View source for La Spezia

{{For|the military organisation|80th Infantry Division "La Spezia"}}
{{format footnotes|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name = La Spezia
| official_name = Comune della Spezia
| native_name = {{native name|lij|A Spèza}}
| image_skyline = Spezia.jpg
| imagesize =
| image_alt =
|image_flag=Flag of La Spezia.svg| image_caption = Panorama of La Spezia
| image_shield = La Spezia-Stemma.svg
| shield_alt =
| image_map =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|44|06|N|09|49|E|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| region = [[Liguria]]
| province = [[Province of La Spezia|La Spezia]] (SP)
| frazioni = Biassa, Cadimare, Campiglia, Fabiano Alto/Coregna, Isola di Felettino, Marinasco/Sarbia, Marola, [[Pitelli]], San Venerio/Carozzo
| mayor_party = [[centre-right]]
| mayor = [[Pierluigi Peracchini]]
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 51.39
| population_footnotes =<ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Resident population|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| population_total = 92711
| population_as_of = 2025
| population_demonym = Spezzini
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 10
| twin1 =
| twin1_country =
|istat=| saint = [[Saint Joseph]]
| day = 19 March
| postal_code = 19100, 19121–19126, 19131–19139
| area_code = 0187
| website = {{official website|http://www.comune.sp.it}}
| footnotes =
}}

'''La Spezia'''{{NoteTag|{{IPAc-en|UK|l|æ|_|ˈ|s|p|ɛ|t|s|i|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|US|l|ɑː|_|-}} <small>or</small> {{IPAc-en|l|ɑː|_|ˈ|s|p|ɛ|t|s|i|ɑː|,_|-|_|ˈ|s|p|eɪ|t|-}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/amp/english/la-spezia|title=La Spezia|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/La+Spezia "La Spezia"]{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/La+Spezia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826094024/https://www.dictionary.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2022-08-26 |title=La Spezia |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|La Spezia|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|la ˈspɛttsja|lang|It-La Spezia.ogg}}; {{langx|lij|A Spèza}}, in the local {{ill|Spezzino dialect|it|dialetto spezzino|lij|Dialèto spezin}}}} is a city and municipality at the head of the [[Gulf of La Spezia]] in the eastern part of the region of [[Liguria]] in [[Italy]], the capital of the [[Province of La Spezia]]. With a population of 92,711, it is the [[List of municipalities of Liguria|2nd-largest municipality in Liguria]] and the [[List of cities in Italy|52-largest in Italy]]. 

La Spezia is the second-largest city in the [[Liguria]] region, after [[Genoa]]. Located roughly midway between Genoa and [[Pisa]], on the [[Ligurian Sea]], it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and a major [[Italian Navy]] base. A popular seaside resort, it is also a significant railway junction, and is notable for its museums, for the Palio del Golfo rowing race, and for railway and boat links with the [[Cinque Terre]].

== History ==
[[File:Spezia MKL Bd. 15 1890 (128660526).jpg|thumb|left|Map of La Spezia (German, late 19th-century)]]
La Spezia and its province have been settled since prehistoric times. In [[ancient Rome|Roman]] times the most important centre was [[Luni (Italy)|Luni]], not far from [[Sarzana]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ward-perkins |first=Bryan |date=1986-01-01 |title=Luni and the Ager Lunensis: The Rise and Fall of a Roman Town and its Territory |url=https://www.academia.edu/60028805 |journal=Papers of the British School at Rome}}</ref> As the capital of the short-lived [[Niccolò Fieschi]] [[Signoria]] in the period between 1256 and 1273, La Spezia was inevitably linked with Genoese vicissitudes. After the fall of the [[Republic of Genoa]], an independent state until 1797, La Spezia grew, developed and changed, though along lines similar to Liguria's capital Genoa. This Ligurian influence can still be seen in the urban layout as well as in the types of buildings and decorations. This is notable in the carrugio, the narrow street that divides the Old Town into two. It is called Via del Prione, taking its name from the ''pietrone'' or large stone, in local dialect prione, where public announcements were once read out.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poi |url=https://www.visitspezia.it/en/art-and-culture/poi.html?xunid=62412:via-del-prione |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.visitspezia.it}}</ref>

