Castle to Castle Along the Gulf of the Poets at Lerici - A Travel Guide

The Most Romantic Walk in Liguria - Lerici to San Terenzo

Travel Guide for Lerici - Attractions, Ferry, Bus, & Parking

Gulf of Spezia (1884)   Henry Roderick Newman    Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Whatever romantic notions of Italy your soul harbors, this is the walk that will indulge them.  The painter Henry Roderick Newman clearly felt the romance as he painted the San Terenzo/Lerici shore, framed by its two castles, over 125 years ago.  Good writers and poets of every sort have striven to communicate the experience of these towns and this Gulf, and for good reason - this area is prose and it is poetry. Even though these villages and their little bays have been discovered as many times as love, it's your turn now. 

The small harbor of Lerici has a lungomare (seaside walk) from the Lerici Castle to the Castle of San Terenzo, and a bit beyond. The walk has a wonderful Ligurian feel and is so full of sights and sounds that you can walk it 50 times - and we have - and not tire of it. The length is only about 3 kilometers each way, but you should allow at least a half a day, including a lunch or a dinner. There are two towns to explore, four beaches, two castles, many restaurants, many stores, a harbor, and, not least, lots of people. For ideas on where to stay, what to eat, and other practical info, scroll way down.

Colorful Lerici and Harbor.

Read Below

   
  The Walk from Lerici to San Terenzo
  Arrival
  Parking
  Bus / Taxi / Boat Info
  Where to Stay
  Restaurants
  More Information.

The Walk. Along this shore, the Gulf of the Poets - as it's been called for the last century - meets the land  in a series of five scalloped bays.  The order in which you encounter them will depend on how you arrive, but this description proceeds from Lerici Castle toward San Terenzo (i.e. toward La Spezia). Orient yourself by looking at our Overview Map.

Lerici Harbor and Castle at twilight.

The largest bay is the harbor of Lerici, with its boat moorings overseen by its prominent castle. The castle was built by Pisa in the 1200's and is one of the most beautiful in Liguria, a superb example of military architecture. It is now a visitable Museum of Palaeontology, and it's worth a climb if only for the views of the Gulf, and the walk around the castle perimeter. The stairs up are accessible from the harborside molo (quay) which is interesting on it's own as there's a fish market, a breakwater, good views of Lerici, and the activity of the fishing and sport boats. When descending from the castle, follow the little alley-like streets inland and down. Walking among the crowded hillside buildings makes it easy to imagine the original town so different from the fashionable resort below. For more on one of these streets, Via del Ghetto, see our article The Jewish Ghetto of Lerici.

Piazza Garibaldi & San Rocco  Photo-Paolo da Reggio

These streets will bring you down, one way or another, to Piazza Garibaldi. This Piazza is lined with restaurants, cafes, and bars. It also has, on the sea side, one of the bus stops you might use for your bus or parking navette.  Near the bus stop is the tour boat landing where you can get tickets or inquire about boats to Portovenere, La Spezia, Le Cinque Terre, Tellaro, Bocca di Magra, etc. Across the street from Piazza Garibaldi is the picturesque Oratorio and Tower of San Rocco. The tower began as a Roman watchtower and the Oratorio dates from 1287. 

To the right of the church is Via Cavour, a charming little street that leads uphill. There are neighborhood shops, touristy shops, snack and food shops, and restaurants whose menus tantalize, including Bonta Nascosta near the top of the street. Tourists and locals bump along, everyone gawking at the shops and the menus and each other. When you come back down Via Cavour, turn right for more shops, including art galleries and an antique shop or two. Perhaps you'll notice a stairway or two leading off up the hill. Follow one up for a while and see a quieter part of the melange of history, resort, and hometown that is Lerici.

