A Guide to the Local Food of La Spezia & Cinque Terre.

The Food Specialties of Liguria Levante. 

What Special Local Foods Can We Eat in Cinque Terre, La Spezia & Portovenere?

Liguria has many famous food specialties fit for every taste, such as:

Focaccia....This bread is originally from Liguria - it's much better and more varied here.

Farinata....Made from chickpea flour, it may look like flatbread, but it's unforgettably tasty.

Pasta..........Croxetti - with a stamped symbol, Trofie - a small, hand rolled, pasta are Ligurian DOC.

Mesciua.....Made from a legume mix topped with olive oil. Humble origin, divine accomplishment.

Cozze Ripieni.....Stuffed mussels as an appetizer or meal.

Torta di Verdura.....The words mean vegetable pie, but the taste speaks paragraphs.

keep reading for more....

When Italians refer to 'piatti tipici' (dishes typical of the area), it is serious business. This is where the culture meets the mouth, and every city, every province, and every region has its unique dishes. When Italians visit another region of Italy, they always eat the specialties, so you should too. The good news is you can tour Italy for the next decade or two and not encounter them all.

Here's our little food guide to the specialties that you might encounter on your visit to the Gulf of La Spezia area. This is only a select few from a long list. If you see or hear about others, all the better - just say yes.

Vegetable Pie and More in Portovenere.

Farinata This is first because it's one of our favorite things. It's a giant chickpea flour pancake that's baked in a wood oven in a pan about a yard in diameter, cut in to slices, weighed, and handed to you as a snack. It's nutty, smooth, crunchy on the edges, creamy in the middle, about ¼ inch thick, and just delicious. It's gluten free, but not gluttony free. Usually available in the morning and after 5 in the afternoon.

Foccacia You see it everywhere in the world now, I know, but it's indigenous to Liguria, and here it comes in many forms, many shapes and sizes, and is almost always interesting. It can be thin or thick, topped with oil and rosemary and salt, or split in half and stuffed with meat and cheese. It can be baked with cheese in it (this style from Recco further north is focaccia da Recco). Bakeries and snack places carry varieties, just keep trying until you find your favorite. At some snack places, you can ask for foccacia stuffed with farinata, odd sounding but great.

Torta di Verdura Ligurians love vegetables, and these large round pies are filled with cheese and a variety of greens and vegetables. They could include leeks, swiss chard, spinach, zucchini, artichokes, carrots, onions, the list is endless. They are a wonderful snack or lunch, and you can't go wrong, they're all good. They're available in slices at some bakeries, snack places, even deli counters, all sold by weight. They also might be a part of a restaurant's antipasto.
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 based solely on low price and stick to well known companies. We have two articles to help you:  Link: Independent Car Rental Reviews for Italy and Link:Car Rental Tips for Italy - Pick It Up Right 
In them, we recommend the car hire broker Auto Europe where you can compare companies, reserve with a low price guarantee, purchase no deductible insurance, cancel easily, and have 24/7 customer service before and after the car hire. If you will rent a car and want to do us a favor, please use this link: Auto Europe.

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Spaghetti with Mussels, a La Spezia specialty.

Mussels  The Gulf of La Spezia is famous for growing mussels, called cozze or muscoli, and they're a particularly flavorful breed, briny and delicious. If you've never tried them, start now. Look for them served two ways. First, as spaghetti alle cozze (or similar pasta) when they're a tasty primo. Another unique preparation is stuffed mussels, muscoli or cozze ripieni. The mussels are opened, the meat is split, and a savory spoonful of stuffing made of vegetable, bread crumbs, ground mussels, and sometimes minced mortadella or pork is placed in the shell. Then they're reassembled, simmered in tomato sauce - fantastically good. Look for them in restaurants, trattorie, and sometimes at gastronomie.

Mesciua A strange name for a simple country soup that will knock your socks off. Every sample is a little different because this is true Cucina Povera, and the recipe has a whatever attitude. A couple of different types of dried beans, farro ( a hearty grain known in English as spelt), a flavoring of herbs and onion, and a healthy topping of dark green olive oil make for a terrific thick soup. Available at many authentic restaurants, often including Osteria all'Inferno in La Spezia. It's substantial enough to be lunch on its own.

