Portovenere was the old bastion that defended the borders in 14th century between the glorious maritime republics of Genoa and Pisa. The inhabitants descend from Genoese families, sent by the Doge, in defense of the territory. Portovenere has a strategic location used, in the past, to defend the Gulf of Poets (Navy base of La Spezia) from an enemy “invasion” . Signs of its military past are evident. The Doria Castle overlooks the entire area and many bunkers monitor all the coast.
Although many of these sites have been “abandoned” there are still many areas that you can not access because military garrisons (Tino Island).
I have been several times in Portovenere, mainly by sailboat. Coming from the sea, Portovenere Turn its strategic apparence into One definitly very romantic. At sunset, the sight is incredible. A nativity scene on the sea, with houses all colored lights reflected on the water.
But the absolute protagonist of the scene is the church of San Pietro. Built in 1198 on the rock above “bocche” of Portovenere” overlooking the sea. The black and white stones, the architecture and especially its location make it really charming. Probabily It is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Italy for wedding. You can perceive it by the amount of the celebrations made every day. One time I saw in two hours to more than five “processions” which accompanied several wives. Too many.
The church is open to visitors and in its simplicity bears the marks of all the various influences it had in its long history. Climb on the terrace beside the church to admire the magnificent view of the sea and the east coast where the Cinque Terre and the exclusive Portofino overlooking the sea.
From the church you can follow a path that bring visitor to see the Lord Byron Cave. The poet loved Portovenere ed got inspiration from this wonderful place.
Unfortunately near the church, there is the Grand Hotel San Pietro ruins. Long ago… a luxury hotel and now dirty building in a state of neglect. What a pity that the no one still has not found a solution to this beautiful hotel. Due this time of crisis is difficult to find a company that wants to invest millions of euros to bring it back to its former glory.
But fortunately… in this place many bakeries remain operative with their ovens. The “focaccia” in Portovenere is really special. I am a lover of bread and all its derivatives. I admit that I can not resist the temptation to gorge of focaccia and after I pay the consequences (with the bathroom scale). Because bakeries have not infinite capacity… to be sure to get focaccia, It s always a good idea to buy it early morning.
Walking through the streets of the village does not take long so, with good weather, you have time to sunbath on the rocks or to have a drink at one of the bars overlooking the sea.
In Portovenere there are restaurants to eat exquisite fish. But I especially like La Locanda Lorena. I’ve heard mixed reviews about this restaurant, but , in my opinion, I have rarely found the spaghetti with seafood so good. The restaurant is on the island in front of Portovenere: Palmaria Island. The restaurant offers a free “shuttle” service for guests of the restaurant. A motorboat (Riva style) collects customers from the port of Portovenere and even those who are moored with boat in the canal that separates the Palmaria Island from the mainland.
In addition to the island of Palmaria in front of Portovenere there is the island of Tinos. The island is a military garrison and you can not visit it except on special occasions (three days in november) or with permits. Although not inhabited has a video surveillance system that detects any intrusion. The best thing to do is to avoid docking.
Reaching Portovenere in the high season is not easy. The road network is very limited and maybe parking your car could be a problem. If you do not stay the night, it could be a good choice to arrive by sea with ferries leaving from La Spezia or if you want to save money to use the buses.
If you want to sleep in Portovenere, notice that there are not many hotels and this is why few are quite expensive. I personally recommend a Bed & Breakfast Torre Porto Venere. The B & B is set in an ancient watchtower built in the sixteenth century by the Maritime Republic of Genoa. The rooms are very comfortable. Having breakfast looking at the sea is surely a plus that is worth a lot.
The Daily Telegraph has included Portovenere in the 21 places that a tourist, in Italy must visit.
In 1997, Porto Venere, along with the Palmaria, Tino, Tinetto and Cinque Terre islands, was included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In conclusion…prepare the suitcase!.
Useful Information
Nearest Airports:
Pisa Airport (PSA) – ( 98 km far from Portovenere)
Low Cost Airlines operating on these Airports: Ryanair. (with many destanations), Easyjet, Transavia, Eurowings, Jet2.com, Volotea, Vueling
Hotel reservation: Booking.com, Trivago.com
