La Spezia was our destination, but not so we could see the castle. In fact, until our arrival, we didn’t know the Castle of San Giorgio dominated the hilltop over the city. Since this was our first actual castle on our European trip, we had to see it.
Photoblog, La Spezia, Italy, April 18, 2025
What are we doing in Europe? Here is the story. Touring Europe might be a crazy idea.
Our train trip from Florence to La Spezia was our first trip without the comforts and impressive speeds of the high-speed trains. We knew that La Spezia was a side trip for most travelers unless they were heading to the French Rivera. For us, La Spezia was on the way to Genoa and then, beyond that, Switzerland.
We needed to accomplish a lot during our two-day stay in La Spezia. Since we knew we were committed to some out-of-town sightseeing on our only free day, we decided that that afternoon would have to accommodate our exploration of La Spezia. When we departed on our walk around the city, we knew there was a castle, but we didn’t know where it was or that we would include it on our afternoon walk. After only a short walk, we could see it at the top of the hillside and made it our afternoon destination.
Photos from the Castle of San Giorgio of La Spezia
Tips for visiting La Spezia and the Castle of San Giorgio.
Had we done even a little research, we would have known that there was an easy way to get to the top, and of course, we took the hard way, climbing countless steps straight up the hillside to arrive at the castle walls. After that first mistake, it was fine for the rest of the visit. Following the visit, we took the Funicolare di San Giorgio back down into one of the neighborhoods, skipping the footpath of uncountable stairs.
Our second mistake was visiting the castle when the museum was closed. The museum traces the history of La Spezia from the Bronze Age (well before the Roman Empire) through the Roman and Middle Ages, all the way to the establishment of the Italy we know today.
History of La Spezia
La Spezia has been and always will be an essential naval town for Italy. The castle and military have been protecting this part of Italy, first from pirates from North Africa and other enemies, dating back to the Roman Empire. La Spezia has a weather-safe harbor. Sadly, much of the old city was destroyed during the Second World War.
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These photos were taken during our visit. Our photos are often “enhanced” to represent what we saw in person and correct for lighting and other things. Sometimes, this editing makes the images look better than they did in person.
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We made the same mistake, walking uphill and taking the funicular downhill!
It was totally worth the effort. The views were spectacular and the flowers draping the walls were stunning.