Liguria, Cinque Terra, La Spezia

A major port town with a lovely old centre and gateway to the Cinque Terra, Portovenere and Lerici area. With a commuting time of just 20 minutes by train to the centre of the Cinque Terra, many travellers use La Spezia as a base for their excursions. It has a lovely marina for pleasure craft and ferries area near the town centre with a beautiful walkway, gardens and large parks separating it from the busier town centre. There are a series of pedenstrian only malls that lead from the seaside up to the main train station (about 1km).