| La Spezia | |||
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| — Comune — | |||
| Comune della Spezia | |||
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La Spezia
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| Coordinates: 44°06′N 09°49′E / 44.1°N 9.817°ECoordinates: 44°06′N 09°49′E / 44.1°N 9.817°E | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Liguria | ||
| Province | La Spezia (SP) | ||
| Frazioni | Biassa, Campiglia, La Foce, Pitelli, San Venerio, Sarbia | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Massimo Federici | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 51.39 km2 (19.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) | ||
| Population (1 July 2008)[1] | |||
| - Total | 95,335 | ||
| - Density | 1,855.1/km2 (4,804.8/sq mi) | ||
| - Demonym | Spezzini | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 19100, 19121-19126, 19131-19139 | ||
| Dialing code | 0187 | ||
| Patron saint | St. Joseph | ||
| Saint day | March 19 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
La Spezia 
listen (help·info)
(Spèza in the local dialect of Ligurian) is a city and
comune in the Liguria region of northern Italy, at the head of La Spezia
Gulf, and capital city of the province of La Spezia. It is one
of the major Italian military and commercial harbours, located
between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea. La Spezia also hosts one of
the biggest military industries of Italy, OTO
Melara.
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The area of La Spezia has been settled since pre-historic times. In Roman times the most important centre was Luni now located in the vicinity of Sarzana (city near La Spezia). Capital of the short-lived Niccolò Fieschi Signoria in the period between 1256 and 1273, inevitably linked with the Genoese vicissitudes until the fall of the Republic of Genoa, it grew and changed to develop following the lines of the Ligurian capital.
In fact this Ligurian influence is still visible in the urban layout as well as in the types of buildings and decorations. It can be seen by going along the carrugio, the narrow street dividing the Old Town into two, called via del Prione taking its name from pietrone or large stone, in local dialect in fact prione, from where public announcements were read. Going up from the sea it is possible to see partly hidden but evident traces of past history: engraved stones, capitals and portals in 14th century sandstone, double lancet windows vaguely reminiscent of the future renaissance style, mannerism and baroque pediments and decorations similar to those adorning the portals of the palaces once belonging to the Doria family and the Princes of Massa.
The St. George castle is certainly the most emblematic monument of La Spezia’s historical past. Standing on a small rise called Poggio, dominating the Old Town, it has continuously undergone construction works documented from at least the second half of the XIV century: the enormous tower incorporated into the upper part of the structure, where only a part of its foundations can be seen today, the walls with their slits for the archers facing north towards the outside garden and the surviving parts of the city walls which led down from the castle towards Via XX Settembre, can in fact be traced back to this date. In 1443 the castle underwent major restoration works with the addition of a wing to the lower part of the castle, built for using firearms, whilst works on totally upgrading the top part of the building were begun a century later in 1554. The works for erecting a major supporting defensive work called Bastia (the bastion) no longer standing today, also go back to this date, but ruins have come to light recently from under the university campus, beyond the castle. Lastly in 1607, work was done on giving the castle the appearance it has today when Genoa embarked on a project to integrate and upgrade its defensive system along the Gulf. La Spezia knew an extraordinary development starting from the second half of the XIX Century, that is to say from when the great Naval Arsenal commissioned by the Savoy’s transformed the best part of its fate and aspect. At the end of the Second World War, La Spezia became the point of departure for the survivors from the Nazi concentration camps. From the summer of 1945 to the spring of 1948 over 23,000 Jews managed to leave Italy clandestinely for Palestine. After lengthy tormented vicissitudes, the ships Fede, Fenice and Exodus managed to take away everyone from the Spezia gulf, to the point that on the Israeli geographical maps La Spezia is called «Schàar Zion», Door to Sion.
La Spezia has a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers, quite warm winters and very rainy autumns and springs. The average temperatures of the coldest month (January) are 2°min. and 10 max. In the hottest month (July) they are 19°min and 28° max. Average annual precipitation is 1343 mm, more than double that in London.
Snowfalls are rare, it snows about once or twice a year. Heavy snowfalls are exceptional events: only in 1985 has there fallen more than 50 cm (the same year which recorded the lowest temperature since 1950: -12.3°C). Another big snowfall occurred during the night of 18th dec. 2009, with about 25 cm of snow. In winter, if during the night the sky is clear and there are northeastern winds, the temperatures may fall several degrees below zero, reaching about -5 °, -6°C.
Instead in summer, especially in sunny days with hot southern winds, the temperature can easily exceed 30° and sometimes it reaches 35°C. Furthermore, the sensation of heat, in summer, and of cold, in winter, is increased by the high humidity.
For the conformation of the territory the city is not exposed to the winds from the north, which lap the western Liguria, but to those from the southeast. These winds bring heavy rain and they can reach 80 km/h, causing in some cases the blocking of the port
La Spezia is a point of departure for the Cinque Terre, either by train or boat. The boat also serves Lerici and Portovenere before turning into the open sea towards the Cinque Terre. These localities are reachable by public transport (15 km) from the central railway station of the city.
Today, La Spezia is the chief Italian naval station and arsenal and the seat of a navigation school. It is also a commercial port, with shipyards and industries producing machinery, metal products, and refined petroleum.
Since 2002 La Spezia is headquarters of a University named G. Marconi. The university offers seven courses of degrees:
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La Spezia is a town in Liguria in the northwestern region of Italy.
La Spezia is one of the four provinces of Liguria and has a population of about 91,391 inhabitants. La Spezia's inhabitants are called Spezzini. The surface of this Ligurian town is of 51.4 square kilometers.
It's a beautiful city with a beautiful sea that blends with the nearby mountains. A good overlap of sky, earth and water. The streets are full of bergamotto trees, and next to the beach there are really beautiful gardens with weird plants, absolutely well maintained.
The train from Genoa to Pisa passes through La Spezia. The train from Genoa probably originates in Milan.
The train route from La Spezia to Levanto passes through the CinqueTerre national park. Day or multi-day train passes (~EUR15 per day for a family of 4 in 2007) are available allowing unlimited travel on this route.
Skaletta Rock Club, La Spezia, Via Crispi, 168, Tel: 0187/500125
A fine Road House bar with beer, rock, pool and mini-foot tables. It's a little bit outside of the centre of town, but worth the trip. Could it be one of the greatest bars in the world?
If you are seeking a career aboard one of the many superyachts in La Spezia a good place to register and start looking is Crew Central [2]
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La Spezia
La Spezia
   | www.comune.sp.it - Home Page - SpeziaNET Rete Civica della Spezia |
| | A guide about La Spezia - WWW.5 TERRE.COM Il Network intorno alle Cinque Terre |
| | ItalianVisits.com - ItalianVisits.com - Welcome to La Spezia in the Liguria Region |
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