Property for Sale in La Spezia, Liguria
The Province of La Spezia is the easternmost part of Liguria, on the border with Tuscany. It takes in the deep natural harbour of the Gulf of La Spezia, the Cinque Terre and Portovenere on the steep coast to the west, and the valleys of the Magra and Vara rivers inland, where the hills are covered in chestnut woods, olive terraces and small stone villages.
The homes listed on this site are mostly villas, with a few apartments, village houses and a farmhouse. Prices are high, as is usual on the Ligurian coast: most properties cost well over half a million euros, although homes inland and in need of work can be found for much less.
La Spezia and Portovenere
La Spezia is a naval city and busy port at the head of the gulf, with a pedestrian shopping centre, a seafront promenade and museums. Property in the city is mainly apartments, with villas on the hills above that look across the gulf. It is the most practical base in the province for year-round living, with hospitals, schools and a main-line railway station.
At the western tip of the gulf, Portovenere is a fishing village of tall coloured houses below a Genoese castle and the church of San Pietro, facing the island of Palmaria. It is part of the same UNESCO World Heritage Site as the Cinque Terre.
Lerici and the Gulf of Poets
The eastern shore of the gulf is known as the Gulf of Poets, after Shelley and Byron, who stayed here in the nineteenth century. Lerici is a lively harbour town under its castle, with a small beach, a promenade and boats across the gulf. Nearby are San Terenzo, where Shelley lived, and Tellaro, a tiny village built on rocks above the sea.
Property around Lerici includes villas with gardens and sea views on the wooded slopes, apartments in the town and older houses in the hamlets. Further south, Ameglia and the headland of Montemarcello look over the mouth of the Magra and the beaches towards Tuscany.
The Cinque Terre
West of La Spezia, the five villages of the Cinque Terre cling to a steep coast of vineyard terraces, linked by footpaths, the railway and boats. Vernazza, with its small harbour and church on the water, is one of the most visited. Property here is scarce and much sought after, usually small apartments and village houses, and the whole area is a national park with strict rules on building work.
The Val di Magra and Val di Vara
Inland, the Magra valley leads towards Sarzana, a walled market town with a fortress, and Castelnuovo Magra, a hill village among vineyards of the Colli di Luni. The Vara valley to the north-west is greener and quieter, with villages such as Calice al Cornoviglio surrounded by woods. Farmhouses and village houses in these valleys cost considerably less than on the coast, and the sea is still within easy reach.
Property and Lifestyle in La Spezia Province
La Spezia, Sarzana and Lerici provide shops, healthcare and year-round services. The Cinque Terre villages are very busy in summer and quiet in winter, and daily life there depends on the train and on steep footpaths.
Local food and wine include pesto and focaccia, mussels farmed in the gulf, Vermentino from the Colli di Luni and the sweet Sciacchetrà of the Cinque Terre.
Holiday rental demand is very strong on the coast. Letting rules in the Cinque Terre and around the gulf should be checked with the comune first.
Airports and Transport Connections
Pisa airport is the nearest international airport for most of the province, and Genoa airport serves the western side.
The A12 motorway runs along the coast from Genoa past La Spezia and Sarzana towards Pisa, and the A15 heads north through the Apennines to Parma. La Spezia is on the main railway between Genoa and Pisa, and regional trains serve every village of the Cinque Terre. Boats link La Spezia, Lerici, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre in season.
Parking is limited in the coastal villages, and some homes can only be reached on foot.
Buying and Renovating Property in La Spezia Province
Much of this coast is steep, and heavy rain can cause landslides and flooding, as the Cinque Terre experienced in 2011. Have a local surveyor (geometra) check the property against its cadastral and planning records and the local hazard maps, and inspect retaining walls and terraces.
Landscape protection is strict along the coast, in the Cinque Terre National Park and around Portovenere, so changes to exteriors, roofs and gardens need approval. Check access, parking and the condition of private paths and lanes.
From apartments in La Spezia to villas above Lerici and country houses in the Magra valley, the Province of La Spezia offers Ligurian coastal property within easy reach of Tuscany.