Travel Tip___________________________________________________________________
Our Hotel Guide & City Selector gives the Pluses and Minuses of other excellent Ligurian towns:
Part 1 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector  Cinque Terre South. Lerici, Portovenere, La Spezia. Visit Cinque Terre & enjoy the Gulf of the Poets as well.
Part 2 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector  Cinque Terre North. Levanto, Bonassola, Moneglia, Sestri Levante, Lavagna, Chiavari. Visit both Cinque Terre & Portofino.
Part 3 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector Towns on the perfect Portofino Peninsula.
Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino, Camogli, Recco.
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Lerici, Liguria. Walk along the Gulf of La Spezia.

Along the harbor front across the street, you will be drawn to a shaded garden promenade that is our walk. The people watching is excellent here, since there is a playground and benches and an open area. You can pretty much depend on seeing grandparents with little babies, Senegalese sidewalk vendors, old guys trading opinions, and future soccer stars (note the no soccer sign). If you are here on Saturday, though, the market takes place along here, so the experience will be yet more lively.

As you continue to walk, you'll turn a corner and reach the small second bay called Lido, which is devoted to a pay beach club. It's seems quite family oriented, and always well maintained, but there's not much action.  Soon the sidewalk rises and curves to the third bay, which is Venere Azzurra. This is much larger and there's more to watch. There are pay facilities as well as a free beach. This beach seems to attract more teens and young adults, so there's always something happening - a ball game, a card game, a splash fest, burying a friend, etc. There are a couple of snack bars, and the sidewalk serves as a kind of a peanut gallery where passersby can watch, leer, envy, compare, and study - all without embarassment. Halfway along Venere Azzurra there's a bus stop and also a little side street which leads uphill to the large parking area of La Vallata, mentioned below. If the waves are large, there might be some surfers on the far side of this bay. It's a kind of a theoretical surfing, however, as the waves never seem to cooperate, but the dudes get an 'A' for effort and persistence.

San Terenzo, Liguria.

At the end of Venere Azzurra, around a small promontory one reaches the Bay of San Terenzo, the fourth bay. After passing a beachside hotel and pay beach, a lovely scene is revealed. San Terenzo - a string of oceanfront buildings with a church, apartments rising behind, a crescent-shaped, crowded sandy beach, and a castle on a small promontory. No major description is needed because the layout is obvious, but there's still lots to investigate. The beach here is more family oriented, but that's not to say conservative. The bus stop is at the waterfront, and the boat landing is on the breakwater pier.  The well-situated San Terenzo castle is open limited hours, and it's interesting if for no other reason than this phrase from the entrance: "Unique in the entire world, the people built a castle."

Lo Scoglio, Mano di Dio.

Beyond the castle, the fifth bay, Marinella, is a sheltered, cliff-lined little cove with a tiny beach. It is the foreground - without the walkway - in Mr. Newman's painting. The beach is so perfectly human-sized, there's always at least one person here, even if there's no hope of privacy.  If you keep walking past a little gate on the far side, the sidewalk ends and there are views of the rugged Gulf shore.  If the surf is heavier here, sometimes there's a 'thunderhole' where air, trapped by waves under the rocks, creates a great booming sound as it escapes.

Arrival By Driving  You can arrive by ATC bus from La Spezia or from Sarzana (see below). You can arrive by boat, with much less risk than Poet Percy Shelly (see below).  But most likely you will arrive by car.  The center of Lerici and San Terenzo is a ZTL (Zone of Limited Traffic) in the summer (2016: June 15 to Sept. 15  10am-7pm & 10pm-3am) and possibly on special Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays on spring and fall weekends. In that case it requires a permit to enter, enforced strictly by police and cameras.  Lerici has very clear ZTL signs with red and green traffic lights. ZTL Details (IT).

Even when you can drive in, all the street parking is by permit, enforced with confusing signs. However, the town has provided satellite parking and two free 'Girobus' routes (little buses a/k/a navette) to make visiting possible.  Note: If you are staying in Lerici, we would advise you to contact your hotel before you arrive to get the latest info.