Portovenere Restaurant Menu with Piatti Tipici.

Stuffed vegetables Doesn’t sound particularly spectacular, but wait until you try. The most popular vegetables to create Verdure Ripiene alla Ligure are baby zucchine, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The stuffings vary, of course, but all have a bread crumb base, flavored with cheese and herbs, and sometimes ground meat. They’re usually offered as an antipasto in a restaurant, but if you buy them (by weight) in a gastronomia, they make a nice lunch.

Coniglio alla Ligure  In this region, rabbits are raised like chickens and used often. The traditional Ligurian recipe uses fresh herbs, local olives (often taggiasche which some dare call Nicoise), pignoli, local wine, and plenty of fruity olive oil. It’s simple, non-tomatoey, non-saucy, and all the tastes just work right together.

Sgabei These are little fried bits of dough, about 3 inches long and an inch wide, that make county-fair fried dough seem like greasy pancake batter. They have character and substance and a little crunch, and are often offered filled: choose cold cuts or cheese. While you can get them at a frigittoria (a fry shop) - a La Spezia favorite is Pane e Tulipani Via Prione 274- you also may see them as part of an antipasto in a restaurant.

Spaghetti with Anchovy. Osteria All'Inferno, La Spezia.

Anchovies I know, I know, but these are different. They're fresh, light, delicate, and ubiquitous. Italians are known for eating delicious things, so maybe you give them another try. They show up in numerous ways, some of the favorites are marinated, Acciughe Marinate, delicate little fillets in a dressing of oil, some herbs, served as an antipasto; as a sauce on spaghetti, Spaghetti all'Acciughe, which is generally pretty restrained, and involves some tomato and parsley; and stuffed, as Acciughe ripiene in which they are opened up flat, topped with a tablespoon of seasoned bread crumbs, and broiled until crunchy.

Pesto  Believe it or not, this was invented in Liguria. It's different here. It's better here. The dish always involves basil, pignoli, parmigiano and garlic paste, and Ligurians often add a handful of green beans and some slices of boiled potato. The most authentic presentation for pesto is on a short local pasta as trofie al pesto. However, you may also find it on spaghetti, bavette, buccatini, or another Ligurian invention - croxetti.

Croxetti, Ligurian pasta.

Croxetti These are a round thin pasta with a symbol stamped on them. You may not find these served in restaurants too often this far south in Liguria, since they appear more often about 30 miles up the coast (see our story & recipe at Living Ligurian History). However, you can readily find them as packages of dried pasta, and they make a great souvenir. When you get home and serve the croxetti to people with the pesto, green bean and potato mixture, you'll have a great way to share your Ligurian experience.


Vermentino This is a traditional white wine of the area, and it is excellent by itself or with seafood. The Vermentino grape is thought to be native to Sardinia and Liguria, and it is becoming very popular. For a favorable price vs. quality, we suggest you look for the DOC Colli di Luni from the La Spezia area and the nearby foothills of the Apuan Alps.

There could be many more foods listed here - baccala and stoccafisso, testaroli and bianchetti, but we are running long already. As you can imagine, there is never agreement over what constitutes a specialty and who is responsible for it. If you want an Italian viewpoint, here's a local website Ama La Spezia - Ricette Tipiche

Travel Tip
Where to Stay in Cinque Terre?
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Use the ferry to avoid the crowds while you enjoy the Gulf of the Poets towns. Read our descriptions and hotel recommendations:
                                            Link: Guide to Portovenere Lerici La Spezia
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Written by Martha

La Spezia's Lia Art Museum

Renaissance Art Up-Close and Personal 
Museo Amedeo Lia 

A man named Amedeo Lia loved La Spezia. He loved it as Isabella Stuart Gardner loved Boston, as J. Paul Getty loved Los Angeles, and as Albert Barnes loved Philadelphia. Thanks to Lia's bequest, an ancient convent in La Spezia, along the pedestrian Via Prione, was completely transformed into the fascinating Lia Museum to display his fabulous art collection. The Amedeo Lia Museum houses the personal treasures of an individual collector who had wonderful taste, deep pockets, and an admirable sense of civic duty.

Why would you go to a relatively small museum in a seaport town?  Well thanks, that's an easy question:

Picasso? Not even close. Pisa c.1275.

