Lerici, Italy: things to do, where to stay

Lerici is a small town and municipality in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of La Spezia, better known as the Gulf of Poets. The old town sits around its harbour below San Giorgio castle; the municipality also takes in seven villages, including San Terenzo, Tellaro, Pugliola and La Serra.

Il Capolavoro is in San Terenzo, in the Bagnola area: from our houses, central Lerici is a 20-minute walk along the sea. Below is what to see in Lerici, a plan for one day, the villages nearby and how to get around without a car.

On the headland

San Giorgio castle

San Giorgio castle is the landmark of Lerici: a fortress on the headland that closes the harbour, built by the Pisans in the 13th century, later taken by Genoa and strengthened in 1555 against artillery. Today it is open to visitors, with a ticket, and hosts art exhibitions.

For centuries it was a garrison and a prison. Since 2022 the town has used it as an exhibition venue, with shows and events through the year. Inside you can see the Gothic chapel of Sant'Anastasia, the tower and the panoramic terrace, which looks over the whole gulf. The town's tourism site has an audio guide to listen to on the way round.

You can walk up from the old town or, when it is running, take the lift from the tunnel at Calata Mazzini. Hours and prices differ between summer and winter, so we don't list them here: the current ones are on the castle page of lericicoast.it, the official tourism site of the Comune di Lerici.

The heart of town

Piazza Garibaldi and the harbour

Piazza Garibaldi is Lerici's square on the harbour, below the castle: pastel buildings, café tables outside, boats a few steps away. The seafront walk to San Terenzo starts here, and in season the ferries to the Cinque Terre leave from the harbour.

The old town has two churches worth a short stop: San Francesco, completed in 1636, and the oratory of San Rocco, first dedicated to Saints Martin and Christopher and renamed after San Rocco in 1524, following an outbreak of plague.

From the harbour, the Line 02 ferry runs to Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso. How to plan the day, by train or by boat, is in our guide to the Cinque Terre from Lerici.

The Gulf of Poets from above: a beach sheltered by a breakwater, the village on the hillside and the Portovenere islands on the horizon

Castle to castle

The seafront walk from Lerici to San Terenzo

Lerici and San Terenzo are joined by a flat promenade along the sea, from one castle to the other. From Piazza Garibaldi you pass the Lido and Venere Azzurra beach, in the middle of the bay, and end up on San Terenzo beach, in front of the village.

Venere Azzurra is a sandy beach with a free stretch and several beach clubs; in summer it is the centre of Lerici's seaside life. The beaches along the way, and those further south towards Fiascherino and Tellaro, are covered in our guide to the beaches in San Terenzo and Lerici.

Things to do in San Terenzo

Itinerary

Lerici in one day

One day is enough to see Lerici without rushing: the castle and the square in the morning, the seafront to San Terenzo in the afternoon and, if there is time, a detour to Tellaro. Everything is on foot except Tellaro, at the far end of the coast.

Morning, the castle. Go up to San Giorgio castle for the terrace over the gulf, the tower and the chapel of Sant'Anastasia.
Midday, the square. Walk down to Piazza Garibaldi and the harbour, with a wander through the old town.
Afternoon, the sea. The promenade to San Terenzo, with a swim at Venere Azzurra or on San Terenzo beach.
Towards evening, Tellaro. The village on the rocks, with the church of San Giorgio right on the sea. You get there by car: Tellaro's pay car parks are listed in our guide to parking in Lerici.

Tellaro from above: pastel houses with green shutters, terracotta roofs and the sea of the gulf with the islands on the horizon

Beyond the town

Tellaro and the other villages

The municipality of Lerici doesn't end at the harbour. To the south the coast turns to rocks and coves and climbs into the hills, with small villages that are still lived in: Tellaro on the sea, Pugliola and La Serra higher up, and below La Serra the beaches of Fiascherino.

Tellaro: One of the Borghi più belli d'Italia, Italy's most beautiful villages, with the pink church of San Giorgio right on the sea. Legend has it that a giant octopus rang the church bells to warn the villagers of a pirate raid.
Fiascherino: Two beaches divided by the Lino channel. D. H. Lawrence lived here from September 1913 to June 1914, working on the novel that became The Rainbow.
Pugliola: Colourful houses on the hillside and the church of Santa Lucia. It is home to Villa Rezzola, an 18th-century house with a large terraced garden, now owned by FAI, the Italian National Trust, and open to visitors: hours are on the FAI website.
La Serra: A hill village of narrow lanes and steep steps, still intact. The dialect poet Paolo Bertolani was born here in 1931.

