Liguria · La Spezia
Lerici
A fishing harbour under a Pisan-Genoese castle, with the frazione of Tellaro hanging over the rocks at the commune's southern edge.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h from Pisa
- Population
- 9,425
Known for
CASTLE
Pentagonal Pisan-Genoese fortress on the harbour, with a paleontology museum holding Jurassic dinosaur tracks.
POETS' BAY
Eastern shore of the Gulf of La Spezia where Byron and Shelley wrote and swam in the early 19th century.
TELLARO
The commune's southern frazione, a borghi più belli member with houses stacked on a rocky promontory above the sea.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J12°
- F13°
- M15°
- A17°
- M21°
- J25°
- J28°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 13°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The Gulf of La Spezia takes its eastern shore here, and English Romantics renamed that shore the Bay of Poets after Byron and Shelley made it their address in the early 19th century. The fortress that defines the harbour was begun by the Pisans in 1152 to control the gulf, captured by the Genoese in 1256, and rebuilt in its present pentagonal form through the 14th and 15th centuries; it now holds a paleontology museum with Jurassic dinosaur tracks recovered from the local sandstone. Shelley lived at a house in nearby San Terenzo in 1822, he drowned that summer sailing from Livorno, and Byron swam across the bay from Portovenere on his way to visit him.
Beyond the historic harbour the commune stretches south past a colourful frazione perched on a rocky promontory above the sea, a member of the Borghi più belli d'Italia network in its own right; a coastal trail links the two through olive terraces and pine woods. The town beach holds a Bandiera Blu and the harbour fills with sailing dinghies all summer. Upper fortress and lower water, working harbour and outlying fishing hamlet: the whole gulf edge here reads as one address that two poets happened to share, and the parts of the commune as its castle, its beach, and its outpost on the rocks.
Read on
Lerici in our articles
The 6 best hidden coastal towns within 90 minutes of Pisa6 towns, Lerici among them.
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The best coastal towns inside a nature park within 90 minutes of Pisa6 towns, Lerici among them.
The best towns inside a nature park that have a serious restaurant in Liguria6 towns, Lerici among them.
How to get there
From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 10m by car.
Genoa (GOA) is about 1h 39m away.
By car from the centre of Pisa 1 hour or Parma 1h 40m.
Driving in is restricted: 3 limited traffic zones are mapped here (ZTL Via Matteotti Lerici, ZTL Galleria Primacina Lerici, ZTL Via Biaggini 2ª Traversa). Check the signs and the times before you drive into the centre.
Coming by train into Livorno Centrale? Lerici is about 1 hour away by road.
What to see
Castello di Lerici
Begun by the Pisans in 1152, captured by Genoa in 1256, rebuilt in its present form in the 14th-15th centuries. The pentagonal walls still hold the harbour under them, and the paleontology museum inside keeps the Jurassic tracks pulled from the local sandstone.
Bay of Poets / Casa Magni
The Casa Magni at San Terenzo, a Lerici frazione, was Shelley's residence in 1822, the year he drowned in the bay. The house still stands on the shore that gave the Bay of Poets its name.
Tellaro
Pastel-coloured fishing frazione clinging to a rocky promontory at the southern edge of the bay. Linked to Lerici by the coastal Castelnuovo trail.
Spiaggia di Lerici
Town beach with a Bandiera Blu and a clear view of the castle. The harbour fills with sailing dinghies and the gulf's sailing-school fleet through the summer.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Lerici fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Il Fico trentacaregheRistorante
Il Fico trentacareghe carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
La BarcaRistorante
La Barca holds a Gambero Rosso listing.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Mytiliade a Lericifood festival
usually held in September. MangiareInLiguria - Sagre ed Eventi
The Sunday letter
Lerici got its letter. One town every Sunday, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Living here
- Population 9,425
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 10 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 1 h 30 min drive
Common questions
- What is Lerici known for?
- Lerici is a fishing harbour under a Pisan-Genoese castle, with the frazione of Tellaro hanging over the rocks at the commune's southern edge.
- Where is Lerici?
- Lerici is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, at 10 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Lerici?
- Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 10m by car.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Lerici?
- About 1 hour by car.
- When is the best time to visit Lerici?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Lerici?
- Yes. Mytiliade a Lerici. September is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Lerici?
- Portovenere, Recco and Santa Margherita Ligure.
- How many people live in Lerici?
- 9,425 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 10 m
- Population: 9,425
- Surface area: 16.01 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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