La Spezia developed substantially after 1861 when [[La Spezia Naval Base|the great naval arsenal there]] was commissioned by the [[House of Savoy|Royal government]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marraro |first=Howard R. |date=1943 |title=Spezia: An American Naval Base, 1848-68 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1982569 |journal=Military Affairs |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=202–208 |doi=10.2307/1982569 |jstor=1982569 |issn=0026-3931|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In September 1943, after the Italian capitulation to the Allies, it was the departure port for the [[Italian Navy]] when it was ordered to steam into British hands at Malta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-09-01 |title=Italy's armistice and surrender of the Italian navy in Malta – September 1943 |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/italy-s-armistice-and-surrender-of-the-italian-navy-in-malta-september.484580 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-gb}}</ref> The Germans arrived too late to stop the departure of the fleet. During the war Italian troopships also left from La Spezia, including the ''Kaiser Franz Josef'', a trans-Atlantic liner launched in [[Trieste]] in 1911 for the [[Österreichischer Lloyd|Austrian Lloyd]] company, which Italy had confiscated in 1919. It was sunk in La Spezia harbour in 1944.

After the liberation, La Spezia became the point of departure for survivors from [[Nazi]] concentration camps. From the summer of 1945 to the spring of 1948 more than 23,000 [[Displaced person|Jewish displaced persons]] managed to leave Italy clandestinely for [[Mandatory Palestine|the Palestine Mandate]]. After lengthy vicissitudes, the ships ''Fede'', ''Fenice'', and ''Komemiut'' managed to evacuate everyone from the Golfo di La Spezia, to the extent that on Israeli maps, La Spezia is called ''Shaʿar Zion'', in Hebrew "Gateway to [[Zion]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitehouse |first=Rosie |title=Italian town dubbed 'Gateway to Zion' honours Holocaust survivor |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/italian-town-dubbed-gateway-to-zion-honours-holocaust-survivor-g7ht3f2n |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=www.thejc.com |date=15 May 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

== Climate ==

[[File:La Spezia port view.jpg|thumb|alt=La Spezia port view by Oldypak lp|La Spezia port view]]

La Spezia has a borderline [[humid subtropical]] (''Cfa'') and [[Mediterranean climate]] (''Csa''). The city enjoys hot summers, chilly damp winters and very changeable and rainy autumns and springs. The average temperatures of the coldest month (January) are {{convert|4|C|F}} minimum and {{convert|11|C|F}} maximum. In the hottest month (July) they are {{convert|20|C|F}} minimum and {{convert|29|C|F}} maximum. Average annual precipitation is {{convert|1314|mm|in|1}}, more than twice that in London. Snow is extremely uncommon. Heavy snowfalls are exceptional events: only in 1985 was a snowfall of more than {{convert|50|cm|in}}  recorded. Another big snowfall occurred during the night of 18 December 2009, with approximately {{convert|25|cm|in|1}} of snow and temperatures as low as {{convert|-7.4|°C}} in the following nights.

In winter nights, if the sky is clear, temperatures may fall below zero, usually reaching about {{convert|-2|to|-4|C|F}}. Conversely, in summer, especially during sunny days, the temperature can easily exceed {{convert|30|C|F}}, and sometimes it reaches {{convert|35|C|F}}. Furthermore, the sensation of heat in summer is increased by the high humidity.

Because of its topography, the city is not exposed to winds from the north, which lap western Liguria, but to those from the southeast. These may bring heavy rain and they can reach {{convert|80|km/h|mph|0}}, in rare cases causing the blocking of the port. The only northern wind reaching the city is the north-eastern Grecale, common during incursions of  Arctic air, when the cold air flowing over the warmer Tyrrhenian sea triggers the formation of low pressures, draining the colder and heavier air trapped in the [[Po Valley]], behind the [[Apennine Mountains]].

