Gulf of Spezia
Even though La Spezia is a large port and shipbuilding city, Golfo di Spezia has not lost its beauty, because the area is occupied by a very developed coastline, peninsulas and islets, turned out to be big enough, to avoid being dominated by the local heavy industry. Even if hotels elsewhere are overcrowded, There are usually still a lot of cheap rooms available in La Spezia. However, if you have a choice, better to stay in one of the small ones, suburban village, to which buses run on crazy winding roads. Portovenere lies on one side of the bay on a pointed peninsula, along the coast on the other - San Terenzo, Lerici i Tellaro.
Spice
Most of the guides either completely omit LA SPEZIA, or devotes only a few short comments to it. Already a first glance at the city explains, why is this happening. La Spezia does not stand out for its unique architecture, nor works of art, and no one comes here to admire what the city really has, i.e.. great commercial port, the largest naval base in Italy, or unsightly landscapes of petrochemical plants and quarries. However, one has to admit, that La Spezia, with its lively commodity market, is a city, which is actually alive, and not only for tourists. Because the main attraction here is the picturesque countryside surrounding the city, especially the neighborhood of Cinque Terre from the north, the cheap hotels and restaurants in La Spezia make it easy to explore.
Expanded around the site, where the bay cutting inland makes a very sharp angle, La Spezia seems sandwiched between the slopes of the hills and the sea. This item has long been used for strategic purposes, as evidenced by the number of castles built by the Genoese on the surrounding hills. They were the first city fortifications, but it was Napoleon who created a large military and naval base here. The presence of the fleet in the port made the city one of the most important military targets during World War II, co, how easy it is to guess, it brought allied bombing. The center, rebuilt after the war, is rather uninteresting, except the modern one, completed in a year 1974 the cathedral, the architecturally bold white tower in the style of "minimal art" stands out against the background of a mountainous landscape.
It has traditional architecture in La Spezia, only erected in the 14th century, and the church of Santa Maria, rebuilt after the expansion of the city walls in the 17th century. The façade of this building on the corner of Piazza Giulio Beverini consists of white and black stripes of interesting decorative restraint..
There is an Arsenale near the church, the basic raison detre of the city. This one was completed in a year 1869 the building occupies a huge area in the south of La Spezia. The entrance to the Arsenal is in Piazza Chiodo, but a visit must be submitted in writing, a detailed substantiated application to the director of the complex. Located in the same square, the Museo Navale (Tue-Thu. and sb. 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00; 2000 L) has memorabilia after battles, ship models and bow figures dating back to the 16th century, natomiast Civic Museum, Via Curtatone 9 (between the Arsenal and the Stazione Centrale; Tue-Sat. 9.00-13.00 and 15.00-19.00, Nd. 9.00-13.00), archaeological finds from eastern Liguria, the most striking of which are engraved on tablets of bronze and iron ages (stele) simple faces.
Practical details
In front of the train station, located at the highest point of the city, there is one of the most important bus stops in the city. The other is the market (Piazza Cavour) i Piazza Chiodo, from which ATC buses depart to Val di Magra, Val di Vara and various points in Tuscany (information • 0187/503123).
Corsica Ferries run ferries between La Spezia and Bastia in Corsica during the summer season (Pier Italy; • 0187/21282). Connections to Lerici, Portovenere, The Cinque Terre and the islands of Palmaria and Tino are served by two, situated on Banchina Revel, companies: Maritime connections (• 0187/503123 the Battellieri del Golfo (*0187/28066) and by Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti to Molo Italia (•0187/508334). Connection details are provided at the end of this chapter.
The EPT office has a list of hotels and a city map, Via Mazzini 47, located by the sea on the route of most buses . Generally the rooms are not expensive (the cheapest hotels are concentrated near the station), but in high season you should not arrive late in the day, as there may not be any more vacancies. On the left side of the station, there are Firenze hotels on Via Fiume & Continental (in 0187/31248) i Parma (•0187/20754), in which the room costs approx. 35 000 L. o ok. 10000 The Flavia hotel is cheaper, Alley of the Pond 7 (• 0187/27465).
You can always buy something to eat at the covered market in Piazza Cavour every day (on Saturday mornings, the market grows colossal). Restaurants are concentrated in the area between Via del Prione and the Arsenal (to the right - looking towards the sea). The prices are quite low thanks to the clientele, which consists mainly of military service seamen. Many sell Farinata, take out trade points, as well as several pizzerias, for example. Giulio in Via San Agostino (on the corner of Via del Prione). Sea cuisine and pesto dominate the menus of the trattoria. It is good in this respect, for example. From Sandro, Via del Prione 268, and already unbeatable, though the prices are going up to 50000 L for the head, is La Posta, Via Don Minzoni 24 (•0187/34419; closed. Sb. and Sun.).