Palmaria island, Protected island in Gulf of La Spezia, Italy
Palmaria Island covers 1.6 square kilometers with a triangular shape, featuring Mediterranean vegetation on its eastern side and steep cliffs on its western coast.
The island contains multiple military structures from different periods, including Fort Count of Cavour and World War II bunkers spread across the terrain.
Archaeological discoveries in the Cave of Pigeons revealed human burials and fossilized bones dating back five thousand years, now exhibited in local museums.
Visitors can reach the island through regular ferry services departing from Porto Venere, La Spezia, and Lerici during the summer season.
The abandoned Pozzale quarry in the southern section of the island was used to extract portoro, a black marble containing distinctive gold veins.
Location: Province of La Spezia
Part of: Natura 2000
GPS coordinates: 44.04194,9.84444
Latest update: March 11, 2025 12:51
Liguria stretches as a narrow coastal strip between the Maritime Alps and the Apennines, combining maritime tradition with mountainous interior. Along the Riviera di Ponente in the west lie towns such as Dolceacqua with its medieval Doria Castle, the fortified town of Noli, and the Hanbury Botanical Gardens near La Mortola. The Riviera di Levante in the east features the Cinque Terre National Park with its coastal villages, Portofino with Castello Brown, and the Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante. Finalborgo preserves its medieval structure within the walls of Finale Ligure, while Vernazza with the Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia above the harbor belongs to the Cinque Terre. Inland valleys such as Valle Argentina lead to mountain villages that have maintained their historic architecture. Triora sits at 2,559 feet (780 meters) in the Ligurian Alps, Apricale displays stone alleys and vaulted passages, and Cervo perches above the coast between Imperia and Alassio. Bussana Vecchia was abandoned after an 1887 earthquake and later resettled by artists. Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena clusters around a medieval fortress. The Grotte di Toirano and Borgio Verezzi Caves offer geological formations with stalactites and stalagmites. Montemarcello-Magra Regional Park extends between the coast at Montemarcello and the Magra Valley, while Palmaria Island lies off Portovenere with the Doria Tower. Genoa's Porto Antico connects the historic harbor with modern cultural facilities.
Palmaria
110 m
Church of St. Peter
1.2 km
Scola Tower
1.6 km
Tino
1.7 km
Tinetto
2.1 km
Castello di San Giorgio
6.1 km
Castello Doria
1.4 km
Forte del Varignano
3 km
San Lorenzo
1.3 km
Technical Naval Museum at La Spezia
6.9 km
Villa Magni
6.4 km
Forte Cavour
73 m
Parco naturale regionale di Porto Venere
53 m
Villa Marigola
6.6 km
Castle of San Terenzo
6.1 km
Equestrian monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi
6.9 km
San Venerio Lighthouse
1.8 km
Madonna dell'Olmo Sanctuary
6.8 km
Nostra Signora delle Grazie (Porto Venere)
2.7 km
Scoglio Torre della Scuola Lighthouse
1.6 km
San Francesco
6.6 km
Museo Geopaleontologico
6.1 km
San Rocco
6.4 km
San Giovanni Battista
4.6 km
Santa Maria Assunta
6.3 km
Punta Santa Teresa Lighthouse
5.3 km
Torre Capitolare
1.3 km
Varignano Roman Villa
2.4 kmReviews
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