Regional Features in Il Golfo Dei Poeti (Worthy Alternatives to the Cinque Terre)

The Golfo Dei Poeti is essentially the alternative to the Cinque Terre (especially if you are a literature nerd like me!)

     I recently took a curative solo trip to this more southern part of the region of Liguria, and I made my home base the second largest city in the region of Liguria, La Spezia. As I last spent time here during the summer of 2011, it was time to revisit this beautiful costal crescent.

The purpose of this trip was personal; I needed time to contemplate subsequent steps in my life, but it was also literary. My Romantic heroes, namely, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley, all spent significant time here, hence the name ‘bay of poets’. I have charted their footsteps all over the Italian peninsula, but this concentrated area has profound significance for these second-generation romantics, which I was well aware of and itching to take the literary, and spiritual, pilgrimage, if I am honest. I was not as aware of the immeasurable beauty I would encounter in this part of the region, just slightly south of the popular Cinque Terre.  Granted, when I visited at the beginning of December, beaches were quiet and desolate, some restaurants were closed for the season. The area is livelier during the summer season. Still, during my visit I was often alone gazing into the bay or walking the silent streets. It was perfect.

Here you can see a map of the area provided by my Airbnb host

By choosing La Spezia as a central point, I was able to visit Portovenere to the southwest, and San Terenzo, Lerici, Tellaro to the southeast, covering the length of the gulf.

     Thus, La Spezia is a strategic, but also a convenient, choice as the central train station connects with cities all over Italy. I stayed in a recommendable Airbnb, clean and comfortable with a very kind host. She picked me up from the train station upon my arrival, but the walk between the station and apartment was under 10 minutes. The apartment is located slightly outside of the historical center of La Spezia, but it was affordable and very convenient to walk. I would not say La Spezia is the most picturesque town in the region, but it does have a rather understated hidden charm and beauty in addition to historical significance.

With some of the regional specialties at dinner in La Spezia

I felt La Spezia welcomed me with open arms as a single traveler, and I was very comfortable exploring the central streets while seeking out some delicious food and wine. In fact, La Spezia has its own specific culinary heritage, as briefly mentioned in the food and wine post.

Although this entry takes a slightly different form, I will highlight one feature from each town I visited in the bay of poets.

In La Spezia…

The interior of Al Inferno Dal 1905,

     Drink natural wine at a cute hidden gem called La Rosa Blu and eat la cucina spezatina (the regional cuisine from the city of La Spezia) at Al Inferno Dal 1905, considered one of the best restaurants in the area. As the name suggests, it has existed since 1905.

     As mentioned, La Spezia is the second largest town in the region; there are some culturally significant places of worship such as the 19th century Chiesa di Nostra Signora della Neve and the older 15th century Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. The harbor is probably the most historically and contemporarily significant area, however, as it is currently a major Italian Navy base. Starting in the summer of 1945, La Spezia was the departure point for over 20,000 Holocaust survivors headed to Mandatory Palestine, prompting the epithet ‘Gateway to Zion’ a righteous legacy that should be better known than it is. Read more in this article.

In San Terenzo…the romantic tour begins!

Villa Magni is the squat white building along the seafront

Visit Villa Magni, the residence rented by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley in the spring of 1822. You will find the strikingly white villa conspicuously placed along the seafront in San Terenzo; although, it appears rather humble by today’s standards. Furthermore, it currently exists as a private residence that can be rented; prices are now a little more than humble because of the formerly famous guests. The villa was originally constructed in the 16th century as part of a monastery. It was also originally located directly on the seafront; this was until a promenade was built in 1888. Understanding this change helps contextualize Mary Shelley’s comments included in her notes to Percy Shelley’s Poetical Works, published after his death. On the residence, she recounts:

A closer shot of Villa Magni with the plaque honoring Percy Bysshe Shelley’s legacy and that Mary Godwin (Shelley) and friend Jane Williams were waiting here for his return

The Bay of Spezia is of considerable extent, and divided by a rocky promontory into a larger and smaller one. The town of Lerici is situated on the eastern point, and in the depths of the smaller bay, which bears the name of this town, is the village of San Terenzo. Our house, Casa Magni, was close to this village; the sea came up to the door, a steep hill sheltered it behind.

