202509_Italy 2025 - Ligurian Coast & Elba Island - Part 1: La Spezia

After a two-day drive, we arrived in the city of La Spezia. It lies at the eastern end of the Riviera di Levante and the Liguria region, just a few kilometers from the regional border with Tuscany. Our destination is a parking space outside the city. We will spend two nights here.

That same afternoon, we cycle into the city, just 2 kilometers away. In a square, set back, stands a modern cathedral, which we pass. A green strip lined with palm trees runs along Viale Italia on the harbor promenade. Behind it are multi-story stately buildings dating back to the early 20th century.

Apart from the Castello San Giorgio, which lies above the old town, almost all of the sights are concentrated in the immediate city center. The center, whose core is the Prione district, lies between the train station and the harbor promenade. We park our bikes in Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi opposite the old post office building. This square, with its marble fountain, has been enhanced by a colorful sculpture.

In addition to the post office building from the Fascist era, several lavishly restored multi-story Art Nouveau and Art Deco residential buildings stand around this square. Despite the considerable traffic noise, these apartments are certainly among the top addresses in La Spezia.

Directly behind the piazza are Art Nouveau arcades, under which second-hand dealers offer their wares. However, the ice cream parlor right at the beginning of the arcades piques our interest. We have to grab it first.
We then turn into the central street of the Prione district, Via Prione, which has been converted into a pedestrian zone and later becomes Via Fi-ume, leading to the station forecourt. Here, one shop follows the next. There are no empty shops here.

We are surprised to see, among other things, high-rise buildings on the adjacent street, stretching up the hill toward the castle. The residents must have an incomparably magnificent view of the harbor and the bay. Many of the four-story houses were probably built in the Art Nouveau period. In the setting sun, the houses glow yellow-gold and rust-brown.
On the way back, we pass the interesting neo-Romanesque abbey church of Santa Maria Assunta. The church gleams in two different types of marble.

Further along the street, a late Baroque palace and a bust of Countess Castellone catch our eye. Like other buildings in the square, the Palazzo De Nobili is the result of the ancient architectural unification of several late medieval tower houses that formed the waterfront promenade of the medieval city walls.

Our tour now runs along the steep hill of the Castello. The houses here cling to the slope and offer a stunning view of the harbor and the bay. This is where our very worthwhile walk through this interesting city ends, as we return to Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi. A short detour takes us past the equestrian statue of the freedom fighter Garibaldi. Then it's back to the motorhome. Tomorrow we'll take the train from here to the nearby region of Cinque Terre.