The city of the Navy
At the head of one of the largest and most beautiful natural gulfs of the Mediterranean, La Spezia was a small fishing village until the mid nineteenth century, when the Kingdom of Sardinia, at the suggestion of Cavour, decided to make it the main base of the Italian Navy. Between 1862 and 1869 the engineer Domenico Chiodo built the large Military Arsenal, and the city grew rapidly, with wide avenues, Art Nouveau palaces and gardens, taking on the orderly, elegant appearance it still has today. Today La Spezia is also the main gateway to the Cinque Terre and Portovenere, with trains and boats leaving from the city.
Next to the main gate of the Arsenal, the Museo Tecnico Navale, founded in 1870, is one of the oldest naval museums in the world. It displays thousands of objects that tell the history of navigation and of the Italian Navy: models of historic ships, from galleys to battleships, weapons, instruments, uniforms, relics of the Risorgimento and the two world wars, the "human torpedoes" (the "maiali") used by Italian frogmen in the Second World War, and a famous collection of figureheads, the wooden statues that decorated the bows of ships, including that of the sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci. The city also has the Museo Amedeo Lia, with a refined collection of paintings, miniatures and objets d'art, the Castello di San Giorgio, with the archaeological museum, and a seafront promenade with gardens and palms. Every year, on 19 March, the city celebrates its patron saint, Saint Joseph, with a large fair.
Tip: the Arsenal opens to the public on special days, check the calendar; from the port, boats leave for the islands and the Cinque Terre.
Where it is
More things to see in Liguria
Where to stay near La Spezia
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.