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by CinqueTerre.com

TellaroTellaro is the easternmost fraction of the municipality of Lerici and is part of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy circuit. Small and picturesque seaside village, perched on a cliff in the Gulf of Poets, Tellaro has been a destination for artists for centuries and was a retreat in the old age of writer and director Mario Soldati. The characteristic alleyways all converge to the marina with the beautiful pink church perched on the cliff, which was the inspiration for works of art and poetic verses such as those by Eugenio Montale. To get to Tellaro you go along a road along which the breathtaking views plunge you into a typically Ligurian landscape among maritime pines clinging to the rocks and olive trees that lap overhangs and a blue sea that accompanies your gaze to the horizon.

 

Tellaro LiguriaThe ancient Roman nucleus of Tellaro was originally Barbazzano, a fortified village on the Caprione promontory and of which today the ruins that testify to the power of the bishop of Luni over these lands remain. Until 1398 we have only news of Barbazzano that follows the political trends of the neighboring Lerici, disputed from time to time between the Maritime Republic of Genoa and that of Pisa. But in a document of that year, the castle of "Telaro", also known as the church of San Giorgio, is mentioned among the possessions of Genoa. In the 1400s the village of Barbazzano, no longer protected by the Pisans or the Genoese, was razed to the ground by the Saracens on Christmas night and the survivors took refuge in Tellaro who thus entered in the history.

 

Tellaro LericiWinding paved streets open viewpoints over the sea and the coast, until they converge on the small port with the Church of San Giorgio from the 16th century, in pastel pink. It preserves some marbles perhaps from the church of Barbazzano, a marble altarpiece with low reliefs from the 16th century, while the baroque baptismal font and the statue of Saint George were transferred to the more recent Stella Maris church. The church of San Giorgio is surrounded by a legend: as reported in the inscription "Saraceni mare nostrum infestantes sunt noctu profligati quod polipus aer cirris suis sacrum pulsabat", in the Middle Ages, Tellaro was saved from a night attack by pirates thanks to a giant octopus who woke up the population in time, ringing church bells.

 

FiascherinoAmong the surroundings, there is Fiascherino, just before Tellaro. Fiascherino has a splendid beach divided into two bays, where it flows into the Lino canal, the "Arliano" of old documents. Excellent landing place, favored also by the perennial spring at sea level, Fiascherino was marked in the ancient Medici and Vatican Portulani and in the Pelavicino Code, together with its olive groves, woods and vineyards that from the sea reached the public road. In 1913, he was chosen by D.H. Lawrence and his partner Frieda Von Richtofen to stay in the pink cottage of the Gambroisier, which is not the one still seen above the beach, but was located on the right side of the Lino canal. In the town, rich in schists, there is a huge rock that flakes, called in dialect Ròca morta (dead rock).

Useful Information

How to reach Tellaro

  • By car: from the A12 GENOVA-LIVORNO motorway, exit at Sarzana, at the roundabout take the third exit onto the SP1 then SP331 following the signs for Lerici. Before arriving in Lerici, close to the limited traffic area, turn left and follow the Tellaro signs. Please note that parking spaces are small and fee-paying. They can be found along the road and near the municipal cemetery.
  • By boat: stop at Lerici by boat departing from La Spezia, Portovenere and Cinque Terre and then continue by bus on the Lerici-Tellaro route (approximately 15 minutes). In summer there is a ferry service departing from Lerici and Bocca di Magra.

Tellaro beaches: in Tellaro there are no sandy or pebble beaches but only rocks like the cliff of Trigliano in front of the marina or behind the Church of San Giorgio. The beach is located in Fiascherino, both free and with bathing facilities and services such as bars and canoe rental. They can be reached via two steps that have recently been redone, well signposted from the main road. Parking is available in Fiascherino near the trails.

Information office and tourist reception: : Rainusso Square


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