“Spotorno, landscape of the soul; sky that to look at it you drink,” so the poet Camillo Sbarbaro writes about Spotorno and indeed the landscape here is something unique that we invite you to discover with our guided tours, literary treks and kayak excursions.
Spotorno, nestled in a wide inlet, is one of the four localities of de The Gulf of the Island. The deep seabed, the prairies of posidonia and a rich marine flora give a crystal clear sea. We are in the Cetacean Sanctuary And it is not uncommon to notice a few dolphins.
Spotorno is not only sea, but art, culture and traditions. In the village of Mt. one has the impression of going back in time, one relives history, a history documented as far back as the 12th century when the inhabitants were called homines episcopi. The settlement was ceded by Pope Urban IV to Genoa in the 14th century, laying the groundwork for its transformation in later centuries into a podesteria. As a reminder of these centuries tormented by frequent Saracen attacks we find the ruins of the defense system, consisting of a castle and several watchtowers. The houses on Via De Maestri are embellished with some 20 doors painted by the Savona artist Imelda Bassanello. Always at the Mt, l’Oratory of the Most Holy Annunciation, built at the end of the seventeenth century, holds valuable works of art by major painters and sculptors of the Genoese school, such as The processional “Case” of the S.S. Annunziata, and with the Oratory of St. Catherine are testimony to a period of great faith and devotion.
In suburb of Marina, nestled on the coast, typical caruggi lead to small squares of rare beauty. One of these is overlooked by the Church of the S.S. Annunziata, the city's main religious building. The colorful facades of the houses are adorned with beautiful sundials.
In the 19th century a new chapter began for Spotorno: tourism, and thanks to its privileged location it soon fell among the most renowned resorts in the Western Riviera.
Prominent guests include the English writer D.H. Lawrence who spent the winter of 1925-1926 here with his wife Frieda von Richthofen. On that occasion Frieda met Angelo Ravagli from Spotorn. An intense love affair was born between the two, which seems to have given the writer the inspiration to write the following year the famous novel Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Spotorno also made Spotorno fall in love with itself. Camillo Sbarbaro, one of Italy's most important 20th century poets, as well as a scholar and collector of lichens. The poet, a native of Santa Margherita Ligure, he decided to move permanently to Spotorno in 1951 and lived here until his death.
Contemporary with Camillo Sbarbaro, another distinguished citizen was the painter Gigetto Novaro, whose work can be seen in the Villa La Carlina Picture Gallery. Novaro was also one of the creators of the Bagutta Sea Award, which for several years was held in Spotorno awarding important contemporary artists.
Discover Spotorno with our literary treks and our guided tours:
- guided tour: Spotorno churches and oratories
- guided tour: Spotorno as it was
- guided tour: history of hospitality and the distinguished guests
- Historical trekking: the five boroughs of Spotorno
- literary trek: Camillo Sbarbaro
- Literary trek: Lady Chatterley in Spotorno, to find out what lies behind the most famous novel of the 20th century.
Also discover our Kayaking and snorkeling excursions in the Bergeggi Marine Protected Area
La guided tour of Spotorno can be combined with:
It can also be combined with the trekking in The Gulf of the Island, such as:
- trekking Alta Via del Golfo dell'Isola
- trekking of the cursed cross from Spotorno to Noli
- Along the ancient Roman road from Spotorno to Bergeggi
