'What cannot be found must be deemed lost, and what cannot be redeemed must be thought gone. Strange is thy way, Lord, show me the light.,
The words quoted above are from a traditional Ligurian evening prayer that one can still hear the sound of in churches and cathedrals in the North of Italy.
Liguria is the official name of the province and La Spezia is the capital of this province. Located amidst the beatific surrounding that the coastal region off the Mediterranean Sea is famous for, La Spezia is the ultimate tourist destination if you wish to resort to the life of quiet and peace form the daily hustle of taxing work and fast lifestyle.
Many tourists are wont to ignore the very presence of La Spezia, just because it is located very near to Cinque Terra “ a hugely popular coastal city that attracts over 1 million tourists each year. But that ignorance from the masses can be turned into your profit, because there's nothing that Cinque Terra can offer and La Spezia cannot. What's more, due to lesser recognition, La Spezia is a much cheaper place to roam around, stay at and enjoy in comparison with other nearby bigwigs of Mediterranean tourism and the Italian Riviera.
The spirit of La Spezia, as a town, lies in working hard day and night to secure a living of honor and passion. Maritime life is very prominent here, as the coast of La Spezia is naturally deep and suitable for transport and fishing. Over 35% of local families directly or indirectly depend upon fishing and related businesses to earn their bread and butter. La Spezia also hosts the largest Italian Naval Base, bringing many servicemen and their families to the city.
The backdrop of mountains and hills that sandwich the city against the coast provides for a unique ambiance. Tourists can get the best of sea-adventures as well as mountainous activities, a fact that is evident through the presence of over a dozen adventure clubs around the city.
There's much to see here and the only way to indulge is by visiting.
Cheap Accommodation in La Spezia
As mentioned earlier, La Spezia offers many cheaper lodging options, just because of the fact that it is not an A-lister holiday destination. Among various cheap hotels that you can find around here, Hotel Ghironi is the one that caught our eye immediately. Located among the hills, it is a beautiful retreat from the other mainstream options near the coast. It is very fairly priced as well, making it an automatic choice for tourists who are looking for some time off from their hectic schedule.
Villa Nina has the potential to top the rank of cheap hotels here. It is a boutique hotel that is so affordable that you would have a hard time not booking. Its lush green surroundings and a tiny pool bring together a brand of magic that only Mediterranean villas can.
Luxury Resorts and Hotels in La Spezia
It needs to be taken for granted that most holiday towns around the world have a good deal of branded five star hospitality presence to make things easier and life more luxurious for incoming tourists.
NH La Spezia “ operated by NH, a well-known Italian brand- is a fine representative for this case. It has all the bases covered when it comes to luxury and convenience of its guests. Going further, complimentary tour packages provided to guests for nominal charges add a good touch to their hospitality.
Crimsar Hotel, although not really your typical luxury resort, should also be mentioned here in the passing. It is a small-sized boutique hotel that features the best of Italian food and utmost levels of comfort for its patrons, making it a popular choice among various luxury hotels in La Spezia.
Independent and Boutique Hotels in La Spezia
This is the segment that virtually rules over the hospitality scene in La Spezia. From stately and grand summer houses to tiny, little villas, they make for an interesting take on La Spezia hotels of conventional kind.
It makes sense for tourists to go for independent and boutique hotels in La Spezia because they are perfectly suited for long stays as well as short, overnight stopovers. Plus, they add an important flexibility quotient that many tourists seem to appreciate.
Sightseeing in La Spezia
Museo Amedio Lia is the most popular tourist attraction in La Spezia. It is housed in a carefully renovated 3-century old villa and contains many precious works of art from the Ligurian art scene.
Castello di San Giorgio is another renovated and restored 18th century castle that is presently used as a home for many interesting artefacts and objects disinterred through excavation in the region. These artefacts, dating as far back as the prehistoric times, are surely going to stoke your fascination about the early history European civilizations.
The Italian Naval Force operates a public naval museum at the La Spezia coast under the name of 'Museo Tecnico Navale'. It houses relics from Italian Navy's history of exploration around the world, as well as advancements from the technical era.
Museo Del Siglio is a niche museum that is devoted to observe the evolution of various seals over a period of 15 centuries. It houses over 5,000 specimens and is a good place to hang out at with your family during hot summer afternoons.
Getting Around in La Spezia
As is the norm in most Italian cities, the best way to get around La Spezia is on foot and on bicycles. Since La Spezia is not really a sprawling city, you can hope to cover it all in two or three days, provided that you love tackling local culture and customs.
Pretty much all La Spezia hotels offer nominally chargeable bicycle rentals to all of their guests, making obsolete the need to hunting for a bicycle rental shop.
If you are not physically fit to undertake walking or bicycle riding, you can rent private cars on daily basis, too.