Travel Tip___________________________________________________________________

Renting A Car in Italy. If you drive in urban areas at home, you can drive in Italy. Car rental prices are important, but don't rent solely on low price and stick to well known companies. We have articles to help you:            
                                            Link: Independent Car Rental Reviews for Italy 
                                            Link:Car Rental Tips for Italy - Pick It Up Right 
                                            Link: Where to Rent a Car from Cinque Terre? Also useful for Lerici.
We advise getting your car from one of the companies with the fewest problems reported (Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Autovia, Budget) either direct or via a reputable car rental broker such as AutoEurope (NOT autoeuropa, ending in 'a'). The advantages of using AutoEurope are the added services without paying more - low price guarantee; 24/7 help before, during, and after the rental; easy changes and cancellation; as well as available less expensive zero excess (deductible) insurance.** If you find our efforts helpful, you can thank us by making your reservation through these links -using the links do not raise your price.
AutoEurope(US)    Auto Europe(UK) 
Avis(English)      Avis(IT)      Budget Rental (Europe in English) 
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Gelato just tastes better when the sea is near.

Parking There are three pay parking lots off the Statale 331, and one parking garage above the town center. See the Overview map for locations. By far the largest is the centrally located La Vallata. Coming from Sarzana, it's a signed right off the statale just after the tunnel Guercio (do not turn off to Lerici at the roundabout before the tunnel). Coming from La Spezia, it's also a signed right off the statale just before the tunnel Guercio. Parking fees are paid at a machine (coins only) and one leaves the receipt visible on the dashboard. In June, 2016, the rate at La Vallata was 1.50 Euro per hour 8 am to midnight, and parking is free on weekdays from October through April, according to signs on the machine. The rates and dates were a bit different at the other lots, so pay attention. Lastly, if you do get a ticket in the lot, locate and pay the attendant as it will be cheaper - so says yet another sign.

The Girobuses leave from the bus stops in the center and the top of La Vallata about every 15 minutes and cost just 1 Euro per day. Girobus Routes Story with Maps  One Girobus circles to Lerici and one to San Terenzo. Of course, you can also walk downhill from the La Vallata parking, and you'll join the walk description at Venere Azzurra. From the other two parking areas, you can catch the Girobus on the statale or you can just walk downhill to San Terenzo and start the walk there.

The parking garage (unsuitable for large vehicles) above the town center is reached by following the road toward Lerici from the roundabout on the Statale 331. As you descend down into town, you'll encounter the ZTL sign at a tiny roundabout, and the entrance to Parcheggio Lerici Centro is off this roundabout. Take a ticket when you enter, and pay at a machine on the lowest level as you return to your car. The rate in June, 2012, was 1.50 Euro per hour from 8am to midnight, and .50 Euro per hour overnight.


ATC Bus Info. We have written a riveting piece on bus transport Getting Around La Spezia which will give you the skinny on the buses. If you are coming from La Spezia, midday buses leave about every 15 minutes. If you are coming from Sarzana, the buses run about every 1/2 hour. You can catch either bus at stops midroute, of course, and you can see the schedules and stops by going here: Orario (Schedules). The La Spezia-Lerici route is L/S and it begins on pages 48 and it's ticket codice 3. The Sarzana-Lerici route is also L/S beginning on page 48 and it's codice 2. (As we write this, the ATC Google Planning function is down, so we are avoiding mentioning exactly where in La Spezia and Sarzana the buses travel). However, if you drill down on our Overview map (by Google), you'll see little clickable blue bus stops which give ATC route info.

Boat Information. Lerici is served by ferry boats that travel to Portovenere, and the Cinque Terre with connections for Palmaria Island and Portofino. The boats arrive and depart from a pier near Piazza Garibaldi. We have articles with complete times, prices, etc. Cinque Terre Portovenere Lerici Boat/Ferry Schedules.

Taxi Information Taxi service is not expensive. From Lerici/San Terenzo to Tellaro, is 12 to 15 Euro. The taxi stand in Lerici is across the street from the boat dock. One Lerici cabbie, Antonio Venturini, can be reached at  338-1801707. In San Terenzo, the taxi stand is at the major intersection in town, and Giorgio's cell is 338-3403008, and Marco's is 347-2795158.



