He canceled the fame of “place for military” that revolve around the Arsenale, is candidate for the capital of culture and has turned into a trampoline to reach the Cinque Terre. Reasoned guide to the reborn location and to the gourmet restaurants overlooking the Gulf of Poets, because along its marinas they have vacated big names, from Francesco Petrarca to Eugenio Montale, from Lord Byron to Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Normally considered a crossroads (or rear) to reach Famous destinations such as the Cinque Terre, Portovenere, Lerici O Tellaro, La Spezia surprises those who decide to live it, even just for a weekend, with curious eyes. It is a city of sea and culture, of traditions, of contemporary spirit, overlooking a spectacular gulf, which fills the heart of beauty. It is no longer the gray place full of sailors and military people who revolve around the Arsenale, despite this being a reality and a pride of the Ligurian province on the border with Tuscany.
Spezia – Thus, without the article, as they say in Liguria – even aspired to become the Italian capital of culturein 2027 Spezia lives a Renaissance, at various levels: tourist, gastronomic, cultural, artistic. Leaving the Naval Technical Museum, with the room of the 28 wooden polene – they are the “eyes of the sea”, to which Claudio Magris dedicated a book – which transmits suggestions of adventures on historical sailing ships and between perilous waves, here is the city.
With a size collected, between alleys, squares and markets, you can breathe the Ligurian authenticity that elsewhere is likely to get lost. With surprise of citizens -with a somewhat rough character, as expected in these parts -, more and more tourists who ask questions are looking for a restaurant on the sea, compulsive paper or digital guides, make the streets of “barbaric” languages resonate.
According to the data of the Municipality, in the first ten months of 2024 the tourist presences exceeded 965 thousand units, With an increase of over 16 percent compared to the same period of 2023.
Spezia has changed as a socio-economic structure, it was the city of the Navy, the naval and war industry. Tourism was residual, while the neighboring areas, from Portovenere to Lerici, welcomed the elite of travelers, since the nineteenth century. The change has begun since the nineties. Spezia has become the city of boating, as well as hub of the Cinque Terre, Montemarcello, Tellaro, Lerici. In the city there is the so -called golden mile, with the five or six most important nautical industries in the world. The city boasts 12 thousand berths, counting nearby ports. The growth of bars and restaurants is incredible, like the liveliness of cultural life. Just spend a day to realize it.
The “gray city” – but was a prejudice, a malice – changed skin. The door of the Cinque Terre remains, which burst with biting and escalate tourists, but for this reason there are those who notice its beauties. Overnamed Spezia, enjoy the offer, then go to Vernazza or Monterosso in the day, or to Portovenere and Tellaro -where the spirit of Mario Soldati is always present -, constitutes a winning tourist combination.
But where to eat, in Spezia city? An excellent restaurant is Andeein the heart of the historic center, in via San Martino della Battaglia. It is part of Territoria, community of hoteliers, restaurateurs and travelers created by chef Alain Ducasse. Andrea M. Besana leads him, cook of experience and ambition. Snails and porcini mushrooms, rice and muscles, steam fishing rane, tagliolini with mullet ragout make it clear that a dinner, here, is a real party, which would have excited Brillat-Savarin. Another place of the Up-to-Date Spezia is Harbour Viewin Porto Lotti, with dishes consecrated to fish and a dream view of the Gulf of Poets.
Don’t miss, if you like to breathe local history, the centennial Pia, Local opened since 1887, Temple of Pizza, Farinata, Castagnaccio and Focaccia, the street food that puts the squatrinated boy with the gourmet high -sickeeper. Just outside the city, but with authentic Specino spirit, there are places as connoisseurs. For example Osteria di Redarcaclimbing on Lerici, with tables outside in the summer. Perfect for feast (without pretensions of refinements) of vegetables ravioli, cod in various ways, mile fish zero, homemade heads.
And now, in Lerici, let’s take a place in what is likely to be the best restaurant on the Riviera Spezzina: The Doriaon the panoramic terrace inside the Doria Park Hotel, structure surrounded by greenery, with a romantic view of the sea. Chef Riccardo Luvisi tries the palate with a spaghettone with the squid to be scored between the dishes of life, such as the sea soup and the sailor gallet (or, for the most terrestrial, the rabbit roll to aromatic herbs).
What if a visitor wanted to “Mesciua”, the typical legumes and cereals soup? He has to go to hell, that is, book in the oldest place in Spezia – Trattoria al Infernoin fact -, founded in 1905 and consecrated to the local cuisine: Pasta with pesto, fried anchovies, stuffed muscles. Do you eat underground (near the devils with the ardent tizzoni?), In the ancient cellars become a restaurant.
Who knows why, at this point we think of the epigram of a great humorous author, now forgotten, but sacked by many: Gino Patroni, of Ameglia, who passed away in 1992. Here it is: «Popular canteen. A vegetable soup and is immediately pear ». Patroni shared him in 1959 and infuriated Salvatore Quasimodo, who felt taken for the bottoms with the détournement Of the verse “And it is immediately evening” (fortunately Cesare Pavese had already died, otherwise he would have offended for another epigram of the caustic Spezia: “I heart attack in the restaurant. Death will come and will have your gnocchi”).
The free spirits children of Spezia have had and have an irreverent relationship with their city, which hides their love. Dario Vergassola, a humorist of Vaglia, a worthy heir of Patroni, once said: “La Spezia is a sad city, but so sad that Isernia comparison seems Las Vegas”. It is not true, but we like to conclude with this author’s joke the exploration of a city that, it is said with phrase made, the journey is worth.
