The Province of La Spezia (Italian: Provincia della Spezia, Ligurian: Provinsa dea Spèza) is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of La Spezia.
It has an area of 881 square kilometres (340 sq mi) and, As of 2017, a total population of 220,225 inhabitants. There are 32 communes in the province (source: Italian institute of statistics Istat
In the province of La Spezia are the Cinque Terre, Portovenere and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Also more in this area are the villages of Brugnato, Montemarcello, Tellaro and Varese Ligure, which were included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy.[3] In addition, the Province of La Spezia is one of the institutions awarded with the Gold Medal for Military Valour for the sacrifices of its people and its activities in the partisan struggle during the Second World War.
Main municipalities
Map of the province.
| Ranking | Municipality | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Spezia | 93,347 |
| 2 | Sarzana | 21,985 |
| 3 | Arcola | 10,422 |
| 4 | Lerici | 10,028 |
| 5 | Santo Stefano di Magra | 9,962 |
| 6 | Luni | 8,380 |
| 7 | Castelnuovo Magra | 8,374 |
| 8 | Bolano | 7,687 |
| 9 | Vezzano Ligure | 7,340 |
| 10 | Follo | 6,339 |
Transportation
Two main lines cross the territory: the “Tirrenica” line linking the province to Genoa and Rome, and the “Pontremolese” line that goes in the direction of Parma and Milan/Venice. There are regular trains that connect the province with other italian cities, including Turin, Palermo and Ventimiglia.
In the province there is the airport of Luni, which is used only by general aviation. The nearest airports with international and intercontinental connections are: the airport Cristoforo Colombo of Genova, Firenze-Pisa airport, and Milan Malpensa airport.
There are two motorways that cross the territory. The A12 motorway which connects the province with Genoa and Livorno, and the A15 motorway, which connects La Spezia to Parma.
Popular culture
The fictional city of Portorosso in the 2021 animated film Luca was inspired by several towns in the province of La Spezia, such as Vernazza and Riomaggiore. The Pixar animation team visited Cinque Terre as well as Tellaro and Porto Venere for inspiration for the film.