Travel Tip__________________________________________________________________
Where to Stay      Use this Booking.Com.Italy link to find your hotel anywhere in Italy.

We hope we've helped you, thank us by considering the hotel or car rental links. Buon Viaggio.

If you'll be staying in a Lerici hotel, the following hotels are along the Castle to Castle walk. Listings are from Lerici harbor toward San Terenzo. If driving, remember to contact your hotel regarding entry to the ZTL. To see all Portovenere  hotels listed, use this link: Booking.Com.Lerici

Click on the Lerici hotel name for more information and booking.

The upscale Doria Park Hotel is on the hill which overlooks the center of Lerici. It's quite close, but you must climb a bit coming back from town. The views of the Gulf are the compensation and its restaurant is well regarded. The entrance by auto does not involve the ZTL.

Right in town there's a well-rated apartment named Ca' de Lerse (Lerici house in dialect) facing a garden, but located just off the central Piazza Garibaldi.

Hotel Shelley Delle Palme is close to the center of Lerici and on the lungomare. There are balconies on the front rooms. On our very first trip to Liguria, we enjoyed a bottle of wine on one while watching a lightning storm highlight the Gulf's points of interest.

Hotel Florida overlooking Venere beach.

On the little bay called Lido, further along the lungomare, is the Piccolo Hotel del Lido right on the beautiful Lido beach.

Hotel Florida overlooks the beach at Venere Azzurra, and also has balconies in the front.

Hotel San Terenzo is a hotel on the Lerici side of San Terenzo's bay. It is set below the lungomare, close to the water and beach. It's new construction with access for disabled guests.

The little B&B Il Nido is less than a 100 meters from the water, centrally located in the village of San Terenzo.

To Learn about staying in other Ligurian towns, read on:

Part 1 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector
Lerici, Portovenere, La Spezia. Visit Cinque Terre & enjoy the Gulf of the Poets as well.
Part 2 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector
Levanto, Bonassola, Moneglia, Sestri Levante, Lavagna, Chiavari. Visit both Cinque Terre & Portofino.
Part 3 Liguria Hotel Guide & City Selector Towns on the perfect Portofino Peninsula.
Rapallo, Santa Margherita, Portofino, Camogli, Recco.
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Spaghetti allo Scoglio. Mano di Fatima

Lerici Restaurants
For info on area specialties, see our article,  A Guide to the Local Food of La Spezia. For help with Lerici restaurant options, see our notated map of this Caprione Promontory, Restaurants Map. We've given info on restaurants we've tried, that Megan Guerrera of Bella Vita Italia has reviewed, and that a friend, Julie H., has tried. For planning purposes, note that the restaurants are concentrated more on the Lerici Harbor side of the towns.  For picnic supplies, there are small supermarkets and prepared food outlets within an easy walk in both Lerici and San Terenzo.



More Information

Americans Abroad Gallery    MFA, Boston

MFA, Boston This article was prompted by the prominent display of the painting above, Gulf of Spezia, in the Americans Abroad Gallery of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It's in the recently opened wing  Art of the Americas.  The 1884 oil painting is by Henry Roderick Newman, an American painter, (1843–1917) best known for his water colors.  You can read a nice description of this work at: MFA Gulf of Spezia and also click to a larger view.


NY Times Lerici The New York Times has discovered Lerici, and they sent a good and sensible writer.

Lerici Hikes. The Caprione peninsula on which Lerici is located has hikes every bit as enjoyable as those of Cinque Terre. We describe two in detail: The Forgotten Villages of the Gulf of the Poets and The Brides Walk, Ameglia to Tellaro

Some of our other Liguria Travel Articles
Getting Around La Spezia  Describes parking in La Spezia, as well as bus info and other goodies.

La Spezia Travel Guide: Top Ten Attractions as told by people who  have actually been there
.

Getting to Portofino - Walking, Hiking, and More  Describes fabulous walking and hiking from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino.

