Things to Do in La Spezia

Though the institute itself is centuries old (it was started in 1570), it was moved here in 1958. The exhibits here mostly made up of models that trace the history of La Spezia navy. These mostly cover the period from 1860 to the WWII. Also available here are figureheads from ships from fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. Other memorabilia include maps, medals, flags, and weapons. The halls are divided as follows:

• The Hall of Media
• The Underwater Weapons Hall
• The Weapons Hall
• An exhibition of Guglielmo Marconi photographs.

In the garden, you can find a monument of Costanzo Ciano , by the sculptor Francesco Messina.

This beautiful park, famous for it’s coastline and archipelago is a wonder of water, vegetation and wildlife. It’s a popular hiking and trekking destination. It is also a site of historical interest – in one of the caves here, prehistoric remains were found. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s a lovely little town in the park, the Porto Venery, and you can also visit the islands of Palmaria , Tino and Tinetto. Other highlights include:

• The Castello Doria (more accessible from Vernazza)
• The military fortifications of Battery Fortified Umberto I, Battery Semaphore, Forte Cavour
• The Villa Romana at the bottom of the creek Varignano Vecchio
• Convent Olivetani
• Cave of Pigeons

Amadeo Lia was a renowned collector who lived in La Spezia; this museum houses his life’s work. The building it is in used to be a friar’s convent, then a military hospital. Currently, the museum is host to a wide variety of historical objects; these include paintings, jewellery, furniture, and interior decoration such as glassworks. The Renaissance collection is especially spectacular. The rooms within the collection are as follows:

• Room I: liturgical objects
• Room II: thumbnails
• Room III: The archaeological antiquarium
• Room IV: The funds gold
• Room V: The paintings of the fifteenth century
• Room VI: The paintings of the sixteenth century
• Room VII: The portraits
• Room VIII: Foreigners
• Room IX: The paintings of the seventeenth century
• Room X: The Eighteenth Century
• Room XI: Sculptures in bronze and marble
• Room XII: Glasses, terracotta and faience
• Room XIII: The Nature Morte

This is one of the best sailing companies on the Cinque Terre Coast. The agency strikes the deal, and the captain runs the boat. Various half day, day long, and even multiple day trip packages are available. Whether you go as a family or as couple looking for some Cinque Terre romance. The captain, Paul, grew up around here and knows exactly how to best make your trip memorable.

They call themselves a beauty farm, where your relaxation is customised. There is massage in four types – thermal, hot stones, four hands and Pinda Swedana. There is a sauna. Reflexology (foot massages) and facial treatments here are supposed to be awesome. They use a lot gimmickry in all this – at the very least, you should come away with a feeling of having seen something exotic. And of course, they’ll do up your hair and trim down your nails.

Found in the Piazza Camillo Cavour in the old town, this shaded market serves up some wonderful food. The fishmongers always have a fresh catch, and the farmers always have a fresh crop. Flowers and cheeses and meats here are just as good. The people here, both traders and tourists are very lively. In fact, this is the best place to get to know La Spezia’s spirit. The area itself is pedestrians only, which makes for a very peaceful place.

Sigillography, or the study of seals, is an obscure but fascinating subject – and this museum is the best place to explore it. The neo-Gothic building hosts the most comprehensive collection of this type there ever was, collected from every country and every age imaginable (the exhibitions are thus arranged chronologically and then geographically). It is a result of thirty years of research. The oldest seal in their collection is more than 4000 years old! The collections, whether Egyptian, Roman, Anglo-Saxon or Chinese are unexpectedly beautiful.

This medieval castle, originally built just for defence, was adopted by the Gonzaga as their royal residence. It’s dominated by four towers, wide inner courts and gardens, and about 500 rooms. The complex actually consist of various separate buildings, one of which is the Castle. These contain a wide variety of artwork and historical artefacts (some of which are archaeological). Highlights include:

• The Renaissance style portico
• The frescoes in the room Stanza degli Sposi,
• The Hall of Emblems
• Hall of Acronyms
• The Room of Frieze - gold scrolls and leaves on a blue background.
• The Hall of Suns
• Apartment of Isabella d'Este – beautiful furniture and paintings
• Apartment of the Tapestries

Rock music and beer – this timeless combo makes the club a La Spezia favourite. Tourists especially favour this place. Foosball and pool round up the fun activities. It’s not in the city centre, so it’s a little quieter than other nightlife around here.