Porto Venere (Portovenere) may not be part of the Cinque Terre, but it offers just as charming an atmosphere with its colorful houses lining the picturesque harbor. Beyond the marina, you enter the village itself, where you'll find incredibly narrow and often very steep streets, known as "Capitoli." The narrow Via Cappellini leads you to the striped Gothic St. Peter's Church, perched on the peak of the promontory.
Although there are no sandy beaches along the rocky coastline, you can swim in the rocky bay of the Grotta di Lord Byron, located beneath the castle. The gulf near Portovenere is also known as the Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of Poets), named after the famous poets Shelley and Byron, who often spent time here.
If you stay here, take a boat trip to Palmaria Island or to Tino Island, with its lighthouse and the remains of an abbey. Located just south of La Spezia, Portovenere also serves as an excellent base for visiting the Cinque Terre. In addition, hiking trails like the "Sentiero Azzurro" offer breathtaking views over the sea.
Top Highlights of Porto Venere
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Porto Venere Regional Nature Park
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
In the Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Venere, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Ligurian coast, you can expect a unique blend of protected nature and historical architecture. The expansive protected area includes the picturesque town of Portovenere, as well as the three nearby islands Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto, covering more than 130 square kilometers of marine area.
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Chiesa di San Pietro
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
High above the harbor of Portovenere, the Chiesa di San Pietro stands as one of the oldest churches in the Gulf of La Spezia. Built in the 5th century on the remains of a pagan temple, the church today combines Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements, with its striking black-and-white striped façade in the Genoese style particularly catching the eye.
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Doria Castle
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
Palmaria
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
On the picturesque coast of Liguria, you will find Palmaria, the largest island of the Spezzino archipelago, which, along with Portovenere and the Cinque Terre, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sanctuary of the Madonna Bianca
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
High above the picturesque Portovenere stands the Santuario della Madonna Bianca, an originally Romanesque church from the early 12th century that was rebuilt in the Gothic style after several destructions.
Varignano Roman Villa
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
In the sheltered bay of Varignano Vecchio near Portovenere, you can discover the remains of a Roman luxury villa from the 1st century BC, which the writer Varro described as the "perfect villa."
Tino
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
The small island Isola del Tino is located just 2.5 km off the Ligurian coast and is mostly a military restricted area today. In the 7th century, the hermit San Venerio lived on this densely forested island, later becoming the patron saint of the Gulf of La Spezia. His feast day on September 13 is the only day of the year when visitors are allowed to enter the island.
Promontorio dell'Arpaia
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
Tinetto
Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy
Off the coast of Portovenere, the tiny rocky island of Tinetto rises from the Ligurian Sea. You can't set foot on it, but its history dates back to the 5th century. On this barren island, which is only 6000 m² in size, you'll find the remains of an early Christian monastery with a double apse chapel and faded red-blue frescoes, destroyed by Saracens in the 11th century. Today, a colony of seagulls and the endemic Tinetto wall lizard share the Mediterranean vegetation of this militarily protected island. Together with Palmaria and Tino, Tinetto has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Cinque Terre since 1997.
