Dream of Cinque Terre? Go to Lerici instead.
la più rotta ruina è una scala,
verso di quella, agevole e aperta”
Purgatorio III (49-51)
@lezra and I recently went on our first vacation with friends. Me being a researcher and she a student, we looked for a budget friendly trip we could do to Liguria. We were talking about this early June vacation the other day and decided to share the experience with you, guys.
Liguria is one of the most famous attractions in Italy. From the Tuscan border to the French border (Ventimiglia), there are beautiful cities. There are a variety of beaches, including long, sandy ones like those at Alassio and Cinque Terre, as well as smaller, rocky beaches. In addition, the entire hinterland, with its medieval settlements like Triora, is a hidden gem where there is a new surprise around every corner of the road.
The Gulf of La Spezia in particular (our destination), sometimes referred to as the Gulf of Poets, is a magnificent inlet that overlooks the Ligurian Sea and is home to a variety of attractions. In addition to housing the Italian Navy's most significant arsenal, the bay's structural conformity made it possible to build a commerce port specifically for container handling. This is certainly not a minor profile, which is further enhanced by its particular tourism soul, which can encourage the enjoyment of itineraries that combine outstanding natural beauty and the sea.
Cinque Terre is a well known and very popular and pricey destination. Beautiful, really. You can tell by the pictures you google and find online also on various posts on @pinmapple. You can look for these posts by searching directly for the names of one of the Cinque Terre towns: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Because Cinque Terre has such astounding views, naturally it is crowded with visitors from all around the world. If you are on a tight budget like we were, don't go to Cinque Terre, go to Lerici (and the neighboring towns) instead.
At the eastern tip of the Golfo dei Poeti sits the village of Lerici. Lerici was a strategic location for military control over the Ligurian Sea coast in the Middle Ages, a significant trading port throughout the Levant, and a stopover on medieval journeys and pilgrimages close to the main Via Francigena route. The port was long disputed between the Pisans and the Genoese, and it is dominated by an imposing Castle.
Don’t be fooled by its small size, Lerici is mentioned in the works of the three great Italian writers of the fourteenth century, Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.
We arrived at the Maralunga Camping (Link: Campeggio Maralunga) late in the afternoon and set our tent close to the water. We have no pictures of this, sadly, but the camping is organized as terraces, so much that most places have a view of the sea (or you can at least hear the waves hitting the rocks). A ladder takes you to the rocks by the water directly, and many brave swimmers (including our friends) ventured into the water for a swim.
@lezra and I are chickens when it comes to big bodies of water. We like listening to it from the comfort of solid ground. Or a boat. But even though we avoid getting into the water for a swim (generally), there is nothing like falling asleep (or waking up) to the sound of waves crashing on rocks and the wind on tree leaves: because Maralunga Camping had trees (and much needed shadow) everywhere. We totally recommend the place we stayed in. Bring cash because they do not accept card payments. Also maybe parking can be tricky as it runs out close to the Camping. If you have been to Italy before, you will know that parking is tricky in Italy because towns are small and roads tiny. Trains, Ferries, Taxis, Buses are good alternatives to avoid the headaches of parking places.
From the Camping a 20 minute walk will take you to the town center. This walk is very well equipped with a lot of stairs or solid roads. Quaint views and family homes are part of the italian experience and you will find this in Lerici too.
Beware because this can be difficult for people that are not used to long walks or hikes. Not so much going to the center, but going back up. A good meal or aperitivo in town can give you the energy you need to walk the stair back up to the camping and for the best views. Here some views of the second night at Lerici we spent wandering around.
You can tell Lerici is a place preferred by locals, and this is what makes it a gem. Few people speak English and most tourists here are actually italian. The coastline, filled with places to treat yourself, is a wonderful walk at night. The further you go into the city, the better view you get of it’s castle.
On the rocky promontory of the Lerici inlet in the province of La Spezia, the castle of Lerici, a fortification with a polygonal base, occupies a commanding position. The castle was constructed beginning in 1152 and experienced a number of changes at the hands of the maritime republics, namely the Republic of Genoa and, to a lesser extent, the Republic of Pisa, who competed for control of it in the middle of the 13th century due to its strategic location. The final change to the castle occurred in 1555, when construction was finished at the request of the Genoese Offizio di San Giorgio. To mark the occasion, a plaque that can still be seen today was attached to the entrance gateway.
A little bit of history, for those of you that are interested, coming from the plates placed for the tourists around the castle.
In the Middle Ages, Lerici was a free port with no fortifications. In 1241 the Pisans, after defeating the Genoeses during the Battle of Giglio, occupied the port and built the castle and the "Villaggio Pisano" (Pisan village). IN 1256, the Pisans were beaten by the Florentines and, consequently, they had to give Lerici back. The Pisans, though, refused the decision and so a Genoese fleet attacked the village and the castle. Lerici, then, became part of the Genoese possessions. After the invention of the gunpowder (1340), all the fortifications had to be fixed and plastered. The entrance from Vico Pisani was closed and a three-level ravelin was built right in front of the Castle, but at the end of the 19th Century it was demolished. Afterwards, the castle was provided with a low guardrail to fire at the entering ships. Francis I of France was imprisoned in this castle and Andrea Doria hid here when the French fleet came to Lerici to catch him after he decided to serve Charles V of Spain (1528).
Conclusion
We really recommend you go see this place for yourself. It is well connected to other towns of the Gulph of Poets and a quick trip away from Cinque Terre. Delicious food will be awaiting too. We tried the best pesto and cheese Focaccia we have ever tried and we can't wait for you to experience it too.
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Hiya, @ybanezkim26 here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #1627.
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Hi @ybanezkim26, thanks a lot for reading and curating my post. Just a question, since I saw that my post is the only one of the daily travel digest, that hasn't been voted by @blocktrades and @theycallmedan, so I was just wondering if this is normal because they will do it later or maybe there was a mistake... sorry to bother you