The Gulf of Poets, an enchantment of the Ligurian Riviera
The Gulf of Poets stretches from Porto Venere to Tellaro on the Riviera di Levante and owes its name to the many poets, including Byron, Shelly, Petrarch, and Montale, who stayed there. At the center of the Gulf is La Spezia, and all around are villages, colorful landscapes, and bays with sandy or pebble beaches.
Click on the country name for directions
Porto Venere has an almost disarming beauty that does not belie the name it bears. Located on the western tip of the Gulf, it is a colorful village with a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea, entered together with the 3 islands of the archipelago (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) and Cinque Terre on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It was named after the temple of Venus that stood on the spot where the romantic St. Peter’s Church stands.
The center of this part of the Ligurian Riviera is La Spezia, a city with many Art Nouveau buildings, churches, and museums.
Walking through its center is very pleasant especially if you love shopping, in fact, Via del Priore and the parallel Corso Cavour is a succession of stores, some of them luxurious.
In the center, worth visiting are the Castle of St. George, The Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Lia Museum and the State Museum. Toward the sea is the Morin promenade, from where to admire a splendid view of the Gulf of Poets.
Lerici is a wonderful village overlooking the Gulf of Poets and that, with the village of Tellaro, is part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The village of Lerici stands on an inlet dominated by a hill on which stands its fortress, which today is home to the geopaleontological museum , a path on the history of dinosaurs with finds and fossils. Lerici’s sea has been awarded the Blue Flag for the cleanliness and transparency of the sea. The most famous beach of Lerici is Maramozza, also known as the Eco del mare beach. It is a corner of paradise, with a splendid sea, among the most fascinating in Liguria.
Tellaro is a hamlet of Lerici, which, however, deserves a separate mention. The small village is perched on a cliff overlooking the sea.
The most unique aspect of Tellaro is that there are no roads; to get to the village there is only one access road that starts from Lerici and leads all the way to the sea.
The village sits on a cliff overlooking the sea, and its center is a succession of narrow, intertwined streets lined with pastel-colored houses. Around Tellaro there are also beautiful beaches with a wild and unspoiled spirit.
Staying in the village, you can reach the beach near the scenic Church of St. George, where the small harbor is located, while beyond the Church is a long cliff.