• The La Spezia collection is one of the most prestigious in Europe because of the high quality of the 13th, 14th and
  15th-century panels. The breadth of Renaissance painting is yours to explore. 
• In one museum you can experience painting, manuscripts, Roman art, ecclesiastical art, and more.
• The museum is uncrowded, so that you can linger, explore, re-visit favorites, and wander. 
• Few of the paintings are behind glass, and all are approachable. You are right there where you can see the brush strokes and really absorb the work.
• There is an informative precis of the contents of each room in Italian, English, French, and German. You’re very welcome in this museum, and they want you to see and appreciate these fine works.

The highlight of the collection is, of course, the Renaissance paintings. There is a whole room of works on wood from the 13th and 14th centuries, which range from almost primitive depictions to sophisticated portraits in subtle colors with incised gold halos. These fondi oro (panels with gold grounds) are the most famous holdings of the museum, and alone are worth the visit. On the same floor, the next room moves to 15th century Northern Italian paintings, which segue into rooms of 16th, 17th, and 18th century works. What a marvelous progression! Works by Titian and Tintoretto hang beside works of lesser known but excellent artists, both Italian and northern European.

Madonna, Bambino & Angeli.  c.1475

Another highlight is the collection of miniatures, as they’re called, kept in glass cases in a darkened room. The ars minatoria was an artistic technique during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and takes its name from minium, the bright red lead oxide used in these paintings on parchment. These pages from medieval illuminated manuscripts are beautiful, both the paintings and the calligraphy are rich and evocative. In one case, there are four tiny paintings of Sir Lancelot saving Guinevere, jousting, etc.

There are other rooms of treasures, too – ancient glass, majolicas, religious articles of ivory, silver, Limoges, sculptures. No spoiler alert needed here, you’ll have plenty to discover for yourself.

Wood Statue, Madonna Dolente, Venetian c.1425.

Museo Civico Amedeo Lia

Via Prione 234,  La Spezia, Italy 19121 

Telephone (0187) 731 100 

Website is Museo Amedeo Lia 

Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Closed Jan.1, Aug.15 and Dec. 25.

The ticket office closes at 5.30 p.m.

Almost all of the museum is handicapped accessible.

-Full-price ticket  € 10.00

-Combined ticket  € 12,00 also allows you to visit the adjacent Museo del Sigillo (Museum of Seals), the Castle of San Giorgio, the Museo Etnografico-Diocesano (Ethnographic/Diocesan Museum) and the CAMeC Center for Modern & Contemporary Art within 72 hours of purchase.

Getting there:

Via Prione is a major walking street, with shops and markets, running along the eastern side of the business district. It’s a pedestrian only zone. If you are coming from the Cruise Terminal, walk straight inland to Via Prione. 

If you visit by train from Lunigiana or Cinque Terre on a rainy day, the Lia Museum is a five minute walk toward the harbor from La Spezia's Centrale train station. See our article Getting Around La Spezia.

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 based solely on low price and stick to well known companies. We have two articles to help you:  Link: Independent Car Rental Reviews for Italy and Link:Car Rental Tips for Italy - Pick It Up Right 
In them, we recommend the car hire broker Auto Europe where you can compare companies, reserve with a low price guarantee, purchase no deductible insurance, cancel easily, and have 24/7 customer service before and after the car hire. If you will rent a car and want to do us a favor, please use this link: Auto Europe.

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Written by Martha

La Spezia Transportation - Bicycle Sharing

Bike Sharing in La Spezia: Spezia-in-bici
Like at least 132 other Italian cities, La Spezia has a community-use bicycle sharing program. If you are visiting La Spezia for more than a couple of days, you might like to enroll to make use of the Speziainbici program. The bikes are now available at 19 convenient stations around the city, and can be returned at any station.



The program maintains a Bicincitta Map where you can view the location of the stations and also see the number of bikes available. If you drive into the city, you might be pleased to see there are stands at the free parking areas of Palasport and Piazza D'Armi.  If you arrive by train, there's a stand at La Spezia Centrale.

The La Spezia bike sharing program, Spezia-in-bici, now has 17 locations.