The Most Beautiful Villages of Liguria Part 1 The Rock Villages A 7-part series covering 28 great little towns.

Written by Martha

The Happy Hour Pepper

Walking through a market in an Italian village of any size generally means walking by some of the best looking vegetables you’ve ever seen. Stacks of gorgeous artichokes, eggplants, and asparagus tempt you. Rows of baby zucchini - lined up with their flowers in a bright row - beg to be adopted. But what's this then? There in a basket to the side, some of the homeliest twisted little green peppers you can imagine. Thank the Heavens! The friggitelli are here!








 It sounds unlikely, but these peppers are a fantastic snack. When you and your guests sit down with drinks and friggitelli, your dinner plans may be delayed. Although native to the Americas like all peppers, this variety of pepper, along with the Pedron peppers of Galicia, seem uniquely suited to this treatment. Also called friarelli, we're told, they are not available at every store, and they appear toward late spring or early summer. They are basically a sweet pepper, although the occasional seed may have a touch of hot to it.




Buy enough to nearly cover the bottom of your biggest frying pan (preferably cast iron or nonstick). Wash the peppers, dry them…and start the heat - on high.  Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, then put in the whole  peppers. Stand back, they’re going to spatter! Now wait intrepidly while they sizzle. Total cooking time will be in the range of 5 to 7 minutes. The goal is to lightly char the peppers quickly, so they don’t really cook entirely through, but retain some crunch. If you can resist moving them constantly, it’s better. When you have dark patches on one side, flip them.  When they have dark brown patches in a couple of places (say about 1/5 of the surface), dump them on a plate and sprinkle with a little coarse-grained salt.

Pour the white wine or beer  – heaven.

Copyright 2011 www.apathtolunch.com. This article appeared at www.apathtolunch.com and has not been authorized elsewhere.

Written by Martha

The Bride's Walk - Ameglia to Tellaro

The old signora had a store -a small grocery - on the Piazza della Liberta in Ameglia, where Liguria meets Tuscany.  Elsa Aluisini was 94 years old, and her store opened every day at 8am - even though her daughter had to drive her the 300 meters from her home. She had a smile for every customer, and the bit of blusher she troubled to wear on her cheeks multiplied the warmth. We were new to Ameglia - it was 1991 - and our Italian was pretty bad. But this gentle lady took the time to talk to us every time we came in.  One day, she gave us a gift. The gift of a small story, a picture really, which we cherish. We hope to pass the gift to you.

The signora's mother, Lisa, grew up in Tellaro, a small fishing village on the Gulf of La Spezia, across the peninsula from Ameglia. The way of life was humble, since fishing and agriculture were virtually the only livelihoods. Since Ameglia was the political center of the area, the land route to Tellaro was the path from Ameglia.  Tellaro was also part of the Ameglia parish, so when it came time for the signora's mother to be married, in the 1890's, the wedding had to be in Ameglia. On her wedding day, the bride-to-be, dressed in her modest wedding dress with a yellow veil, set off from Tellaro to Ameglia, a hike of about 2 miles. The path was paved with stones and dirt - a mule track - and it climbed up and over the spine of the peninsula. In order to look her best, the bride carried her ribboned yellow cloth wedding shoes in hand, and walked the rough path to her wedding - barefoot.



Introduction.

Ethnographic Museum La Spezia
18th C. Traditional Festival Dress

Our walk begins after the ceremony. Starting from the piazza in front of Ameglia's church in the Centro Storico, we will walk to Tellaro. It's about 2 miles -each way- and in this direction there's a modest rise, and then a long downhill to the sea. It will take about an hour, it's a moderately easy walk, and can be done with energetic children. Along the way there are panoramic views of the mountains and the Gulf of the Poets. You'll walk along terraced olive groves, and through a scented and characteristically Mediterranean landscape. There are several lunch options in Tellaro, and a quaint fishing village to explore. To return there are two options. One is to walk back the way you came. The second option is to take a bus or boat to beautiful Lerici, and after exploring and/or lunching there, take a bus to the locality called Zanego, at the high point of the hike, and walk back down to Ameglia in just 20 minutes. To visualize, look at the Bride's Walk Map  Oh, we forgot to mention, you will remember this pretty walk for the rest of your life,  just like Elsa told us the Bride did.

