The city has a wealth of retail malls, stores, bars and restaurants to suit all requirements. There are a large number of regular or annual events, such as the Feast of San Giuseppe (celebrating the city’s patron saint), the Jazz Festival, the Festa della Marineria, the Palio del Golfo, Liguria da Bere, concerts, cultural events, literary awards, and regattas and classic yacht races (Valdettaro Classic Boats, Trofeo Mariperman, Challenge Durand de la Penne).

Just a few kilometres from La Spezia, the Versilia district offers fashionable clubs and venues to suit all tastes: Twiga and Costes in Forte dei Marmi, Ostras Beach Club on the beach at Marina di Pietrasanta, Beach Club Versilia and Sunset in Cinquale and Maki Maki in Viareggio.

La Spezia offers a complete range of sports opportunities: golf, fitness centres, martial arts, mountain biking, rafting, canoeing, swimming, fencing, archery, marksmanship, sailing, sailboarding, kiteboarding, stand- up paddling and diving. There are football fields, a rugby and American football pitch, and two 50m indoor swimming pools.

Winter sports destinations
A 50-minute drive from La Spezia is the well-known resort of Cerreto Laghi with downhill ski slopes, cross-country ski trail and ice rink. The same distance away are Prato Spilla and Zum Zeri with downhill slopes and cross-country trails. A little more distant is Abetone, one of the biggest Apennine winter resorts.

• Renting or buying – Delightful apartments or detached houses by the sea and in the surrounding hills are available to buy or rent in and around La Spezia. On the coast between Porto Venere and Lerici homes can be found in the charming fishing villages set into the landscape above the sea.
• Where – La Spezia, Lerici, Santerenzo, Pugliola, “Pirate Coast” (from Marola to Le Grazie) as far as Porto Venere.
• Hill areas: The hillsides around La Spezia offer pleasant places to live and are connected by a series of tunnels for access to the city centre in just a few minutes. The Val di Vara contains lovely rural homes in its picturesque villages.