Description
Corso Cavour is one of La Spezia's main streets: a 19th-century avenue parallel to Via del Prione that runs from the sea side across the center to the Umbertino district. It is the right place for shopping and, farther up, for a stroll among Art Nouveau buildings.
The stretch toward the sea is pedestrianized, full of clothing stores, cafés and bars. Farther on, the corso crosses Piazza Brin, the heart of the Umbertino district, with its arcades and Mirko Basaldella's Fontana delle Voci. Along the street is also Palazzo Crozza, home to the civic library.
Art Nouveau lovers will find two fine examples at numbers 400 and 414. Palazzo Maggiani, from 1902, is one of the most striking examples of La Spezia's Art Nouveau, rich in carved decoration. The nearby Palazzo Fumagalli Federici, from 1912, has different balconies on each floor: crouching swans on the second floor, shells on the third, sunflowers on the fourth, and Chinese dragons on the front door.
The stretch toward the sea is pedestrianized, full of clothing stores, cafés and bars. Farther on, the corso crosses Piazza Brin, the heart of the Umbertino district, with its arcades and Mirko Basaldella's Fontana delle Voci. Along the street is also Palazzo Crozza, home to the civic library.
Art Nouveau lovers will find two fine examples at numbers 400 and 414. Palazzo Maggiani, from 1902, is one of the most striking examples of La Spezia's Art Nouveau, rich in carved decoration. The nearby Palazzo Fumagalli Federici, from 1912, has different balconies on each floor: crouching swans on the second floor, shells on the third, sunflowers on the fourth, and Chinese dragons on the front door.