Trails and villages of the Gulf of Poets

Villa Marigola and its formal Italian gardens from above, among cypresses and palms

Writers, prizes, regattas

Lerici and the poets

The name "Gulf of Poets" was coined by the playwright Sem Benelli on 30 August 1910, in San Terenzo, in his funeral oration for the scientist and writer Paolo Mantegazza. The gulf already had a long literary history: Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley lived at Villa Magni, on the sea at San Terenzo, in 1822, and Virginia Woolf stayed there in 1933.

Poetry still has its prize here: the LericiPea Golfo dei Poeti. In 2026 its lifetime achievement award was presented at Villa Marigola, the villa with formal gardens in San Terenzo. And every year, on the first Sunday of August, the Lerici, San Terenzo, Venere Azzurra and Tellaro crews race their boats in the Palio del Golfo, the rowing regatta held in La Spezia.

For this season's events, the up-to-date calendar is on the town's tourism site.

Shuttles, ferries, on foot

Getting around Lerici without a car

In Lerici a car is of little use, and in summer it gets in the way: public car parks are pay-and-display and the centres of Lerici and San Terenzo are a restricted traffic zone (ZTL). You walk between the two along the sea, and two free ATC Esercizio shuttles link the car parks with the coast and the hill villages.

Car parks, ZTL periods and shuttles are explained in detail in our guide to parking in Lerici and San Terenzo. For the Cinque Terre, the ferry leaves Lerici harbour in season; trains leave from La Spezia station.

Il Capolavoro

Where to stay in Lerici

Il Capolavoro is three holiday homes in San Terenzo, part of the municipality of Lerici, in the Bagnola area: the beach and Marigola golf course are 250 metres away, a four-minute walk, and central Lerici is 20 minutes on foot. Each house has its own free parking space inside the property.

House	Guests	Size	View	Outdoors
I Particolari	4	45 m², open plan	Over the hamlet of Bagnola	Private garden, patio, gas barbecue
I Pesci	4	60 m², on three levels	Over the hillside	Patio with table and loungers
Ritratto di Donna	up to 8	90 m², two levels, three bathrooms	Sea view from the second-floor bedroom	Furnished patio

Staying in San Terenzo rather than in central Lerici means the sea just below the house and the car parked in its own space, with no ZTL and no parking meters, and Lerici a walk away. Prices start from €180 a night; they vary with the season and we confirm them when we reply to your request.

Compare the three houses Marigola, a nine-hole golf course San Terenzo

Questions

Lerici, in short

Is Lerici worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want the Ligurian coast at a slower pace than the Cinque Terre. Lerici has a castle over the harbour, a flat seafront walk to San Terenzo, sandy beaches and quiet villages such as Tellaro, and ferries to the Cinque Terre in season.

What can you do in Lerici in one day?

Visit San Giorgio castle and its terrace over the gulf, have lunch around Piazza Garibaldi and the harbour, then walk along the sea to San Terenzo, past Venere Azzurra beach. If there is time, drive to Tellaro, the village at the far end of the coast.

Why is it called the Gulf of Poets?

The name was coined by the playwright Sem Benelli on 30 August 1910, in San Terenzo, in his funeral oration for the scientist and writer Paolo Mantegazza. The gulf already had strong literary ties: Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley lived at Villa Magni in San Terenzo in 1822.

Can you visit Lerici castle?

Yes, with a ticket. Since 2022 San Giorgio castle has been used as an exhibition venue; visitors can see the chapel of Sant'Anastasia, the tower and the panoramic terrace. Opening hours and prices change with the season and are published on the town's official tourism site, lericicoast.it.

Do you need a car in Lerici?

No. You can walk along the sea between San Terenzo and Lerici, and two free ATC Esercizio shuttles link the car parks with the villages. In season, a ferry runs from Lerici harbour to the Cinque Terre. In summer the centres of Lerici and San Terenzo are a restricted traffic zone.

Where to stay in Lerici?

Il Capolavoro has three holiday homes in San Terenzo, part of the municipality of Lerici, in the Bagnola area: the beach is 250 metres away and central Lerici a 20-minute walk. Each house has its own free parking space inside the property. Prices start from €180 a night and vary with the season.

Request

Lerici, a walk from the house

Three houses in Lerici, San Terenzo, 250 metres from the sea and the golf course, each with its own parking space. Tell us the house and dates: we'll reply with availability and a quote, no obligation.

Check dates See the houses

Lerici, Italy: things to do and where to stay