If you are planning a vacation between Liguria and Tuscany, knowing about the annual events that take place in the Gulf of Poets can help you to make the most out of your visit. In this article we list the main local events in Portovenere and neighboring towns like La Spezia, Sarzana and Viareggio.
Main Events in Portovenere
- 24 June – San Giovanni Battista. The small fraction of Fezzano celebrates the local patron saint with food stands, a crafts market, live music, a “pre-palio” boat race.
- 17 August – Festa della Madonna Bianca. It involves an evocative evening procession across the ancient village, illuminated with thousands of Roman torches, to celebrate the local Patron Saint called Madonna Bianca. Read more about the White Madonna event here.
- July or August (exact days may vary) – Coppa Byron. This sporting event pays tribute to the story about Lord George Byron swimming from Porto Venere to San Terenzo to visit his friend Percy Bysshe Shelley. Today it’s a swimming competition across the Gulf of Poets, for a total of about 8 kilometers.
- 8 September – Nostra Signora delle Grazie. Pilgrims gather in the small fraction of Le Grazie to celebrate the Madonna. But this religious occasion is also accompanied by a rich calendar of events, such as the Sagra del Polpo (octopus festival), a performance by the Navy Parachute Team, live music in the central piazza (square).
- 13 September – Festa di San Venerio. Since the Patron Saint of the Gulf of Poets used to live as a hermit monk on Tino Island, this military space opens to visitors for a couple of days around mid-September (dates can vary from year to year). Read more about San Venerio Festival here.
- Holiday Season – Underwater Nativity (Christmas Eve) and La Befana (6 January).
Annual Events in La Spezia
- 19 March – Fiera di San Giuseppe. Every year, in occasion of the city’s patron saint, La Spezia hosts a three-day fair with more than 600 street traders coming from all over Italy. In addition to the shopping area stretching around Piazza Europa, the public gardens and Passeggiata Morin, you will also find food stands and cultural events.
- June (usually in the last weekend of the month) – Liguria da Bere. Wines, wines and more wines. A great occasion to taste Liguria’s DOC and IGT labels in the historic center of La Spezia.
- July (exact days may vary) – Festival internazionale del jazz della Spezia. Founded in 1969, this is the longest-running Italian jazz festival to date. Read more about La Spezia Jazz Festival here.
- Late July / Early August (exact days may vary) – Festa del Mare. La Spezia gets ready for the Palio del Golfo with a series of events that take place throughout the seven days that precede the big occasion: food tastings, cultural and sea-related exhibitions, seminars and photography shows…
- First Sunday of August – Palio del Golfo. This is a historic race among 13 handmade boats, each representing a village located on the bay: Portovenere, Le Grazie, Fezzano, Cadimare, Marola, CRDD (La Spezia), Canaletto, Fossamastra, Muggiano, San Terenzo, Venere Azzurra, Lerici and Tellaro. Read more about the Palio del Golfo regatta here.
Traditional Events in the Gulf of Poets – eastern side
- August (exact days may vary) – Sagra del Polpo in Tellaro. This fish food festival has one big protagonist, the octopus. A great occasion to learn about the local legend of how Tellaro was freed by a giant creature from the sea…
- August (exact days may vary) – Pop Eat Festival in Castelnuovo Magra. This festival combines the traditional cuisine of Liguria and Lunigiana with visual arts, promoting the gastronomic culture of the territory between Liguria and Tuscany as well as visual artists.
- August (exact days may vary) – Soffitta nella Strada in Sarzana. Fifteen days of antiques’ market in the streets of the medieval village, a historic appointment since 1965.
- September (exact days may vary) – Festival della Mente in Sarzana. This was the first European festival dedicated to creativity, development of ideas and creation processes in general. Great Italian and foreign personalities participate, experts in the fields of art, literature, philosophy, science and entertainment.
- September (exact days may vary) – Napoleon Festival in Sarzana. Locals participate in the historic re-enactment of Napoleon’s era, given his family’s ties to their village. Learn more about the Napoleon Festival here.
Near the Gulf of Poets: Cinque Terre and Tuscany
- March or April (exact days may vary) – Sciacchetrail in Cinque Terre. This is an amazing 50-km race among the vineyards, sanctuaries and villages of the Cinque Terre. Learn more about the Sciacchetrail here.
- July/August (exact days may vary) – Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. This summer opera festival celebrates the operas of the famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. It takes place in Torre del Lago (Lucca), just a 90-minute drive away from Portovenere.
- October (exact days may vary) – Vele Storiche di Viareggio. Vintage and classic sailboats gather in Viareggio, the coastal city in Tuscany that is just one-hour drive away from Portovenere. Read more about most important end-of-season Mediterranean gathering of sailboats.
- October (exact days may vary) – Lucca Comics & Games. The Tuscan city of Lucca hosts the largest comics festival in Europe, and the second biggest in the world after the Comiket.
- Holiday Season (usually from 8 December to 6 January) – Presepe di Manarola. 15000 lights give life to a striking Nativity Scene in Manarola. Read more about it here.
