Portovenere: a jewel beloved of poets and lovers

Portovenere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most beautiful places in Liguria where you can celebrate your wedding or spend a weekend as a couple.

Portovenere is synonymous with romance and it is no coincidence that in the 19th century English Romantic poets chose this place as their home and as a source of inspiration for their poems. This seaside village will be the ideal setting for your love story, to take long walks embracing each other tightly and to lose yourself in your sweetheart’s eyes.

Here you can visit the Arpaia sea caves, currently known as Lord Byron’s Cave.

The ancient Church of San Pietro, built on the rock that dominates the promontory of the Bocche di Portovenere, stands elegant in its black and white striped dress that makes it an example of Genoese Gothic style also recalled in a poem by Nobel Prize winner Eugenio Montale: this is the oldest point of this gem of the East Coast Riviera, where the pagan temple dedicated to Venus, the goddess of love – after whom Portus Veneris was named – once stood.

From Palmaria Island – one of the three islets that make up the small archipelago of Portovenere, together with the islands of Tino and Tinetto – you can enjoy an unparalleled view of the town, with its famous “palazzata a mare”, the church of San Lorenzo and the majestic Doria Castle, which from the top of the fortress bears witness to centuries of history and which can now be rented for wedding ceremonies.

The wonders of PortoVenere do not end here: the area offers a wide choice of restaurants, bistros, hotels and shops to suit all tastes, allowing one to fully enjoy the town, the Gulf of Poets and the nearby Cinque Terre.

You will probably remain speechless in front of the coastal landscapes that you will encounter on the various walks that depart from PortoVenere and during the beautiful ferry excursions sailing from the small port: you will be welcome in a land suspended between the crystal-clear sea and the brilliant green of the forests, immersed in history and romantic by vocation