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  La Spezia (2004–2020)
|Jan high C = 11.9
|Feb high C = 12.5
|Mar high C = 14.6
|Apr high C = 18.7
|May high C = 22.1
|Jun high C = 26.2
|Jul high C = 28.9
|Aug high C = 28.8
|Sep high C = 25.7
|Oct high C = 21.1
|Nov high C = 16.6
|Dec high C = 13.3
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 8.9
|Feb mean C = 9.3
|Mar mean C = 11.4
|Apr mean C = 15.0
|May mean C = 18.3
|Jun mean C = 22.2
|Jul mean C = 24.9
|Aug mean C = 24.6
|Sep mean C = 21.6
|Oct mean C = 17.6
|Nov mean C = 13.3
|Dec mean C = 10.1
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 5.8
|Feb low C = 6.2
|Mar low C = 8.1
|Apr low C = 11.3
|May low C = 14.5
|Jun low C = 18.3
|Jul low C = 20.8
|Aug low C = 20.3
|Sep low C = 17.6
|Oct low C = 14.0
|Nov low C = 10.1
|Dec low C = 6.9
| year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 116
|Feb precipitation mm = 108
|Mar precipitation mm = 115
|Apr precipitation mm = 126
|May precipitation mm = 59
|Jun precipitation mm = 51
|Jul precipitation mm = 36
|Aug precipitation mm = 54
|Sep precipitation mm = 84
|Oct precipitation mm = 164
|Nov precipitation mm = 201
|Dec precipitation mm = 200
|year precipitation mm = 
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 9
| Feb precipitation days = 9
| Mar precipitation days = 10
| Apr precipitation days = 10
| May precipitation days = 6
| Jun precipitation days = 6
| Jul precipitation days = 4
| Aug precipitation days = 4
| Sep precipitation days = 6
| Oct precipitation days = 10
| Nov precipitation days = 11
| Dec precipitation days = 12
| year precipitation days =
| source 1 = Climi e viaggi<ref name=Clim>{{cite web
| url = https://www.climieviaggi.it/clima/italia/la-spezia
| title = Clima - La Spezia (Liguria)
| publisher= Climi e viaggi
| access-date = 26 November 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = Enea-Casaccia (precipitation 1961–1990)<ref name=Clima1>{{cite web
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181117105034/http://clisun.casaccia.enea.it/Profili/tabelle/244%20%5BLa%20Spezia%5D%20capoluogo.Txt 
|archive-date=17 November 2018
| url = http://clisun.casaccia.enea.it/Profili/tabelle/244%20%5BLa%20Spezia%5D%20capoluogo.Txt
| title = Climate data for La Spezia
| publisher=Enea-Casaccia
| access-date = 11 December 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1861|15330|1871|26753|1881|36046|1901|73603|1911|77543|1921|100383|1931|115118|1936|106119|1951|111849|1961|121923|1971|124547|1981|115392|1991|101442|2001|91391|2011|92659|2021|92169|cols=1|align=right|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref name="timeseries">{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}
As of 2025, La Spezia has a population of 92,711, of whom 48.7% are male and 51.3% are female. Minors make up 14.1% of the population, and seniors make up 26.4%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively.<ref name="population" />

=== Foreign population ===
As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 16,030, equal to 17.3% of the population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities are [[Dominicans]] (3,077), [[Albanians]] (2,288), [[Bangladeshis]] (1,642), [[Moroccans]] (1,485) and [[Romanians]] (1,475).<ref name="foreignborn">{{cite web |title=Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=RCS&a=2024&l=en |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Foreign population by country of birth (2024)<ref name="foreignborn" />
!Country
!Population
|-
|{{Flag|Dominican Republic}}
|3,077
|-
|{{Flag|Albania}}
|2,288
|-
|{{Flag|Bangladesh}}
|1,642
|-
|{{Flag|Morocco}}
|1,485
|-
|{{Flag|Romania}}
|1,475
|-
|{{Flag|Ecuador}}
|535
|-
|{{Flag|China}}
|393
|-
|{{Flag|Ukraine}}
|314
|-
|{{Flag|Tunisia}}
|276
|-
|{{Flag|Egypt}}
|257
|-
|{{Flag|France}}
|217
|-
|{{Flag|Nigeria}}
|207
|-
|{{Flag|Senegal}}
|198
|-
|{{Flag|Poland}}
|196
|-
|{{Flag|Pakistan}}
|191
|}

== Sights ==

[[File:La Spezia - Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta 2.jpg|thumb|The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, thirteenth century]]
[[File:La Spezia - Castel S.Giorgio.JPG|thumb|St. George Castle]]

