The provincial capital, La Spezia, a naval city at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia – aka the Gulf of Poets – is the nearest point of access for Cinque Terre, most easily reached by train. Riomaggiore, the first of the villages, is just eight minutes away and trains arrive regularly within the hour.

The construction of Italy’s largest naval base here in the mid-19th century introduced the large street grid and definitive august architecture.

Places worth exploring include the restored Castle of San Giorgio, originally built in 1262, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museo Amedeo Lia, the Ethnographic Civic Museum, and National Transportation Museum. The Market Place offers cobblestone streets, local cafes and shops.