La Spezia in January Trip report
La Spezia in January Trip Report
After a considerable amount of indecision on where to go for a slow travel week in January without flying and after eliminating the rivals: Siena (more beauty but colder and no sea), and Ventimiglia or somewhere near (twice the journey time by car), we choose La Spezia because there's a good selection of acceptably priced apartment accommodation, it's just two hours forty by car, the weather forecast seems ok and, in particular, temperatures seem mild, it is a city so something to walk around and look at if the weather is poor, it's on the sea, well, sort of, because it's a port/harbour side - no waves or beach, and it's a good base logistically to visit Cinque Terre and Pisa by train and Lerici/Golfo dei Poeti and Portovenere by car.
We found a nice apartment in a very convenient position, right next to the railway but in a very quiet private road with parking, an easy walk to the nearest Supermarkets, historical centre and waterfront.
Our first impression of La Spezia on a grey and chilly January Sunday afternoon is mildly depressing. We notice the inappropriate 'modern' architecture, because La Spezia was heavily bombed during the Second World War, now grimy and something of an eyesore, the waterfront is really just the harbour front, there's a chilly breeze and the 'famous' steps up to the castle are a bit neglected and overgrown, the few bars open in Via Cavour and Via Prione are uninspiring even for a coffee.
The first hint of something better is in the Santa Maria church the interior of which is very nice. After a week we are more favourably inclined. Yes, some of the modern architecture is just plain ugly, Piazza Europa with the town hall and the church on top of the shops is particularly uninspiring and perhaps a few coats of Ligurian coloured paint to hide a little concrete and a little grime wouldn't go admiss but there are many positive aspects to the city. The centre between the station and harbour is compact and mostly pedestrianised, there are also many beautifully decorated historical buildings, there's a good food market right in the centre, the Thaon de Revel pedestrian bridge makes for a good walk out into the Marina, the gardens and palm lined streets along the harbour must be very pleasant in good weather, the city is generally clean and feels safe for strolling around and apart from sudden large groups of Asians there don't seem to be any tourists (although it's a cruise liner destination so the situation could be very different a different time of the year). We also enjoyed our visit to the Naval Museum.
Moreover, the best thing for us was that it was such a convenient base for visiting the surrounding area. Pisa is an hour by train, and the first of the Cinque Terre just ten minutes, about fifteen minutes by car took us to both Lerici and Portovenere (although in both cases we could have taken the bus), and there are many hiking trails in the area which are well signed and easy to access. The weather was, for January, mild and pleasant and we enjoyed the week very much. No, La Spezia is not an irresistibly beautiful city in itself but it's a low key and authentic destination (if you are looking for the 'real' Italy not just the picture postcard stuff), and it allows you to easily access some places of really outstanding beauty such as Portovenere,
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