🏙️ La Spezia webcams online — watch the city in real time

Gulf of Poets: why La Spezia inspired writers

La Spezia is a city where the sea and mountains create a landscape impossible to look away from. The bay on which the city stands bears the romantic name "Gulf of Poets" — and this is not a metaphor from tourist brochures, but an official nickname given in 1910 by Italian playwright Sam Benelli, who lived in a villa above San Terenzo. The protected waters have long attracted literary figures.

Percy Bysshe Shelley settled here with his wife Mary at the villa "Casa Magni" in Lerici, and later in San Terenzo. It was in these waters that on July 8, 1822, Shelley died in a storm aboard the schooner "Ariel". His body washed ashore at Viareggio. Lord Byron also found inspiration here. Among the Italian writers associated with the gulf are Gabriele D'Annunzio, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, and Mario Soldati, who settled in Tellaro and captured the gulf's landscapes in prose and painting.

Naval base: from the Romans to the present day

La Spezia is a city with deep naval roots. As far back as Roman times, the port of Portus Lunae was located here, and in the Middle Ages the Genoese and Pisans used the natural harbor for military and commercial needs. In the 15th century, the Sforza family built the first arsenal for galleys, but the real turning point came in the 19th century.

In 1857, Navy Minister Count Cavour allocated funds for the creation of a modern base. Construction began in 1862 under the direction of military engineer Domenico Chiodo with the participation of James Rendel. The grand opening took place on August 28, 1869, when the new docks were filled with water. Since then, the base has become the main arsenal of the Italian Navy.

World War II brought heavy bombing and destruction, but post-war reconstruction returned the base to service. Today it is one of the most important facilities of the Italian Navy, combining military function with a commercial and passenger port.

Palio del Golfo: a regatta that unites the coast

Every first Sunday in August, the waters of the gulf become the arena for the historic Palio del Golfo regatta, founded in 1932. In 2026, the celebration of the 101st anniversary edition is planned — an event impossible to forget once you have seen it.

The race involves 13 coastal districts — from Portovenere to Tellaro. Each represents a handcrafted wooden boat with a crew of 4 rowers and a helmsman. The distance is about 2 kilometers, with a completion time of just over 10 minutes. In addition to the main category, a youth race has been held since 1964, and a women's race since 1995. The preceding days are filled with boat parades, theatrical performances, and street dinners.

Hidden gems: museums not written about in guidebooks

La Spezia knows how to surprise those willing to step off the tourist trails. the Italian Navy Museum of Technical Navigation on Viale Giovanni Amendola houses a collection of navigation instruments, weather vanes, ship figureheads, and submarine technology elements — from antiquity to the present. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.

The Amedeo Lia Municipal Museum is located in a former Franciscan monastery. Here you can see paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and Bellini, medieval ivory carvings, and parchment manuscripts from the 13th–18th centuries. The Castello San Giorgio on the hill opens up a panorama of the city and gulf at nearly 360 degrees, while inside it preserves archaeological finds from the Neolithic to the Roman period and sculptural stelae of Lunigiana.

Ligurian cuisine: what to try in La Spezia

La Spezia's cuisine is pure Liguria on a plate: olive oil, basil, fresh fish, and wild herbs. Focaccia genovese with oil and salt is served for breakfast, farinata made from chickpea flour is baked in a stone oven with onion and anchovies. Trofie — small twisted pasta — is traditionally served with pesto of basil, pine nuts, and Parmigiano.

Testaroli — an ancient pasta similar to thin pancakes — is cooked on cast-iron griddles and served with pesto or wild herbs. Mesccua is a hearty soup of chickpeas, beans, and wheat with a generous portion of olive oil. From the seafood — spaghetti with mussels and anchovies, baccalà in soups and appetizers. For dessert, it's worth trying saccierta — a dessert wine from Cinque Terre.

Gateway to Cinque Terre: why La Spezia is the best starting point

La Spezia is the main transport hub for visiting Cinque Terre. The central station lies on the Parma–La Spezia line with frequent regional services to all five villages and direct connections to Rome, Milan, Florence, and Venice. The main ferry terminal serves regular passenger ferries and cruise liners to Vernazza and Monterosso.

Unlike the resort ports of the Riviera, La Spezia is less crowded and offers budget accommodation, a large market on Via Prione with local produce, fish, and seafood. It is also the region's largest port for private boats and yachts — the perfect starting point for exploring the coastal coves of Monte Marcello and Rocca di Bergola.

Which cameras show the city

La Spezia webcams online offer views of the city's key spots: the waterfront overlooking the gulf, the port with military and commercial vessels, the historic center with narrow streets and squares. The broadcasts allow you to watch life in the Gulf of Poets in real time — from sunrises over the water to the evening lights of the waterfront. Choose a camera and watch La Spezia right now — a city where history, sea, and culture meet at every turn.