Lerici

Lerici is the pearl of the Gulf of Poets, beloved by Shelley (who drowned nearby in 1822), Byron, Lawrence, and Carducci. The village wraps around a perfect natural harbour dominated by a 13th-century Aragonese castle, its coloured houses reflecting in the still water of the gulf. The beaches around Lerici — particularly Fiascherino, Tellaro, and Montemarcello — are extraordinary: small rocky coves with crystalline water, often accessible only on foot or by boat. Tellaro in particular, a tiny fishing village 4km south, is routinely listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy. The castle houses an excellent museum of prehistoric marine paleontology. The ferry from Lerici to Portovenere (30 minutes) is one of the most scenic short sea crossings in Italy.