Lerici: Caletta di Levante - Castello San Giorgio di Lerici - Batteria antiaerea di Maralunga
Few places in Liguria have a history as closely tied to coastal defence as Lerici. Set on the Gulf of La Spezia, the town occupies the eastern side of a broad natural inlet long valued for shelter and command of the coast. Castello San Giorgio di Lerici stands above the harbour, its medieval fabric recalling the rivalries of Pisa and Genoa on this strategic shore. The Batteria antiaerea di Maralunga adds a later chapter as a coastal military installation on the headland. Caletta di Levante lies along the rocky shore east of the centre, while houses and terraced slopes follow the curve of the gulf. Lerici is also linked to the English Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, who spent time around the gulf in the early 1820s.
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Lerici has served as a small port on Liguria’s eastern coast since the Middle Ages. The town curves around a sheltered inlet on the Gulf of Poets, part of the Ligurian Sea beside the Bay of La Spezia, with wooded slopes rising behind its waterfront. Lerici Castle commands the harbour, recalling the strategic importance of this contested coast in the medieval rivalry between Genoa and Pisa. The English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley spent his final months at Villa Magni in nearby San Terenzo before his death at sea in 1822. Trace Lerici’s setting along the Gulf of Poets by browsing webcams from the surrounding Ligurian coast.
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Liguria is best known within Italy for the Cinque Terre, five historic coastal villages set above the Ligurian Sea. This narrow north-western region runs between the sea and the Ligurian Alps and Apennines, giving it a densely settled coastline, steep terraces and compact inland valleys. Genoa, its capital, developed as one of the Mediterranean’s great maritime powers; its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The region is also closely associated with pesto alla Genovese, traditionally made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Continue through nearby webcams to explore different parts of Liguria.
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Among the countries of southern Europe, Italy stands out for its Mediterranean coastline and cities marked by the legacy of ancient Rome. The Alps form its northern frontier, while the Apennines run down the peninsula and the Po crosses the broad plain of the north. Rome’s Colosseum and Roman Forum recall the ancient empire; Florence is closely associated with the Renaissance, and Venice is built across a lagoon on the Adriatic. Food changes markedly between regions, from olive-oil cooking in the south to rice dishes in the Po Valley. Sicily and Sardinia add distinct island identities to a country whose regions retain strong local character. Explore nearby webcam locations that provide complementary perspectives on Italy’s coasts, cities and mountains.
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