See below for Getting There,  About Ameglia,  Bus Info,  Boat Info,  Lunch Info, and More Info.

Ameglia. Ancient Slate Relief

Walk Description. From the Ameglia church piazza, there's a grand view of the Magra River, the Luni plain, the Colli di Luni (the hills), and the Apli Apuane (the mountains). Unseen beneath the plain in front of you is the important Roman city of Luni and its harbor, Portus Lunae, long since buried by the river's silt. The historic city of Luni is one reason for Ameglia's development, as well as for its importance. It's worth taking the time to explore this unique town, with the help of the About Ameglia section below, and when you're ready leave, go back through the arch onto Piazza della Liberta.

Walk directly across the Piazza and up the street, past the little Bar in our building, past the Rolla Alimentari, and past a little bakery. The road will turn, but you'll go straight. Ahead is the lovely Oratorio di Nostra Signora Assunta. Rarely open, it dates from the 18th century. The trail goes to the left of the church, and begins to rise, as we head up a pass between the hills. The current CAI map signals our path as Trail CAI-2b, connecting to CAI-3 at Zanego and then branching to Tellaro on CAI-3h. Older maps may well have different designations

Ameglia Tower and Castle, rear view with Alpi Apuane.

Walking along, you see the CAI-2 trail branch off to the right. The road will curve, and you'll get your first overview of Ameglia and the valley over the roofs of some new construction. At the gate of a modern home, the road becomes more trail like as you turn right. From here you are going essentially straight until you cross an asphalt road at Zanego (ZA-nego). You'll pass one final house guarded by some very unenthusiastic watchdogs, and the rise becomes more pronounced. There are a few side paths you don't take, and a frana (landslide) that has disturbed the trail, but on and up you go. Don't forget to check the view behind you as you rise.

The trail levels off, the view is gone, and it passes through olive groves, some neat and tended, some overgrown, some hosting horses. Later in the year, there may be red or orange nets spread below the trees to collect fallen olives. Though the olives look like the black olives in the store, they must be cured to be edible, otherwise they are way beyond bitter.

As you walk along, you'll see that, in places, the dirt beside the trail has been dug up. This was done by cinghiali, wild boars that weigh as much as 200 pounds, who were using their sharp tusks as trowels while looking for grubs and roots. Also look for u-shaped troughs on the slopes under the brush near the trail. These are slides that the cinghiale use as trails, and - we have read - for fun. The cinghiali are extremely wary and intelligent, and you almost certainly will not encounter one.

Thanks, CAI volunteers.

Most of the land in this section is terraced, in order to increase the arable surface area, and slow the water runoff. The terraces could be used to grow grain or vines or vegetables or olives, but due to their small dimensions would still require cultivation by hand. Perhaps the practical hiker might give some thought to the effort involved in creating these terraces. How many decades or centuries did it take humble peasants to change this from a smooth steep hillside to a series of level strips, to reinforce it with rock, and restore the topsoil? And for what? In what society would the extra olive oil or barley be worth that much effort!  It happened in a world unimaginable to us, by people with few other choices: in the very same society that gave us the Firenze duomo and Galileo.

A Path to Lunch

Soon enough you'll feel the fresher ocean air, and then see the landscaping of the suburban human. At the road there's a shrine, a well, and some trail signs, and that's Zanego (a/k/a quattro strade). This is also the bus stop you need on the Lerici to Montemarcello bus, if you decide to return via Lerici. You will cross the road and begin the descent to Tellaro on CAI-3. Here there are more hidden houses with gardens, but it becomes even more Mediterranean. Here the path is modern crushed stone, there the path is ancient stone set in dirt for traction and to limit mud. The trees start to reveal the view of the Gulf of the Poets, and all's right with the world.

