On Saturday 23rd of July, one of the hottest events in La Spezia, loved and attended by so many locals: it’s the natural pool of Portovenere.
The so-called “Portovenere’s natural pool” is a day during which the sea channel between Portovenere and the Palmaria island gets closed to the boats traffic so that people can swim in its water.
Although the distance between the two closest points of Portovenere and the island is about 50 meters and the swim is absolutely doable and beautiful, the Portovenere channel is in fact usually closed to swimming and bathing, as the boats traffic is really high and dangerous.
On two summer saturdays (in 2016 July 23rd and August 20th), boats are banned from crossing the channel, hundreds of swimmers start the crossing between the two strips of land with all kinds of inflatables or just with their arms and breath. Watersport games and performances are also planned, while a dj set plays all along the afternoon.
Stop the boats starting at 15
Saturday, July 23, 2016, the marine traffic in the channel will be closed at 3pm. From then on, until the evening, the Porto Venere channel will remain available only to swimmers for the first edition of the natural swimming pool in 2016.
Musica e trekking, inziative collaterali
As usual, the natural pool is a fun opportunity not only for swimmers, but also for those looking for a different day of leisure from the others.
While the army of inflatable will sail the waters of the channel, also on the Island Palmaria the Mangia Trekking Association organizes the event Trekking & Swimming, proposing a tour of the island of Palmaria paths, a lunch on the beach of Pozzale and then obviously the ability to swim with a view of Porto Venere (with ferries departing from the pier of La Spezia at 8.30 am, reservations and info 328 9079752, www.magiatrekking.it).
How to get to go to the natural pool without taking the car?
Given the flux of people of the past editions, reaching the natural poolby car is not recommended.
One solution is certainly to take one of the boats that daily connect Porto Venere and Palmaria with La Spezia and other places in the Gulf.
If it will not be provided for extra trips, find here the boat schedule to Cinque Terre and Palmaria. Keep in mind that, in adverse sea conditions, the natural pool will be postponed.
This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)