To use the Bicincitta bicycles you need to register and obtain an electronic card at the ATC Mobilita e Parcheggi office at Via Saffi, 3. Map: Spezia-in-Bici Office .  The card costs 10 Euro per year. Then add at least 5 Euro on your account for immediate use. They'll also give you a lock so you can park the bike while you buy Salsiccie di Pignone at La Spezia's busy daily market on Corso Cavour.






The usage fee is zero for the first hour, one-half Euro for the second hour, one Euro for the third hour, and two Euro per hour thereafter. Helmets are not provided with the bikes. The funds on your account can be replenished by visiting the office, via a bolletino postale, or via a bonifico bancario.

More info:

Bike Sharing.  General info Bicincitta La Spezia (EN) and specific info Speziainbici (IT).

La Spezia Transportation.  Read our thrilling article on buses,trains, boats, and parking:  Getting Around La Spezia - Lunigiana - Gulf of the Poets

Written by Martha

Getting Around: La Spezia - Gulf of the Poets Travel Guide

Bus & Train Information with Driving Directions & Parking

Parking for Cinque Terre & Portovenere. Where to Stay.

Since La Spezia is the transportation hub for its province, we had to write this article to help travelers explore this great place.  So we hope it helps you, but be sure to read some of the good stories listed below like La Spezia Travel Guide - Top 10 Attractions.

Look Below for:  Buses & Bus Schedules
                              Ferry Boats
                              Parking - Free & Pay
                              Hotel Recommendations
                              Cinque Terre connections
                              Excursion Ideas

Travel Tip____________________________________________________________________________
Where to Stay     
Our La Spezia hotel recommendations are at the end of this article.  To see all the La Spezia hotels listed on Booking.Com, use this link: Booking.Com.La Spezia

Learn more about how to minimize the crowds and enjoy Cinque Terre, Portofino & Liguria. To choose the best village and see Martha's hotel recommendations read our helpful:
Liguria Hotel Guide+City Selector
Link: Part 1: Cinque Terre South - Gulf of the Poets
Link: Part 2: Cinque Terre North to Portofino
Link: Part 3: The Portofino Peninsula
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Buses
Two entities handle local buses in our area of southern Liguria and northern Tuscany. ATC in La Spezia province, and ATN (CAT) in the province of Massa Carrara. In this article we are dealing with ATC La Spezia which covers the La Spezia, Portovenere, Lerici, Ameglia, and Sarzana area, and also runs some buses to Aulla and Carrara.  ATC La Spezia has good internet functionality and you should be able to find all the bus info you need with a modest effort, as well as a good deal of information on other related topics.

ATC La Spezia handles many aspects of transport in the larger La Spezia area.  The main website ATC Home is also in English, and provides a broad array of info -  some bus information and links to more; material on parking areas in La Spezia - some with special bus connections; links to boat and ferry services around the Gulf; a link to integrated Ligurian transport information; a Google map function that shows available ATC transport possibilities between addresses; etc.  If you are living or staying in the area, we suggest you investigate this resource even if you don't take buses often.

A separate ATC website ATC Buses is also in English and provides detailed bus info, including a download of the current Orario (schedule); special notices (of a strike, say);  info on connecting mobile devices;  ticket seller locations;  a Google function that provides bus route info between addresses;  etc.  If you download, bear in mind that the schedules or for one season, for example April 1 to June 15, 2016. Though one can't determine a schedule beyond the current time period,  they don't seem to change much. This underlines the need to recheck your information before setting out. We suppose the current schedule can also be purchased at an edicola (news stand) as with train schedules, but we can't verify it.

ATC Schedules. For more detailed bus planning, see the ATC Website - where you can get a full or partial timetable and bus and parking info.  There's also an ATC Trip Planner  which will determine the route from your desired origin and destination and display it on a map.. Remember that the schedules do not name every bus stop (for the precise route, click on the blue bus icons of the Google map which will yield a box with bus routes and times at that bus stop). There are at least two schedules for each route and often some small type at the top of the page clarifying the entries. Note that the word 'Feriale' in Italian, meaning workday, sometimes may not include Saturday, depending on context. However, in the ATC schedules, 'Feriale' DOES include Saturday UNLESS it is modified in the Legend at the top of the page, or there is a separate 'Feriale al Sabato' schedule.  In the legend, Lun-Ven is Mon-Fri, Lun-Sab is Mon-Sat.  'Festivi' means Sunday and holidays (and Saturday if it is explicitly excluded from Feriale). 'Schol' (Scholastico) means school days, and 'Non-schol' means non-school days. The type color of these words corresponds to the type color of the schedule entry. The periods of 'schol' and 'non-schol' are defined at the beginning of the schedule.  The schedules are not as hard to read as it sounds - honest.

