A travel blog should have an interesting angle, something far more imaginative and slightly less clichéd, despite being ludicrously true, than: “As we devoured delicious, hand made gelato, reciting Byron and Shelley while walking along a cobbled pathway with olive groves on one side and aromatic pine trees on the other, we rounded a corner and were confronted by a breathtaking vista of sparkling emerald and sapphire sea and a quaint port lined with stunning brightly coloured houses and small fishing boats”. Not only would this be slightly incorrect (no gelateria near cobbled, olive-lined paths and it is ambitious in the extreme to attempt to eat gelati walking along at c30 degrees in the sun without making a chocolate tea pot kind of mess), it would also be naff, mildly nauseating and smug.
Really, only being there or, second best, looking at some photos, can you appreciate that Lerici (and close-by Tellaro, San Terenzo, La Serra and even La Spezia, though to a lesser extent) is a bit of a secret gem along the Italian coastline.
If you feel a need to walk further than within the fairly small town of Lerici, it’s a lovely, flat walk north around the coast to San Terenzo, though to my mind not as lovely as Lerici and a bit more resorty-feeling. Half way between Lerici and San Terenzo is Piccolo Hotel del Lido, a fancy hotel with private beach, where there are also two chunks of public (free) sandy beach. San Terenzo is also on the bus route to La Spezia, a huge naval base and port with a fabulous covered market and some unassuming handsome buildings and a lot of restaurants.
I have been to this area three times. As La Serra was the first place I stayed, it has become my pilgrimage to climb up the hill to this unassuming hilltop village on each subsequent visit. This time I got the bus up and walked down (a c35-minute shortcut via VERY steep footpaths rather than quite steep, winding roads). It is worth visiting for the views, a walk through the very sweet, unspoilt village and surrounding olive groves and there is a restaurant with views.
Saving the most colourful area of Lerici for last, Tellaro is a stunning town at the end of the road. It’s a fairly lengthy walk along the road or a bus ride from Lerici. We have stayed in Tellaro too. There are fewer restaurants and less to do than in Lerici but to me it’s the prettiest town/village. Tellaro itself doesn’t really have beaches, though neighbouring Fiascherino does (mainly rocky, small and busy though). There also aren’t that many restaurants, but I love that it’s at the end of the road, which for some people could be a huge draw. Well, look at the photos; it’s beautiful.
Finally, a 20-minute boat trip to Portovenere, which can be seen from Lerici across the Gulf of Poets. Or, if you’re Lord Byron in days when there were fewer motor boats, a swim. Portovenere is stunning, interesting and there are lots of restaurants and yachts to swoon over. It is also crammed with troops of tourists and is over-priced along the tourist routes. But it is worth visiting, particularly if you catch the first boat from Lerici (9.30am in summer) or can get there earlier than that (bus from La Spezia, for example) to avoid the masses. Do not underestimate how many people visit in summer.