gulf are in other municipalities — Lerici, San Terenzo, Portovenere — and are reached by ferry or bus.

Is it worth stopping in La Spezia, or is it only used for Cinque Terre?

Most visitors use it as a base for Cinque Terre trains. If you have two days, spending half a day in the city pays off: two real museums, a thirteenth-century castle, and an industrial story unlike any other on the coast.

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