Porto Lucente is a small, family-run harbour below the castle at Lerici, on the eastern side of the Gulf of La Spezia, the stretch of coast known as the Gulf of Poets.
Visitors up to 18 metres moor stern-to on the outer mole, with a swinging mooring in the bay for smaller boats. The piazza, the cafés and the ferry to Portovenere and the Cinque Terre are steps from the pontoon, and fresh bread arrives at the harbour kiosk each morning.
There is no boatyard here, but the office can arrange a lift at the yards in La Spezia, twenty minutes away. Dogs are welcome on the pontoons on a lead.
Getting here
Call on VHF 74 as you round the castle point. In July and August, book ahead: the outer mole is often full by mid-afternoon.