Italy
Castello di Lerici
This powerful pentagonal fortress offers a moving view of the Italian coast, and the Poet's Bay, where Percy Shelley drowned.
About
The entire settlement of Lerici began as a lone guard tower built to defend the area against enemy attacks. While its origins are murky, in 1256 the Genoese further fortified the defences, making it into a proper castle. For centuries the maritime Republics of Genoa and Pisa battled for control of this strategic location. The little fishing village that grew up around the castle has long been a popular retreat for artists. Dante mentioned it in the Divine Comedy, while Lord Byron, as well as Percy and Mary Shelley, frequently stayed here. Due to its popularity with the Shelleys and with Lord Byron, the Golfo di Lerici earned the title ‘the Golfo dei Poeti’, the Poets' Bay. Today, the castle is home to the Geo-paleontological museum, which was established after fossilised footprints were discovered nearby. Inside are reconstructions of prehistoric environments and the dinosaurs that lived there.
Practical
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