Much of the walk since leaving Ameglia has been through The Parco di Montemarcello-Magra, link below. This park was established to preserve this wonderful peninsula in its present state, and thank goodness. However, you've also seen recent development, so what does preserve mean? The new construction you've seen is either because the Park boundary zigged and zagged in places as it approaches more settled areas, or because there was the foundation of a habitation that pre-existed the Park's founding. In the later case, the owner is allowed to improve the property. To exploit the opportunity, an engineer and an archeologist must certify that the foundation is old, and then the owner can rebuild the house. Yes, it has been abused at times.

Tellaro and the Gulf of the Poets

The way down is well marked, even at the trail junction, where you'll branch left to Tellaro on CAI-3h. The view in the distance shows on the left, the small Island of Tino, then the Island of Palmaria, then Portovenere on the mainland, and then the Portovenere peninsula, rising to the mountain area called Il Muzzerone. On the far side, beyond the Muzzerone and up the coast are the Cinque Terre. Out of sight to the right is La Spezia. You'll see ships waiting for berths at La Spezia, and perhaps a little naval destroyer acting as a symbolic protector of this important naval base. There are floating supports for mussel growing behind the breakwater to the harbor. Gulf of the Poet mussels (muscoli or cozze) have been grown here since the 1800's and are justifiably famous. Little pleasure boats, fishing boats and sailboats and ferry boats travel fast and slow, here and there, each adding to the relaxed imperative of the Gulf. Down you walk, and at one point you can look over a fence on your left and down to a beach below. It's a wonderful little glimpse because it's really DOWN. Soon the houses thicken, and the streets narrow and become village-like and our job is done. Welcome to Tellaro.


Getting There
Reach the Centro Storico (Capoluogo) of Ameglia by exiting at the Carrara exit northbound from the A12, Genova to Livorno,  or the Sarzana exit southbound from the same A12. Follow the Ameglia signs to the Statale SS432 either north or south, and watch for the Ameglia turnoff. Northbound, it's a left about 2 km. after the bridge over the Magra. Southbound, the bridge means you've gone too far. You will see the pretty hill town as you drive up toward Ameglia on Via Cafaggio, and the road becomes increasingly - some might say alarmingly - narrow. As you begin to enter the town, there's a  P sign for Parking, and you turn left down into the parking lot. HOWEVER, the upper two lots are for residents only, and are poorly signed. You need to go down to the newly built lower levels 3, 4 or 5 and park. Fortunately, the lots are safe, free, and there are no time limits. At the top of the long stairs on the town side of the parking lots, you reach one end of the Piazza della Liberta. Turn left under the arch, and you'll reach the church piazza where the description begins.

About Ameglia

Ameglia, Liguria. Defense tower, 10th Century.

The history of our little town is immense, even by Italian standards, so we offer but a few fragments. There was a Ligurian village here by 500 B.C., and their necropolis, at the foot of the hill,  yielded evidence of extensive trading in that period.  By at least the 900's, the round tower rising above the castle was present, a period that corresponds to the increased pirate and Saracen raids that eventually finished off Luni. The tower's use was defensive as the entrance was high above the ground, allowing a ladder to be pulled in after all had entered.  Some castle walls and town walls (now largely gone) date from the 10th century, but the castle we see dates beginning in 1174.  After Luni was completely abandoned, in 1058 A.D., Ameglia and then Sarzana became the residence of the Bishop/Counts of Luni - who were both religious and secular rulers. The when and where of the Bishops' residence is still debated, but in the early 1100's it was Ameglia. At other periods, Ameglia was apparently the Bishops' summer residence - probably because of the summer sea breeze as well as malarial concerns in Sarzana.

In later periods, like most of the area towns, Ameglia belonged in turn to various competing city-states. The ownership records reads like the deed to a house: from 1141 Genova, from 1252 Lavagna, from 1284 back to the Bishops of Luni, from 1321 Lucca, from 1328 three or more different feudal families, and from 1380 back to Genova. The transfers continued until 1562 when the Republic of Genova finally established control which lasted until the Napoleonic era.

