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| Lerici |
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It’s impossible to
estabilish the real Lerici’s time of foundation but the study on its ancient name
“Portus Illycis” (probably from the greek “Iliakos”:
Troyan) fed the theory of the foundation by
a group of exiles from the War of Troy; this
theory is supported by landscape’s beauties
(similar to that of the Greek coasts) and by
the fact that one of Lerici’s creek is
consecrated to Venus.
The village was an important harbour for
greek and phoenician trades, but it had its
greatest links with the Etruscans, thanks to
the closeness to Luni.
Lerici was contended by the Romans to the
Ligurians for the relevant importance on
maritime routes; the Romans conquered and
used it as a trading and military stationing.
The harbour was important during the
Medieval Age,too; under the power of Luni’s
Bishop, a lot of travellers, pilgrims and
merchants arrived in Lerici along their
journey to the north of Italy and the
central Europe, through the neuralgic knot
of Sarzana.
A branch of the Francigena Road arrives to
the Poets’ Gulf because pilgrims left just
from Lerici to go to Santiago de Compostela
or Rome.
Two important roman roads starts just from
Lerici: one, that links the village to
Sarzana, while the other runs from
Lerici to
Tellaro in an evocative route along
olive-trees and a beautiful
mediterranean vegetation.
Lerici was used by
the Lucchese for their trading of leather
and cloth; then it was contended between
Genoa and Pisa, two Maritime Republics.The
massive castle dominates the whole village
from its rocky promontory and it’s one of
the most beautiful in Liguria.
It was erected by the Pisans in the 13th
century; then it passed under the control of
the Genoese, and in 1256 they increased the
height of its imposing pentagonal tower,
that was surrounded by four levels of
hanging arches. It was fortified in the 17th
century with strong ramparts. |
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