Lerici is set in a natural bay in the Eastern part of La Spezia. An excellent presentation of Lerici and its surrounding villages can be found in the works of Shelley, Byron, Virginia Wolf, D.H. Lawrence, Mario Soldati and many other writers.
Today Lerici is a picturesque seaside resort with a small but efficient tourist marina. However, it still preserves traces of its historic past, like the imposing 13th century Pisan-Genoese Castle (enlarged in the 17th century). Lerici is called the “Perla del Golfo” (the pearl of the gulf), because of its breathtaking beauty. This small town and its surrounding area offer an ideal seaside holiday all year round. Lerici has been repeatedly awarded the European title “Bandiera Blu”(the blue flag). The “Bandiera Blu” is an award given to seaside resorts for clean beaches, unpolluted water and quality of services. If you like scuba diving, fishing and water sports, you will find here a typical Mediterranean marine habitat.
The surrounding beautiful villages of San Terenzo, La Serra and Tellaro, certainly deserve a visit. Tellaro has been given the award “Borghi più belli d’Italia” (the most beautiful villages of Italy).
In spring and summer, ferries depart from Lerici daily for the other gulf towns, the Cinque Terre, the Riviera and Portofino, weather and sea conditions permitting (info: www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it)
Highway A12, 15 km. far from the tollgate of Sarzana
Train station: Sarzana (info: www.trenitalia.com)