Hotel Il Nido
Tellaro - Via Fiascherino 75/122
Hotel Il Nido overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea in Tellaro, 5 km from Lerici.
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Tellaro is one of those enchanting places that exist only in Liguria: a cluster of tower-houses with brightly coloured facades perched firmly on a headland stretching out towards brilliant blue sea. Behind it rises a green hillside dotted with olive groves and woodland.
We’re in the Gulf of Poets and Tellaro, like its neighbours Lerici (of which it’s a hamlet), Portovenere and the slightly more distant Cinque Terre, is a locality that has captivated poets, painters and journalists over the centuries. The list of illustrious visitors includes figures of the calibre of D.H. Lawrence (drawn here by Lord Byron’s travel accounts and the tales of the Shelleys), Mario Soldati and Eugenio Montale.
Part of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy circuit, Tellaro is a small hamlet that attracts countless visitors for the beauty of its centre, which slopes down towards the harbour, the lighthouse-church perched dramatically over the sea, and the rocky outcrops and coves where you can bask in the sun or dive into crystal-clear waters.
You can reach it via a scenic road from Lerici or on foot along mule tracks and ancient paths winding through the verdant surrounding hills. The road ends here, but who would want to go further when the eyes can feast on such beauty?
Don’t leave before sunset; extend your visit at least until dusk: the view over Portovenere, Palmaria island, and the Tino and Tinetto islands as the sun sets is breathtaking. If you can stay overnight as well, all the better.
This romantic hamlet is also a lover of festivities: numerous events are organised throughout the year, but the ones most beloved by locals and visitors are the Octopus Festival, the Enchanted Village Festival and the Underwater Christmas. Every season – and every occasion! – is a good reason to visit such a delightful village.
The beaches of Tellaro are tiny patches of land snatched from the waters: clusters of rocks, jetties or small rocky coves bathed by azure, transparent sea.
The spots where you can sunbathe and swim are the marina area up to the rock on its right known as Punta delle Anatre1, but watch out for boats entering and leaving the harbour, and the cliff beyond the Church of San Giorgio (mind you don’t slip!).
The seabed is deep, so these beaches aren’t recommended for families with small children; the only exception is the stretch of sea accessible by a slipway near the boat entrance.
If you prefer sandy beaches, wider beaches or easier access, head to the hamlet of Fiascherino Beach2: it’s less than a kilometre away and can be reached on foot. Here you’ll find two small bays with coarse-sand beaches, both free and equipped. The seabed here slopes more gently, so this area is recommended for those travelling with children.
Continuing west for about 1.5 km you’ll come across the Eco del Mare3, an exclusive beach establishment set on an enchanting bay: it’s quite an upmarket beach and pricey, so consider it if you want to treat yourself to something special.
Beyond Eco del Mare you’ll find the beaches of Lerici: there are many and they’re all different, so there’s certainly a dream beach for you.
Tellaro is a very small hamlet where the things to see are the narrow alleyways leading to the sea, romantic views, boat sheds and panoramic spots. There’s also an iconic church, a natural park and lots of lovely walks in the surrounding area.
The only famous building in Tellaro is the striking Church of San Giorgio, a pale pink gem set at the tip of the headland on which the hamlet stands. Its bell tower rises high into the sky, almost like a lighthouse, and to many, the church as a whole looks like a ship ready to set sail.
The church was built in the sixteenth century and remained the hamlet’s main place of worship until the 1940s, when the newer Church of Stella Maris was built.
The church’s bell tower was created from one of three towers that originally formed part of Tellaro’s defensive system; the other surviving tower is incorporated into the Oratory of Santa Maria and another became the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio.
A famous local legend is connected to the bell tower. It’s said that in the seventeenth century a pirate attack was thwarted thanks to a giant octopus that emerged from the water and wrapped itself around the church bells, making them ring insistently. The sound of the bells woke the entire hamlet and the citizens, realising the danger, managed to prevent the attack.
The hamlet of Tellaro falls within the territory of the Montemarcello-Magra Regional Nature Park, a wetland area inland declared a protected area for its wealth of flora and fauna.
The park encompasses a river area in the Magra Valley, a portion of hills in the Vara Valley and the Caprione headland, south of Lerici; there’s also a wildlife sanctuary run by LIPU in the San Genesio area of Arcola.
What makes this park special is that within a few kilometres you can enjoy an incredible variety of landscapes and environments: if you love nature, don’t miss it. The park can be explored on foot, by bike, on horseback and by canoe.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
Tellaro is no less impressive than the more famous Cinque Terre when it comes to splendid walks in the surrounding area. Starting from the hamlet’s central square or the cemetery, you can reach the hamlets of La Serra, Zanego and the abandoned village of Barbazzano on foot. Going further you can reach Montemarcello, Ameglia, Bocca di Magra, Punta Bianca and Punta Corvo.
Many of these routes are easy, but never underestimate them. It’s always necessary to check the distance, elevation changes and the type of terrain the path crosses. Wear trekking shoes, protect yourself with sunscreen and take plenty of water with you.
Here are some of the most beautiful walks to do in Tellaro:
Given the hamlet’s tiny size, Tellaro’s accommodation offering isn’t that extensive. Besides a few hotels in central Tellaro, you’ll find comfortable apartments and delightful bed and breakfasts housed in typical Ligurian buildings with coloured facades.
If you want to stay overnight it’s strongly recommended to book well in advance, especially if you want a sea-view room.
Don’t despair if you can’t find accommodation in Tellaro: just move to the nearby locations of Fiascherino and Lerici to find far more hotels, bed and breakfasts and holiday rentals.
We offer a selection of hotels at Tellaro to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Tellaro, sorted by number of reviews.
If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Tellaro. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Tellaro are in high demand.
There’s only one road that reaches Tellaro, which is via Fiascherino starting from Lerici. To reach Lerici by car, and then head to Tellaro from there, take the A12 motorway, exit at the Sarzana toll booth and continue along the provincial road SP331.
If you’re coming from La Spezia, Portovenere or Cinque Terre you can skip the motorway and go directly onto the SP331.
Although there’s only one road, reaching Tellaro by car isn’t actually that difficult. The real problem is finding parking: the historic centre is a restricted traffic zone, off-limits to non-residents, and there are very few parking spaces available in the immediate vicinity of the centre entrance.
Since parking is scarce, some tourists prefer to reach Tellaro by public transport. In this case there are two options: you can arrive by land on a local bus from Lerici or by sea on a ferry boat from Lerici or Bocca di Magra, though the ferry service is only active during the summer season. Lerici can be reached by bus from Sarzana or La Spezia railway stations.
The nearest airport to Tellaro isn’t Genoa but Pisa airport, in Tuscany. Finding a budget flight to Pisa is usually straightforward as it’s a hub served by flights from many Italian cities.
What's the weather at Tellaro? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Tellaro for the next few days.
Tellaro is a coastal hamlet of Lerici, a municipality situated at the far eastern end of the Riviera di Levante. Administratively, it falls within the province of La Spezia.
It lies roughly 3 km from the main town centre and approximately one hundred kilometres from Genoa. The Tuscan border is considerably closer: Marina di Carrara is just 20 km away.
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