Gazing out onto the bay, I thought continually about Percy Shelley’s last departure. The ‘Gulf of the Poets’ was largely named as such because it is where he perished. On July 1st Shelley departed in the boat ostensibly named Don Juan, a nod to Lord Byron’s famous poem, though Mary Shelley claims that her husband changed the name to Ariel, the ‘spirit’ character from Shakespeare’s last full play, The Tempest. (Rich literary connections here, of course, as Shelley spent his last moments of life in this boat caught in a sea storm.) Shelley left to visit Livorno (further down the coast in the region of Tuscany) for a meeting about the new periodical called The Liberal. On his return, a week later on July 8th, his boat was, indeed, caught in a ‘tempest’ and sunk in this very bay; he had two companions who also died, a retired naval officer, Edward Ellerker Williams; the other was a boat boy, Charles Vivien. There are theories that Shelley’s death was not accidental, either for personal will or even an attack on the ship, but ultimately these are nothing more than speculation. It is reported, however, that when Shelley’s body washed up on the shores near Viareggio (further south) it is part of the great romantic legend that he had a copy of John Keats’ poetry in his pocket. Hence, there is continuity and irony in the deaths of two young Romantic poets, with their remains now joined in the eternal city. Towards the end of Shelley’s last but unfinished poem called “The Triumph of Life”, written at Villa Magni in that spring of 1822, he rather portentously, boldly writes: “Then, what is Life?” I said.” What better place to contemplate than in the Gulf of the Poets?

Read more about details of Shelley’s death in Richard Holmes’ 2004 article published in The Guardian. Moreover, you can read about both Shelley and Keats’ graves and untimely deaths in this post on Protestant Cemetery in Rome.

Google Maps Image of the walk between

From San Terenzo, I encourage you to walk along to seafront to the town of Lerici, be it ponderous or only meditative thoughts accompanying you. Before I visited, I could not get a clear sense of the distance and accessibility between San Terenzo and Leirici. They are situated only a few kilometers apart (about 2.5 to be exact), and if you are visiting for literary purposes, I promise you will find the walk quite inspiring. Specifically, the walk between the castle of San Terenzo and castle of Lerici takes about 30 minutes at a leisurely pace, and you will encounter a rather new display called the “Walk of Poetry” inaugurated only in September of 2019 to honor the poet Sam Benelli. However, you will see the names of poets from all over the world, winners of the LericiPea Golfo dei Poeti Award honored along your waterfront walk, further connecting the literary past to the literary present in this beautiful place.

Once in Leirici…

A view over Lerici with boats in the harbor, pastel colored houses and the castle above

     Visit the castle in this town with a name that is quite tricky to pronounce. After walking the lovely costal road from the small town of San Terenzo, you will reach Lerici. Often you will hear that Lerici cited as the place where Shelley died. I suppose this makes sense as it is the bigger town in the bay, and it is where he kept his boat. Upon arrival you will notice a mosaic of boats in the harbor and a familiar mosaic of pastel colored buildings above.

Views from Lerici Castle over the vast waters in the gulf of poets

The defining feature of the area is the 12th century castle, however. You can wander up through ascending yet still meandering alleyways to reach the entrance to the castle. Be sure to walk around the far side to take in the views from all angles.  Note the opening times as when I arrived at the great castle door, I was informed by the gatekeeper that he was closing for the lunch break. Despondent, I did not plead, though knocked again asking if he would take a picture of me with the entrance way. With that, a spontaneous kindness and willingness to flout rules, in this case, closing times, took hold. He said, I will take you up to the top of the castle quickly; it is the best part, he said.  

Views from the castle terrace (on my private tour!)

There are phenomenal views from the terraced roof over the bay. This benevolent gatekeeper (he didn’t even seem creepy or in possession of ulterior motives) snapped a picture of me and said I will have to return to experience the Gothic interior of the castle. Find out more about the history of the castle here.

 I hope I do return. But even if I don’t, special moments like these stay with you especially on solo trips; the magical realism of Italian travel.

An optional detour from the Romantic itinerary…

Costal views from Tellaro

Venture further down the Ligurian coast to small fishing village of Tellaro. I jumped on a public bus from Leirici. Tellaro has no specific Romantic connection, but the contemporary Italian writer and film director Mario Soldati made the seaside hamlet his home for the latter part of his life. I was encouraged by multiple Italian locals to visit. It is touted by locals as the ‘undiscovered’ 6th village of the Cinque Terre. It was lovely. And empty. I only spent an hour or so wandering around, chasing look out points, of which I found many. Tellaro has been included on the list of ‘Borghi piu belli d’Italia’ (the most beautiful villages in Italy), so, popularity is increasing, though not yet exponentially.