ATC Fares & Tickets. Fares are by distance and are divided into codice (codes). Each origin-destination pair has a codice, but we can only find a partial list Codice Sample. For example, La Spezia to Portovenere is 3, to Lerici 3, to San Terenzo 2, to Le Grazie 1, within La Spezia 1.  If you can't guess the codice, ask at a sales point. For each codice, you can buy singles, and you can buy 8 trip tickets, and there are more options travellers don't care about. The rates are a bargain, see ATC Fares. Tickets are purchased before you board at a few self-service machines (singles only) or at any Poste in La Spezia province or at small stores, bars, and newsstands that display the ATC logo. ATC Ticket Sellers are listed here.

When you get on the bus - front or back, you MUST validate the ticket in a little machine, which prints the time and chops off a little piece of the ticket. Otherwise, you do not have a valid ticket, and can be fined on the spot. Many Italians won't be using the little machine because they have monthly passes. Two people travelling together can use an 8 trip ticket, IF they validate it twice. A higher codice can be used on a lower codice trip, but not vice versa. (As per the comment below, realistically speaking the chances of being fined for no ticket or the wrong code are pretty low, especially outside crowded areas. Try to be good, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do).

More Info

Ferry boat trip to Cinque Terre

Boats/Ferries to Cinque Terre, Lerici, and Portovenere
Boat trips to and between the Gulf of the Poets towns of Lerici or Portovenere or to the Cinque Terre are highly recommended. They are available in combinations to suit every traveller. The boats run from about the end of March to the end of October.  In 2014, they are starting March 29.  The official schedules are on the Maritime Coop Website but not until the season nears. Fortunately for you, we have archived the schedules in this article Cinque Terre Lerici Portovenere Boat/Ferry Schedules.  The boats leave from the western end of the Passeggiata Morin which is the waterfront promenade. This bay, its towns, and its landscapes have been justly famous for centuries and they are yours to enjoy for mere money.

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 Price Comparisons for Italy                           
                           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 Portofino area.  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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Park & Shuttle La Spezia has two free and convenient Parking & Navette Page, one east and one west, with free bus (navette) shuttle service to the center (except in summer).  For regular users, there are also bike-sharing stands ( see our article Spezia-in-Bici). Parking in the center of La Spezia is tight and always by payment, so this may well save you time, money, and trouble. Here is a Parking Map of all parking area around the city, both free (libero) and pay. ATC also maintains an Italian language Parking Website though it is less useful than it should be.

Central Station Parking

La Spezia Train Parking

Centrale Train Station. There are 116 modern parking spots available at the central La Spezia train station with an entrance from Via Fiume (next to a large golden yellow building). This gives travellers to Cinque Terre a secure option. Parking can be reserved by registering at Centrale Parking. The rates in 2018 were 1.50 Euro per hour or 18 Euro per day with reservation and it's open 24 hours a day. Click the photos to enlarge. Your ticket also is good for 2 people on an ATC bus for up to 2 hours. It also provides access to large clean restrooms. The parking has video surveillance, but do not ever leave valuables in the car and do not leave all your baggage overnight even if hidden.

Palasport Sign and Shuttle Bus

Free Parking at Palasport (East) and Piazza d'Armi (West). Approaching the city on Via Carducci after leaving the A15 autostrada, the free Palasport parking area is is a right turn at the first traffic light (small sign) on Via della Pianta. You'll see the sign as you turn, and the lot is on the left, and the bus stop is on the street behind the sign. (Note: Don't count on the bus, info has been impossible to find 1/2019). The lot is huge, and when your friendly test dummies used it, it was only half full. The free Piazza d'Armi lot on the west side of town is on Via XV Giugno a small street off Viale Amendola (opposite the Q8 gas station). There are directional signs in the adjacent intersections. This lot is within walking distance of the train station and open market, but there is also a free shuttle (except summer, see above). Because it is more convenient, it is also more likely to fill up. The only advisory we have concerns the return. In the center of town, the service (Navetta or Speedy Bus) had limited signs at the bus stops. Therefore, before you exit, confirm with the driver where to wait for the return bus. At midday, the headway (time between buses) was 20 minutes, and it's less at rush hour.

