Portovenere
The tiny village of PORTOVENERE lies on a small one, bounding the bay to the west by a peninsula. The road from La Spezia is extremely winding, and streamers pass over huge gaps, but the views of the bay and the islands of Palmaria and Tino are beautiful. The town's buildings stand over the bluffs and the concrete harbor, stretching from the headland of the peninsula to the medieval church of San Piętro. One of the small coves in the port was called "Byron's window", because the poet once swam from here to the other side of the bay to San Terenzo (See. below), where his friend Shelley was at the time.
Portovenere is an eminently touristic destination, but it is not prepared to welcome thrifty tourists. Therefore, the only cheaper place to stay is the Hotel Genio, located next to the tourist office (»0187/900611; rooms 45 000 L). However, there is a very good restaurant L'Antica Osteria del Carruggio, Via Capellini 66 (closed. Wed). It is located in the shadow of the castle, built by the Genoese to defend against Pisa, occupying the other side of the bay.
Cruise ships from here most often go to the Grotta Azzurra on Palma and to the ruins of the Romanesque abbey on Tino, but the same tours are much cheaper, if you board the ship in La Spezia. Another excursion route is the route to the other side of the bay, do Lerici.
San Terenzo i Lerici
The eastern shore of the bay is lined with docks, industrial plants and bars, and only beyond the city does the landscape change. There is a nice sandy beach in SAN TERENZO, but most hotels here demand full or at least partial maintenance. The best is the seafront hotel Leonella (•0187/970969), with rooms included 40 000 L. Next to it is Casa Magni, where in a year 1822 the English romantic poet Shelley spent several creative months. Hence, "full of joy and good humor" (by Mary Shelley) he left for Livorno, where he was going to meet Leigh Hunt, but on the way back his Ariel boat went down and Shelley drowned at the age of thirty.
Located in the next bay, LERICI is a rather conventional summer resort, where there are bars on the seaside boulevard, trattorias and souvenir shops. The local castle was built in the 12th century by Pizzans to defend themselves against the Genoese, seated in Portovenere, on the other side of the bay. Walking paths lead past the castle to a small bay on the other side of the peninsula, where can you go, when you do not want to use the beach located on the main road. Near the marina, there are stalls selling fresh coconuts, there are also some bars always packed with sailors and a number of expensive restaurants. Piazza Garibaldi - behind the marina - functions as a bus station (buses to Sarzana, See. below). Italy hotel (• Ol87/966566), former Genoese palace converted into a hotel in Piazza Garibaldi, is a good place to stay, and the rooms here cost approx. 40 000 L. If there are no places available, you can try to stay at Albergo Luis, Via Gerrini 36 (•0187/967400), which is a bit cheaper.
Tellaro
A five-kilometer stretch of coast to Tellaro, despite the fact that it is adjacent to very extensive holiday resorts, it seems to belong to a completely different world: the water is incredibly clear here, and bays of various sizes encourage sunbathing and swimming. You can search for a suitable beach on foot or take a bus along the coast. You need to get off the bus at one of the huge signs saying Eco del Mare or spiaggia libera a 200 m and walk through the wooded hills along the path, which leads to a sand and shingle beach. The first relatively inexpensive hotel on the way to Tellaro is Pensione Delftno (•0187/965049; Ok. 40000 L). It is close to the FIASCHERINO bay with wonderfully clean water, to which leads Via D.H. Lawrence (this English writer lived here in the period just before the First World War). In addition, one of the most enjoyable campsites on the Riviera is located here, located on a terraced, shady hillside of Campeggio Gianna (*0187/966411; Easter -2 half of IX; access via stairs from the parking lot and to the right).
The quiet fishing village of TELLARO is just a ten-minute walk from Fiascherino, where the road ends with a group of bars and hotels (Delie Ondine is a reasonable proposition, •0187/965131; rooms 23000 L). The rest of the village is relatively untouched by the tourism industry: part of the estate, densely built up with stone buildings, is located on a rock overlooking the boat ramp. There is no beach here, but you can go down to the sea from flat rocks, lying at the foot of the cliff on the other side of the ramp .
From Sarzana and Luni to the provinces
Just beyond the bay, the hills give way to the plain around the mouth of the Magra River (Mouth of Magra), which is an important habitat for birds. Magra used to be the border between Liguria and Etruria, and later between Genoa and Pisa. Therefore, AMEGLIA, one of the few villages located here, it is situated on a well-fortified hill that controls the entire valley. The nearby SARZANA is not a very interesting lowland town, in whose medieval district there is a 15th-century citadel. Here you can visit the Romanesque Church of Sant'Andrea with a rococo interior and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, where the 12th century is located, multi-part painting of the Crucifixion, brush Maestro Guglielmo. Another reason to come to the town is its location 10 minut or Piazza Martiri della Liberta (where buses from Lerici stop) excellent restaurant La Scaletto.
On the same plain, but closer to the border with Tuscany, lie the remains of the Roman colony of LUNI, whose name is derived from the name of the moon goddess. It's built in a year 177 p.n.e. the shipbuilding town was finally devastated by war and malaria. The finds discovered in villas in the Bocca di Magra area are on display at the local museum (in summer codz. wt.-nd. 9.00-12.00 I 16.00-19.00; in winter 9.00-12.00 I 14.00-17.00). And in the ruins of the amphitheater in Zona Archeologico (access by bus Sarzana-Carrara; same opening hours) performances and concerts take place in summer.