Lerici in Liguria is an easy two-hour drive south from Genoa with ample time for a cup of coffee in Rapallo on the way. On second thoughts go a little further down the coast to Chiavari rather. Then while away the afternoon exploring the castle that watches over an elaborate 8th Century BC graveyard. Alternatively, take a short drive inland to Leivi and gaze upon the villa of your dreams.
View of Chiavari from San Rufino Church, Leivi
After you have had your fill of Chiavari, it’s time to travel south along the coastal road until we reach Lerici. This is your virtual destination for tonight and we can arrange a fine hotel for you to stay . But first, what is so special about Lerici that I say it could be the best part of Italy. Note the little word ‘could’ because we each have our particular vision of heaven.
Lerici, View from the Castle
Let me see now, where shall I start? Well first, Lerici is in a strategic position on the Gulf of Spezia and has a castle built in 1152 to prove it. The main attractions are the shops and restaurants below, and acre after acre of pleasure craft anchored in the peaceful bay. Do you have the spirit of poetry in you? Then you may already know that this is where the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned a month before his 30th birthday. Who ever said that love was easy?
A Quiet Spot on a Deserted Beach
Tomorrow morning as I bid you ‘Buon viaggio – Have a Good Journey!’ do take a detour inland in your hire car to Sarzana on the railway line to Pisa and its crazy, leaning tower . The main attraction is an intact fortress. It represents the point at which castle design responded to the arrival of gunpowder. It withstood all attempts to take it, because the rivellinos around the tops of the walls made them impossible to climb.
Hilltop Citadel of Sarzana