Parking for Cruise Boats. New in 2013, there are 40 parking spots available for cruise boat customers at 9 Euro a day. The lot is on the east end of Passegiata Morin. They may be reserved in advance at this Italian language page of the Mobpark Website

Parking for Cinque Terre Boats. Several hundred parking spots are available at Porto Mirabello just a few minutes walk from the Cinque Terre / Portovenere / Lerici ferry boat dock. This is La Spezia's new private boat facility, and it's reached on foot via a suspension bridge at the western end of Passegiata Morin. The auto entrance is further to the west. The cost in May, 2014 was .50E per hour, including overnight. The facility is spanking new and under video surveillance. Parking Map: Porto Mirabello.

Cinque Terre The best way to get there is by train, and there's a Trenitalia link below. For an enjoyable relaxing trip, do not drive to the villages unless you've arranged with your hotel! The roads are narrow, there are many tight hairpins, parking is limited in the extreme, and trains are much easier and quicker. Also consider taking a boat and seeing Portovenere along the way (see above). The National Park website for the Cinque Terre has good intentions, but as it is technically erratic, try this Entry Point as well. Further, the Cinque Terre are subject to landslides from time to time, so monitor info as your trip date approaches. A few trail closings are not a big deal as there are many trails - read what the local blog Little Paradiso says about this. Also look at Trip Advisor Liguria Forum for recent information. 

Tellaro  Golfo dei Poeti  Liguria

Tellaro  If you want to visit a nice former fishing village without the crowds (relatively) in Cinque Terre, visit Tellaro, just down the Gulf from the beautiful town of Lerici. The Tellaro road is too small for tour buses! It is reached by bus from Lerici or by hiking.

La Spezia Beach  Sorry there's nothing in town. Your best bet is a bus to Lerici's beaches or a ferry boat to the Island of Palmaria.

Integrated Ligurian Transport Planner For Ligurian travel beyond La Spezia province, this may help you make connections, as it combines Trenitalia with local bus operations.

Trenitalia For train schedules and tickets. A train from La Spezia is the best way to get to the Cinque Terre. The trains are frequent, so don't sweat it unless you're getting there early or late. Buying a ticket online might speed things up at the station.

Travel Tip___________________________________________________________________
Where to Stay     -Use this Booking.Com.Italy link to find your hotel anywhere in Italy.
                                      -All the La Spezia hotels are listed here: Booking.Com.La Spezia
Below are links to our La Spezia hotel recommendations. The downtown grid of La Spezia is not huge, and there are no especially trendy or dangerous neighborhoods. Parking is tight in the center, though. Considerations: train access, Cinque Terre ferry, parking, budget, shopping, museums.

Click on the hotel name for more information and booking.
Hotel Crismar Great location in the center between the train station and the port, on the pedestrian shopping street. Loan bikes, small, friendly, no hotel parking. Economical to Moderate pricing.
Albergo delle Spezie Close to the port, ferry dock, two museums, and the public gardens but still downtown with a funky, eco-friendly vibe. No hotel parking. Economical to Moderate pricing.
Hotel Birillo On the edge of town, yet close to the ferry dock, the market, walking distance to the train.  Small rooms, friendly staff.  No hotel parking. Economical pricing.
Affittacamere Casa Dane Very close to the train station, shops and restaurants.  Small, newly renovated, friendly.  No hotel parking. Economical pricing
CMH My One Hotel A larger business hotel, right in the center of town with a multilingual staff. Walk to the train. Parking can be arranged. Moderate pricing.
Hotel Corallo  A larger hotel. It's a manageable walk from the center, but close to the harbor with available hotel parking.  Economical to Moderate pricing.

Learn the Pluses & Minuses of other excellent Ligurian towns, read here:
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 to Portofino.
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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Some of our other Liguria Travel Articles
Castle to Castle Along the Gulf of the Poets All about Lerici across the Gulf - exploring, parking, hotels.

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

A Guide to the Local Food around La Spezia  Food of the area, as told by expert mangioni.
 

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