The sixth village: outside the national park but inside the World Heritage site, with tall painted houses along the harbour, a striped church on a rock where a temple of Venus once stood, and an island across a narrow strait.
Portovenere guards the entrance to the Gulf of La Spezia, and its walls, castle and church show it was a fortress before it was a resort.
Along the harbour, the palazzata of tall, narrow painted houses forms a single wall facing the water. At the end of the promontory, the striped Gothic church of San Pietro stands on the rock where, by tradition, a temple of Venus once stood. Below it, the sea cave known as Byron's grotto is where the poet is said to have swum across the gulf towards Lerici. Above the village, the Doria castle looks out over both.
Shuttle boats cross to Palmaria every half hour for a few euros. The island has a three-hour loop walk past old quarries and forts, the swimming beach at Pozzale, and lunch at Locanda Lorena.
Buses from La Spezia take about 30 minutes, or come by the hop-on boat from the villages.
A full day split across the strait.
Walk the harbour front, then through the old gate into the main lane.
Walk to the end of the promontory for the striped church and the sea views.
Look down into the cove below the cliffs.
Climb to the castle for the view over the village and Palmaria.
Take the shuttle boat across, walk the loop and swim at Pozzale.
Bus from La Spezia in about 30 minutes, or the hop-on boats from the Cinque Terre villages in season.
Shuttles from the harbour every half hour, a few euros each way.
The Alta Via ridge path from Riomaggiore ends in Portovenere.
Cinque Terre practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
