Overlooking the Gulf of La Spezia in eastern Liguria, Pian della Chiesa sits in the hills of the Montemarcello-Magra Natural Park. This protected area is defined by Mediterranean forests of Aleppo pines, holm oaks, and Turkey oaks, criss-crossed by footpaths and old mule tracks that once connected vegetable gardens, olive groves, and vineyards to the nearby villages of Tellaro, Montemarcello, and Ameglia.
A little further on lies Lerici, with its 12th-century castle, and across the gulf, the outline of Porto Venere, framed by the islands of Palmaria and Tino.
Beyond the Caprione headland, past the coast and the park boundaries, the Magra river valley opens up: a broad river landscape home to the town of Sarzana with its medieval and Renaissance fortresses. Moving inland, cultivated hills and stone villages give way to the Apuan Alps, with chestnut forests and the Carrara marble quarries that have shaped the mountain landscape for centuries.
