Isola Palmaria (Palmaria Island) is the largest of the three islands in the Gulf of La Spezia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the village of Porto Venere across the channel and the smaller islands of Tino and Tinetto. Even though Palmaria is a small island (1.89 sq. km., .72 sq. miles), it features multiple landscapes with Mediterranean vegetation facing the gulf and shear cliffs facing the sea.
We take a ferry down the coast from Monterosso al Mare to Porto Venere where we catch a smaller shuttle ferry to Palmaria.
Ferry leaving Monterosso
Looking back at Monterosso
Calm seas today
Passing the other Cinque Terre towns
Along the coast to Porto Venere
Walk through Porto Venere
Shuttle to Palmaria
Map of Palmaria and hiking trails
Arriving in Palmaria, we walk along the coast a bit and then start up to the top of Sommità dell'Isola Palmaria, 189 meters (620 feet) up. The views of Porto Venere across the channel change dramatically as we climb.
Porto Venere from sea level
Heading up
Looking up the coast toward Monterosso
Porto Venere from higher up
We continue climbing with occasional views of the sea.
Continuing to climb
Glimpses of the sea
Approaching the top, we reach Forte di Cavour which dates back to the Napoleonic period of the Ligurian Republic. Built in the mid-1850s to hold 330 soldiers and many 240mm howitzers, the fort served as a defensive system for the Gulf of La Spezia. The abandoned structure is now inhabited by goats who ignore us as we walk by.
Caretakers of the fort
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