On the other side of the bay in Portovenere…

As I visited in off season, no ferry boats were running between Leirici and Portovenere, but in the summer months they are. Thus, as always, there is a give and take regarding seasons. I had the area quite literally to myself as a ‘tourist’ but transportation options were limited. It would be special to experience the area by sea to conjure even more of a connection with the Romantic legends, but alas, this experience will have to wait until next time. I would like to travel by boat, specifically, to chart (what is supposedly) Byron’s famous swimming route between Portovenere and the Shelley’s residence at San Terenzo. That said, maybe I will have an even more immersive experience and swim the distance myself. Byron’s legacy in the Bay of Poets is tied to his penchant for swimming and that he exercised it in the span of approximately 7.5 kilometers between Portovenere and Lerici. I had heard rumors that there is an annual swim honoring Byron; after some digging, I found out that it is called the Coppa Byron. Check out the linked official website with more information. I am currently trying to coerce many of my friends to participate. Let’s see how it goes… 

San Pietro church to the right

  The Byron inspired swim starts at Portovenere, named as such for a temple to the goddess Venus (Portus Veneris, the port of Venus) dating back to at least the 1st century BCE that originally stood on the promontory where the striking stone church of San Pietro now stands.

  Now, the beauty of Portovenere is not unknown, especially not to Italians. In fact, it is mentioned by name in the UNESCO designation with the Cinque Terre, and yet it is still not as popular as it ‘should be’ with non-Italian visitors. Once you visit, you will understand why it ‘should be’. My man Lord Byron chose well, of course. Portovenere is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful Italian seaside towns in my opinion, and I am biased with the Byron connection, but still… 

Entrance to the Grotta Byron

Find a moment of solitude in the Grotta Byron (Byron’s grotto). You will reach it on the right, just before the ascent to the church of St Peter. Recently, I spoke to an Italian Byron scholar and biographer at one of his book readings and asked about the historical accuracy of Byron’s connection with this place. In a rather anticlimactic response, he confirmed that there is no concrete evidence that Byron spent time here (and specifically in this Grotto). Still, the connection and the magic remains. This scholar’s works are in Italian, but here is a link.

There is an entrance way to the Grotto topped with a plaque cut into the rocks. I encourage you to descend into the craggy terrace that is suspended just over sea level. I made this trip this 3 months out from an ACL reconstruction on my left knee, and there was no one else around. Thus, with some trepidation, I climbed down and between the craggy rocks, and I entered in a powerful experience that I struggle to render in words, especially given the public nature of this website. Suffice to say, I experienced a private moment in a place filled with the spirit of the writer I love most.  The Ligurian waters all around a steely gray blue shade, and the sky, dramatic and atmospheric.

Views from the Grotta Byron

Even if you are not looking seeking spiritual guidance from the spirit of Byron, the views in the grotto are phenomenal. In the summer, I image, you will find more gaiety, more people, sunbathing on the rocks under lighter blue skies.  The grotto is now named for the poet who (perhaps?) started his intrepid swim here, although it was formerly called the Grotta Arpaia. The area also reportedly used to be a fully intact cave, but it has since collapsed and the rather theatrical rocky terraces remain open to the sky. Looking out over the Ligurian sea you will notice neighboring ‘grotte’ and caves that extend down the jagged coastline towards the Cinque Terre.

Arcaded terrace on the church of San Pietro on the promontory of Porto Venere

  Be sure to visit the church of San Pietro, and the view at sunset is particularly breathtaking. This incarnation was built in the 12th century Gothic style, although the black and white stone bands date from the 13th century. A taxi driver told me some of the local legends associated with the church. One such legend tells the tragic tale of a young girl was waiting on the terrace for her seafaring lover. Devoted but exhausted, she fell asleep on the stone walls. Unfortunately, she lost balance in her dream state and fell to her death in the sea. Apparently, she still haunts the church and prevents any marriage that takes place in San Pietro from being successful.  

The streets of Porto Venere by night

The streets are quaint and there is a golden glow throughout the town center at night. I encourage you to explore and trek up to the Doria Castle for more sweeping views.  

Again, in the summer you can travel between all of these spots along the gulf by ferry. I took a combination of local busses and private taxis during the off season. Ultimately, my spiritual and literary pilgrimage was fulfilling and restorative.

The harbor area of Portovenere by night