From the border between Tuscany and Liguria and beyond the Cinque Terre allure, the area of La Spezia is filled with perfect places to send a postcard from or snap pictures to take with you forever. Follow our path of the best of Cinque Terre shots.
Fosdinovo, a view embracing Tuscany and Liguria
Fosdinovo is one of the first villages of the province of Massa Carrara, bordering the La Spezia one. From the small terraces that open along the walls of the village, you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the Val di Magra. On clear days you embrace the Gulf of Poets and the upper Tuscany Sea in a single glance. The sea, the plain, and the Apuan mountains. That’s right, from Fosdinovo, you won’t miss a thing.
From Ortonovo, on the Magra Valley, the Nicola pearl shines bright.
Anyone who thinks La Spezia’s province is only sea is wrong. It is easily demonstrated by the picturesque view of the village of Nicola that is enjoyed from Ortonovo. A typical medieval village, Nicola di Ortonovo, lay on a hill overlooking the Val di Magra and was built just a little in the foreground of Ortonovo. The small town with its narrow streets and small squares is worth a visit. The view from Ortonovo, tall and proud on its hill, is enough to demonstrate the beauty of the whole area.
Bocca di Magra is fascinating and revealing.
Bocca di Magra is renowned – among other things – for having fascinated more than one prominent personality (including Giulio Einaudi). No wonder many remained bewitched when they went the road to Montemarcello. Along the way, they have seen through more than a fabulous panoramic window on the plain of the Magra River. The Apuan “Alps” in the background, the sandy coast that slowly turns into Tuscany, and the mouth of the Magra river reveal the various souls of the district, which are tourism, agriculture, and industry. The magnificent meander of the river on the plain is an indispensable postcard to understand the province fully.
Montemarcello: quiet, reserved, wonderful
From the sea, Montemarcello is a high reflection, almost a mirage. Looking at the La Spezia Gulf from Montemarcello, you feel you are a part of that mirage. The town of Ameglia, to which Montemarcello is closely related, is among the most beautiful townlets in Italy, and the view offered is one of the reasons. There are two recommended points of view in Montemarcello. The first one is a small terrace in front of a house on the left of the main road.
The latter is a former military battery overlooking the sea, just over the starting point for the Punta Corvo beach. This highly recommended trail starts next to Montemarcello Park’s headquarters, opposite the pub that overlooks the road. In both cases, you will enjoy a superb view of the Gulf and archipelago of La Spezia.
Tellaro, the balcony of dreams.
You cannot touch the soul of the Gulf of Poets unless you have been on this small terrace, the extreme tip of the eastern extremity of the deep bay of La Spezia.
You can reach it with a short walk through the Tellaro alleyways and stairways, a renowned pearl among the pearls of the surroundings. Just passed the ancient Oratorio are a small church and room for exhibitions, from which it opens a rooftop terrace leaning on a railing overlooking the sea.
Open to the winds and with a free gaze ranging from the rocky coast and the horizon. The space on the terrace is not much; however, meeting a small crowd of photographers, lovers, or just watchers will be easy.
The Gulf of the poets wants to be admired. The coast stretches to the right, leaving the colorful Tellaro village and its rocks on the left, bending in the inlet of La Spezia and reappearing before the eyes high up to Muzzerone.
On clear days, before our eyes, the profile of Portovenere stands out. It is the last mainland flap before the attachment points to the infinity of the Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto islands.
La Serra, the house of unforgettable sunsets.
Maliciously, some locals say that Portovenere is beautiful and Lerici is gorgeous because you see Portovenere. Following this logic, the little hamlet of La Serra is extraordinary as it stands on a hill above Lerici. From its main square, it opens the whole scenario of the Gulf.
The view is amazing at sunset, when the sun goes out behind Portovenere, drawing the profile of the church of San Pietro between sea and sky. For a winter treat, the sea channel between Palmaria island and Portovenere offers itself for the sun plunge in November and December.
From Palmaria to Portovenere: exclusive marvel.
Palmaria island is a real jewel, a Mediterranean diamond so far virtually untouched. Worth visiting because it is beautiful as pure natural heaven, and it is also a unique point of observation for the contrasting manufactured beauty of Porto Venere.
After reaching the island’s summit with one of the trails that go through it, you can glance at Porto Venere. You will find a surprise wonder in the light and dark lines of St. Peter and – behind the church – the ride of the coastline.
From Campiglia to Portovenere, almost in paradise.
The coast of Tramonti is a miracle, in whole, centimeter by centimeter. It is one of the most undervalued locations in Italy because hard to explore, maintain, and even love. Nevertheless, it offers absolute scenic corners of ecstasy, the stairs to Persico and Monesteroli, the Albana Rosse, and the great swimming ponds cut into the rocks. If you have to pick a single shot to catch its soul, it should be the path between Campiglia and Porto Venere.
The Sublime path, less challenging among those in the area (although not without difficulty points), gives a unique view of the coast from above at one point. It is impossible not to stop spellbound.
It is impossible not to stop spellbound.
Montenero, the sanctuary that watches the Cinque Terre.
Curiously, many locals don’t know about this marvel.
The Santuario di Montenero, with its magnificent terrace overlooking the coast between Palmaria island and the Mesco peninsula, it is one of the mysteriously unrecognized pearls in the area.
To reach the sanctuary overlooking Riomaggiore, you can follow a short path that branches off the path along the coast to the Telegrafo. Alternatively, you can climb the more difficult way starting from the Cinque Terre village.
On clear days, you can see unfolding before the eyes the entire span of the Riviera, taste the summit of Monviso and guess the coast of the Tuscan and Corse archipelago.
The b-side of Vernazza: beautiful and proud.
The Cinque Terre villages are all worth a postcard. But, among the many dream scenarios, one more than the others seems noteworthy, the b-side of Vernazza when you reach the path from Corniglia.
That moment when the village’s tower rises to the sky, stealing space from the sea, is a pride, even for how Vernazza reacted to the terrible wounds and resisted with its beauty.
Mesco, Majestic closing of the Cinque Terre.
The endpoint of the Cinque Terre, an imposing rock soaring, marking the boundary between Monterosso and Levanto, the Mesco is a natural theater.
The climb to its summit, if you leave from Monterosso, cut legs and breath. Still, the view pays absolutely the effort for its priceless view, chosen by many paragliders that often throw themselves into the air from there.
BONASSOLA AND THE MADONNA DELLA PUNTA.
“The Cinque Terre are five villages, Bonassola is only one,” so state the fans of the seaside resort in the far west of the La Spezia area.
It must be said that Bonassola has plenty of admirers for its main beache, but also for the many coves that draw the coast along the pedestrian and cycle tunnels to Levanto.
A lovely hamlet by the beautiful sea, nestled in a large green bay, Bonassola will amaze those who still do not know it and keep those who already love it.
The loggia of the Punta Della Madonnina, offering a look at the beach and another to the open sea, is an excellent location for enjoying breathtaking sunsets.