=== Churches ===
* ''Cristo Re dei Secoli'', modern cathedral, consecrated in 1975, designed by [[Adalberto Libera]].
* Abbey church of ''Santa Maria Assunta'' ("Our Lady of the Assumption", thirteenth century). It houses a considerable series of artworks, some of them originally from other suppressed religious institutes. They include an ''Incoronation of the Virgin'' by [[Andrea della Robbia]], the ''Multiplication of Bread'' by Giovanni Battista Casoni and ''St. Bartholomew's Martyrdom'' by [[Luca Cambiaso]].
* ''Santi Giovanni e Agostino''. It has a single nave with eighteenth and nineteenth century decorations.
* ''Nostra Signora della Scorza''. Built in 1900 in Piazza Brin, in the heart of what is now a working-class neighborhood, Quartiere Umbertino.
* ''Maria Ausiliatrice''. Built in the second half of 20th century and administered by the order of Salesiani in the proletarian neighbourhood  "Canaletto".
* ''Nostra Signora del Pianto'', a small church which hosts an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary that is believed to be the protagonist of a sorrowful event. Its feast occurs on [[Pentecost]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cittadellaspezia.com/golfo-dei-poeti/attualita/nostra-signora-del-pianto-un-antica-tradizione-per-i-cadamoti-335511.aspx|title=Nostra Signora del Pianto, un'antica tradizione per i cadamoti|language=Italian|access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref>

=== Museums ===
* ''Ubaldo Formentini''—Civic Museum in the Castle of San Giorgio
* ''Amedeo Lia'' Museum
* ''Palazzina delle Arti'' and Museum of Seals
* Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (CAMeC)
* Diocesan Museum
* Ethnographic Civic Museum
* [[Technical Naval Museum at La Spezia|Technical Naval Museum]]
* National Transportation Museum
* Museum of Radio Electronics and Telecommunications
* Galleria ex Ricovero Antiaereo Quintino Sella

=== Others ===
* Castle of San Giorgio, recently restored, probably originated from a watchtower. A first castle is known to have been built by Niccolò Fieschi in 1262. In 1273 it was destroyed by the  Genoese, and a new fortification, along with a new line of walls, was erected by the ''[[podesteria]]'' of La Spezia from 1371. Annexed to this, the [[Republic of Genoa]] added a new castle starting from 1607.
* Public Gardens
* [[Art Nouveau]]—style villas
* [[Futurism (art)|Futurist]] mosaic by [[Enrico Prampolini|Prampolini]] inside the Post Office
* La Spezia is a point of departure for the villages of the [[Cinque Terre]], either by train or boat. The boat also serves [[Lerici]] and [[Portovenere]] before turning into the open sea toward the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre villages are accessible by public transport, {{convert|15|km|mi|0}} from [[La Spezia Centrale railway station|central railway station]].

{{wide image|La Spezia ft Fabiano.jpg|800px|A general view of the city, from the surrounding mountains to the city's port}}

== Economy ==
{{unreferencedsect|date=May 2024}}
Today, La Spezia is the chief Italian naval base and arsenal, and the base for a navy navigation school. It is also a commercial port, with shipyards and industries producing machinery, metal products, and refined petroleum.

== Education ==

Since 2002, a university named ''G. Marconi'' has had its headquarters in La Spezia.

The Distretto Ligure delle Tecnologie Marine (DLTM) is a research hub in La Spezia, Italy, focused on [[blue economy]]. It's a partnership of more than 20 entities including [[Fincantieri]], [[Leonardo S.p.A.]], Intermarine, Rina Service, Consorzio Tecnomar, Autorità portuale, [[National Research Council (Italy)|CNR]], Camera di Commercio and [[University of Genoa]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gazzettadellaspezia.it/economia/item/93244-nuova-intesa-col-dltm-il-comune-potrebbe-diventare-socio |access-date=1 January 2020|title=Nuova intesa col Dltm: il Comune potrebbe diventare socio|language=it |author=<!--Not stated-->}}</ref> and one of the five of innovation and research hub in Liguria.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.regione.liguria.it/giunta/item/16389-poli_ricerca_innovazione.html |title= Via libera ai 5 poli di ricerca e innovazione|language=it|date=4 August 2017|access-date=1 January 2020|author=<!--Not stated-->|work= Regione Liguria}}</ref>

