Lerici - An Italian Secret

After yesterday's terrible attempted visit to Cinque Terre and the massive crowds, we were a bit concerned about our planned visit to Portofino.

We had a chat to the hotel staff who informed us that Cinque Terre through to Portofino are excessively overcrowded at this time of year.....they suggested we should try a place called Lerici, it is where the Italians go to holiday and is quieter as the overseas tourists are more interested in Cinque Terre. They also told us it is a favoured beach resort and quite different to Portofino, but very nice.

It was very actually very easy to get to Lerici from La Spazia, just a 20 minute bus ride through the town and down the coast, so we purchased our return tickets for 10 Euros at the Tabacchi shop next door to the hotel and walked 100m to the bus stop.

We were on a bus full of locals, each had their bathing gear under their arms ready for a day out at the beach. We got off at the first stop beside Lireci's beach along with nearly everyone else. Our goal today was to walk from the little Castle of San Terenzo to the large Castle Lerici along the beachfront and the Lido edging on the Gulf Of Poets...this area is called the Gulf Of Poets due to the large numbers of poets that visited here many years ago, such as Byron and Shelley.

The Bus Stop Near Castle San Terenzo

The weather and location were perfect, today got into the low 30's, there was a nice sea breeze coming across the gulf, and the walk along the waters edge had lots of trees and shade, and the crowds were non-existant

Along The Main Street

The Public and Private Beaches

Across The Harbour and Gulf To Portovenere

Portovenere, Palmeria and Tino Across The Gulf

The town itself is a lot larger than Portofino, it is a beach resort and has a couple of bays, the town itself has some very pretty aspects to it and the larger castle, Castello di Lerici is quite spectacular. The views from Lerici across the gulf are beautiful, with views of Portovenere, and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto.

Looking Back To Castle San Terenzo

Looking Forward To Castello di Lerici

Lesley On The Lido

Shadey Trees

We finally got to the base of the Castello di Lerici and found a great little bar to have a rest at, you guessed it, with a nice cold Spritz Campari and those free nibbles they give you.

Our Favourite Time Of Day!

After a good relax and a couple of Spritz Campari's it was time to find somehwere to eat. We found a nice little seafood restaurant just behind Piazzetta Da Vasco and chose a spaghetti dish each...you cannot beat fresh seafood!!!

The Back Streets Of Lerici

Piazzetta Da Vasco

Lesley had Mixed Seafood, I had Anchovies and Capers

After lunch it was off to the nearby bus stop to the rail station, and the next train back to Florence......let me tell you 2.5 hours on a train, after a great day out, seems like forever! On the way back I snapped a photo of the quarried mountains near Carrara that we could see from La Spezia, we believe that these quarries supplied the building materials for the Leaning Tower Of Pisa.....they do look amazing.

The Amazing Quarried Mountains Near Carrara

Soon after pulling into Firenze Santa Maria Novella rail station, we were back in our room thinking about going to bed, it had been a hectic three days, but fun!

 

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