Lerici
©
Lerici

Lerici

Liguria harbour town on the Bay of Poets, clustered below a medieval castle above the Gulf of La Spezia

Lerici sits at the eastern end of the Gulf of La Spezia — the "Bay of Poets," so named because Byron, Shelley, and Keats all spent time along these shores. The town clusters around a medieval castle on a rocky promontory, with pastel houses tumbling down to a small harbour.

Now a popular resort, Lerici makes a good base for exploring this stretch of the Ligurian coast. Boats run across the gulf to Portovenere and the Cinque Terre, and the walking path between the five villages offers some of the most spectacular coastal views in Italy — terraced vineyards dropping to the sea, with the mountains rising behind. South along the cliff path is Tellaro, a tiny village with an octopus in its coat of arms and a church that teeters above the sea.

The neighbouring village of San Terenzo, a 2 km walk north along the promenade, is where Shelley spent his last summer in 1822 at the Villa Magni — he drowned in the gulf just weeks after leaving. The beach there is wider and quieter than Lerici's own, and the village has kept a more local feel than the main town.

Guide

Beaches

Lerici's own beach is a small crescent of sand and pebble in front of the harbour — pleasant enough but not exceptional, and busy in summer. The better swimming is slightly outside town.

San Terenzo, a 2 km walk north along the promenade, has a wider beach with calmer water and a more local clientele. Fiascherino, south of Lerici on the road toward Tellaro, is a small cove popular with families, with clear water and some shade from pines at the back of the beach. Both are reachable by boat from Lerici harbour or on foot in under an hour.

For serious beach days without the crowds, take a boat to the beaches below Portovenere or to the small island of Palmaria just across the channel — the rocks there are excellent for snorkelling.

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Books

Ariel by André Maurois — A biography of Shelley, originally published in French in 1923 and still one of the most readable accounts of the poet's life. The final chapters, covering Shelley's time at San Terenzo and his drowning in the gulf, are vivid and affecting. It reads more like a novel than a biography, which is both its strength and its limitation.

Mary Shelley: A Biography by Miranda Seymour — The fuller story of the Shelleys' time on the Gulf of La Spezia, with detailed accounts of the summer of 1822, the Villa Magni, and the aftermath of Percy's death. Seymour is good at rendering the coast itself — the particular quality of the light and the water that made the bay so compelling to the Romantics.

Italian Hours by Henry James — Not specifically about Lerici, but James's essays on Liguria and the Italian Riviera capture the way this coast felt to northern European visitors in the 19th century: sun-bleached, slightly other-worldly, shot through with literary associations. The chapter on Genoa is the best entry point.

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Getting There

The nearest major rail station is La Spezia Centrale, about 12 km away. From La Spezia, ATC buses run regularly to Lerici (journey time 25–30 minutes). A taxi from La Spezia takes about 15 minutes and costs roughly €20–25.

By car from Genoa, take the A12 motorway and exit at Sarzana, then follow signs to Lerici — about 90 minutes from Genoa. From Pisa, the journey is around an hour. Parking in Lerici is limited and expensive in summer; the main car park is at the edge of town, a short walk from the harbour.

In summer, boat services run from La Spezia and Portovenere directly to Lerici harbour — a pleasant alternative to the bus that also gives you an introduction to the gulf.

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Things to Do

Lerici's appeal is split between the historic centre on the promontory and the water. The castle anchors the headland, boats shuttle across the gulf, and the walking paths between villages rank among the best coastal walks in Italy.