La Spezia

La Spezia, the Ligurian Capital, spreads over the Eastern end of the Riviera, at the centre of the gulf named after it, is the main military Italian harbour and renowned seat of shipyards and oil refineries. This city also shows a strong care for tourism, as shown by the Blue Flag for the Marina granted to Porto Lotti. Full of restaurants specialised in local cuisine, hotels and bed and breakfast, La Spezia presents important architectonic and cultural attractions, among which the Abbey Church of Santa Maria Assunta, that houses beautiful artworks regarding the Coronation of the Virgin, the Church of Santi Giovanni e Agitino, and the Cathedral of Cristo re dei Secoli, the Public Gardens, the Castle Museum, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Technical Naval Museum and The Arsenal. Among the festival days and traditions more appreciated by La Spezia visitors, we recall the Palio del Golfo, San Giuseppe and the Cercantico Sea Fair, an antique market organised in the square on the first Sunday of every month.