Biassa Guide

Biassa is a tiny village in Liguria, Italy, a hamlet of La Spezia that sits above the city and works as a quiet base for the Cinque Terre. People who stay here say the best moment is coming back in the evening. After a day in villages full of visitors, the peace feels like a reward.

The village itself is small. A grocery store, a restaurant and a pizzeria are all within walking distance, and you will find a few places for coffee or breakfast too. Do not come for nightlife. Come for a calm dinner and an early start the next morning.

The most unusual stop is Spazio Arte Biassa, an open studio run by the sculptor Frank Louis in a historic building. Objects are spread over 7 different rooms, and the rooms change character as you walk through them. One is a cellar built into the rock, another is flooded with light and looks over the village and the mountains. Reviewers say the gallery captures the spirit of Biassa.

Churches give you a reason to wander. The Chiesa San Martino Vescovo and the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montenero are listed among the landmarks of Biassa, and the Santuario Della Madonna Dell'Olmo and the Castello Di Coderone are close by. A slow afternoon is enough to see them without hurrying.

If you want something less obvious, Laura, who was born in the village, runs a wild herbs and foraging experience. She is passionate about botany and herbalism, so expect plants rather than monuments. Hikers have the Cinque Terre coastal paths, which are very popular and charge park entrance fees, and higher paths that climb to Volastra above Manarola and to Monte Negro above Riomaggiore.

Things to do around Biassa also include Cinque Terre boat tours. Because the bus runs to La Spezia and Riomaggiore, getting down to the coast is simple, and the walk or ride back up is what makes the evening feel so different from the shore.

La Spezia is worth a walk before the ride home. Its streets are lined with bergamot trees and the seafront gardens are well kept, so waiting for the bus is no hardship.