Both the "G. Marconi" pole and the DLTM are hosted in the old building of the Bruno Falcomatà hospital since December 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ilsecoloxix.it/la-spezia/2019/12/15/news/spezia-ha-inaugurato-il-polo-universitario-nell-ex-ospedale-militare-storia-e-futuro-1.38214085 |date=15 December 2019|access-date=1 January 2020|title=Spezia ha inaugurato il polo universitario. Nell'ex ospedale militare storia e futuro|language=it |first=Marco|last=Toracca|publisher=[[Il Secolo XIX]]}}</ref>

== Sports ==

In 2020, the local football club, [[Spezia Calcio]], was promoted to the [[Serie A]] for the first time in their history.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sport|first=Sky|title=Storico Spezia, prima volta in A. Out il Frosinone|url=https://sport.sky.it/calcio/serie-b/2020/08/20/spezia-frosinone-risultato-gol|access-date=2020-08-20|website=sport.sky.it|language=it}}</ref>

== Transport ==

=== Buses and trolleybuses ===
{{main|Trolleybuses in La Spezia}}

La Spezia's public transportation services are managed by ATC La Spezia, which owns urban, suburban and interurban bus routes; as well as the [[Trolleybuses in La Spezia|local trolleybus network]] and other services within the city.

=== Railway ===

The main railway stations in the city are [[La Spezia Centrale railway station]], Migliarina railway station, and Ca' di Boschetti.

== Notable people ==<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
[[File:Contessa di Castiglione.jpg|thumb|[[Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione]], 1862]]
* [[Alessia Aquilani]] (born 1967), known as Alexia, singer
* [[Giulio Cappelli]] (1911–1995), football player
* [[Toto Cutugno]] (1943–2023), singer
* [[Leonardo D'Imporzano]] (born 1982), freediver and journalist
* [[Gian Paolo Dulbecco]] (born 1941), painter
* [[Rinaldo Fiumi]] (born 1923), football player
* [[Giancarlo Giannini]] (born 1942), actor
* [[Ettore Gracis]] (1915–1992), conductor
* [[Markus Hinterhäuser]] (born 1958), Austrian pianist and cultural manager
* [[Virginia Oldoini]] (1837–1899), countess of Castiglione
* [[Eros Pagni]] (born 1939), actor
* [[Gaetano Pesce]] (born 1939), architect designer
* [[Arrigo Petacco]] (1929–2018), writer, historian and journalist
* [[Alessandro Petacchi]] (born 1974), cyclist
* [[Lorenzo Richelmy]] (born 1990), actor
* [[Gino Rossetti]] (1904–1992), football player
* [[Giacinto Scelsi]] (1905–1988), composer
* [[Alberto Sorrentino]] (1916–1994), actor
* [[Sauro Tomà]] (1925–2018), football player

== Twin towns - sister cities ==

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}

La Spezia is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Toulon]], France
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Bayreuth]], Germany
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Vallejo, California|Vallejo]], USA<ref name="Vallejo sisters">{{cite web|url=http://www.vallejosistercity.org/about-us.html |title=Vallejo Sister City |access-date=11 September 2013 |work=Vallejo Sister City Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911222629/http://www.vallejosistercity.org/about-us.html |archive-date=11 September 2013 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[La Spezia–Rimini Line]]
* [[Spezia Calcio 1906]]
* [[Stadio Alberto Picco]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite journal|first1=Carlo Alfredo |last1=Clerici|first2=Piero |last2=Pesaresi|title=Le difese costiere della Spezia|journal=Uniformi e Armi|date=August–September 1999|pages=48–53}}

== External links ==
* {{commons inline}}
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=44.105988,9.821262&spn=0.072081,0.062785&t=k&hl=en Satellite picture by Google Maps]
* [http://www.apathtolunch.com/ A Path to Lunch]—Archive and blog centered in Lunigiana/La Spezia. Walks, buses, food, history
* The Top Six [https://alltravels.co.za/la-spezia-beaches/ La Spezia Beaches] To Visit This Year
* [https://laspeziaguide.com/insider-guide/getting-to-and-around-la-spezia/ La Spezia Guide] — How to Get Around La Spezia
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Spezia |short=x}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Province of La Spezia}}

[[Category:La Spezia| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Coastal towns in Liguria]]
[[Category:Italian Riviera]]
[[Category:Castles in Italy|Spezia]]
[[Category:Liguria]]
[[Category:Territories of the Republic of Genoa]]