Liguria and The Gulf of Poets- Italy’s Hidden Gem

By Emma Kate Marsden

Tucked away near the northwestern coast of Italy is a beautiful stretch of coastline and water by the Ligurian sea. The destination is officially named The Gulf of La Spezia, but it’s also known as The Gulf of Poets, because it was a popular haunt of poetry greats such as Byron and Shelley in their youth. Many British poets belonging to the literary Romanticism movement lived here, enamoured with the region’s beauty. Liguria was baptized with the name in 1910 by the playwright Sam Benelli and has been praised by Virginia Woolf, George Sand, Petrarch and many more.

Over the centuries, many poets, writers, and artists have also resided here. It’s easy to see why this area would provide creative inspiration. Pretty little villages are set on coastal hills overlooking a sparkling azure sea, with delicious local food and plenty to see and do.

The central town of the Gulf is La Spezia, a military and cargo port. To the east is the tourist town of Lerici and to the west the delightful Portovenere. This charming fishing village looks like a painting with its coloured buildings and winding streets full of little shops and eateries. Nestled among the houses are two arched stairways that lead up to the narrow stone streets of the village. At the top sits the restored Doria Castle, built around 1160. It’s a bit of a hike getting up there but worth it for the picturesque views. The fortress also provides the town with its UNESCO World Heritage site status. Many have described it as the sixth town of the Cinque Terre.

The Grand Hotel Portovenere is a fantastic base from which to explore the village, the Gulf of Poets, and the surrounding towns of the Cinque Terre. If you are fortunate enough to have a front-facing room overlooking the bay, you can see sweeping vistas, incorporating the bay and harbour, the town and castle, and one of the Gulf’s three islands, Palmaria – the other two being Tino and Tinetto.

To really experience La Dolce Vita in the Gulf of Poets, take a boat from the hotel to the island where you can hike and explore. On the way back, why not experience pure luxury onboard by enjoying a lunch of pesto focaccia, fresh oysters, and mussels with linguine, all washed down with Prosecco or some of the exquisite, award-winning, local sweet wine, Sciacchetrà. 

If you would like to see where this wine is made, the hotel will arrange for a trip to the local vineyard for you or a winetasting in the hotel. They also offer cooking classes. In fact, nothing is too much trouble here, the service is second to none. Wonderful rooms, staff, and location. The food in the hotel’s Palmaria restaurant is scrumptious and there is another fabulous restaurant, Trattoria Tre Torri, a minute’s walk away.

The Gulf of Poets itself is breathtaking. From out on the ocean, you can see the towns, the rugged coastline, the castle, and Portovenere’s ancient Church of San Pietro. According to some archaeologists, the church stands on the ruins of an ancient pagan temple dedicated to Venus, from where Porto Venere gets its name.  The poet Eugenio Montale dedicated a poem to the church. It really is a sight to behold and the views from there are incredible. One such view from the portico of the church is ‘Byron’s Grotto’, a cove named after Lord Byron, where he would often come to meditate. It is said to be from here where he drew inspiration for many of his works. 

The grotto is surmounted by the church and the walls of the castle and can be reached via a narrow opening in the square in front of the church. You can also sail past the grotto on the water. Legend has it that Byron would swim the 8km across the bay to visit his friend Percy Shelley who lived in Lerici. There can be no poetry without tragedy and, sadly, Shelley drowned in the Gulf in 1822 when the sailing boat he was on, the Don Juan, sank due to a severe storm. Perhaps inevitably, a copy of poems by fellow British Romantic writer John Keats was found in his pocket when his body was recovered from the Gulf. Other poets who lived here include D.H. Lawrence and Mary Shelley, and many writers, this one included, still visit to this day to draw inspiration from the area.

If you want to experience a region that inspired the works of literary greats with a history of poetry, tragedy, and romance, and unique natural environments, landscapes and culture, there can be no better place to visit than Italy’s Gulf of Poets or Golfo dei Poeti.
*****

Emma Kate Marsden is a freelance travel writer and assistant editor for The Buzz magazine. Emma has lived in the UK and USA and travelled extensively throughout both, in addition to Europe, Central America, the Caribbean and North Africa. Emma has written previously for publications such as OK! Magazine and Journeying the Globe and is always looking for her next writing inspiration or adventure.