Ameglia Campanile.

The town layout is somewhat unusual, as the castle is the center, not the church. In front of the castle, there's a courtyard (originally a defensive ditch) and a little rectangle of streets. Then concentrically around the castle are three round streets which connect to each other but don't complete a circle. From the outer street there's an excellent view of Ameglia's little valley and the Alpi Apuane. Note that many of the houses are built on -or even around - solid rock. The small streets and narrow houses evoke a timeless feeling, enhanced by some of the ancient details that have been preserved. In particular look for ancient reliefs in slate around some of the doorways near the church.


Bus Info
Buses here are by ATC, and we happen to have a thrilling article on how to take a bus Getting Around La Spezia. You should check the bus times yourself since a new summer schedule starts June 16, 2011. However, to give you an idea of the service, here are Feriale (Mon-Sat.) midday times on May 30, 2011. Tellaro to Lerici:  9:55 / 10:45 / 11:45 / 12:50 / 13:30 / 14:05 / 14:45 / 15:15 / 16:35 / 17:45. Lerici to Zanego (Montemarcello bus) : 11:26 / 13:41 / 16:41 / 17:41 / 19:26.

Lerici , Liguria. The Italian Riviera.

Tickets Sellers/Codice. For a complete list of sellers, refer to our article above. All Poste (Post Offices) in La Spezia province sell bus tickets according to the ATC website. In Tellaro there's a coin self-service machine for single tickets at the bus stop, and the Tabacchi (closed Monday) at Piazza Figoli, 2, sells singles and 8-trip tickets. Tellaro-Lerici is Codice 01. In Lerici, there's a coin self-service machine for single tickets at the bus stop in Piazza Garibaldi (at the harbor end of town). Single and 8-trip tickets are sold at the Tabacchi at 19 Piazza Garibaldi, and at the Bar Casa del Caffe at number 14. The large edicola (newstand) just back from the waterfront park promenade also sells tickets. The Lerici-Zanego trip is Codice 02. (Thinking ahead: a party of four going from Tellaro to Zanego via Lerici could use one 8-trip ticket Codice 02).
                                         

Fishing Boats Lerici Harbor

Lunch Info

Ciccillio a Mare at Lerici

Around the piazza at the entry to Tellaro, you'll see several less expensive food options. A few minutes walk along the road to Lerici, there's a small alimentari suitable for buying an impromptu picnic. Further down that road, are two more expensive restaurants reviewed by Megan Guerrera of Bellavitaitalia, namely Locanda Miranda and La Caletta.

For some of the many Lerici restaurant options, study our notated map of this Caprione Promontory, Restaurants and Overview Map. We've given info on restaurants we've tried, that Megan Guerrera has reviewed, and that a friend, Julie H., has tried.

More Info
Parco di Montemarcello-Magra (IT)  There are many good trails through and around the park. Maps and guide books are available in bookstores. The Parco's office is at the far edge of Montemarcello, across from Il Giardino cafe.

CAI Sarzana (Club Alpino Italiano) has a good recent hiking map: Bassa Val di Magra (4Land Alpine Cartography #141) (1:25,000) which includes this area. Available at book stores, some newsstands, and CAI Sarzana,  Piazza Firmafede, 13, just off Via Mazzini near Porta Romana.

NY Times Lerici The New York Times discovered Lerici, and, luckily, they sent a good and sensible writer.

Ethnographic Museums For insight into the lives of ordinary people here in the past two centuries, the area has two excellent museums. In La Spezia, Museo Civico (IT) and in Villafranca, Museo Etnografico (IT).

Thanks
We are grateful to a distinguished neighbor we never had the pleasure of meeting, Ennio Silvestri, for his book, Ameglia Nella Storia Della Lunigiana, and to his widow, Ilva, for presenting it as a welcoming gift.

Written by Martha