The Ultimate Guide to the Best Focaccia in La Spezia

In Liguria, focaccia is not just bread — it is part of daily life. The Ligurian version is distinct from focaccia made elsewhere in Italy: flat and rectangular, baked in olive-oil-lined trays, dimpled by hand before the second rise so the oil pools in pockets, and eaten warm. The standard way to judge it is a single word: bisunta. Derived from unto (oily), it describes focaccia that has been generously anointed with extra virgin olive oil before and after baking. In Liguria, bisunta is not a criticism. It is the benchmark.

La Spezia sits at the eastern end of Liguria, bordering Tuscany, and shares the focaccia tradition of the whole region while adding one product that is entirely its own: focaccia con i muscoli. Alongside focaccia, the bakeries of La Spezia also produce farinata — a chickpea-flour flatbread cooked in copper pans in wood-fired ovens, distinct from focaccia but found in the same establishments. Understanding these three products — focaccia, focaccia con i muscoli, and farinata — covers most of what the city’s bakery culture offers.

Focaccia Genovese: The Standard

The base product is focaccia genovese, which holds PGI status. The dough uses strong wheat flour, water, olive oil, salt, and yeast; it is stretched into oiled trays, left to rise, dimpled with fingertips, drenched in olive oil and brine, and baked at high heat. The result: a golden surface with slightly crisp edges and a soft interior, the dimples filled with pooled oil. It is sold by weight, cut from the tray with scissors or a knife, and typically wrapped in paper. It is eaten for breakfast alongside espresso or dipped into cappuccino — a habit that surprises visitors but makes immediate sense once you try it — or as a mid-morning snack. The best batches leave the oven in the early morning and at intervals through midday; fresh is measurably different from an hour-old piece.

Focaccia con i Muscoli: The La Spezia Specialty

Muscoli is the La Spezia dialect word for mussels (cozze in standard Italian). The Gulf of Spezia has been a mussel farming area for centuries, and focaccia con i muscoli is the product that emerged from combining the bakery tradition with the local catch. It consists of small rounds or parcels of focaccia dough stuffed with raw mussels — the mussel opens as it cooks, releasing its juices into the dough. The result is a small, self-contained parcel: bread and seafood in a single bite, with the briny liquid of the mussel absorbed into the crust. It is sold hot from the oven at bakeries and street food counters throughout La Spezia, priced by the piece, and eaten immediately. It does not travel well. It is not found in the same form anywhere else in Liguria.

Farinata

Farinata — called fainà in Ligurian dialect — is made from chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt, mixed into a thin batter and poured into large copper pans (testi) that have been heating in a wood-fired oven. It bakes quickly at very high temperature into a thin, slightly crisp sheet with a custardy interior. It is sliced hot and served immediately. The flavour is earthy and rich from the chickpeas and olive oil; the texture sits between a crêpe and a soft frittata. The same product is called cecina in Tuscany and socca in Nice — the same preparation follows the Ligurian coast both east and west. In La Spezia, farinata is sold in the same bakeries as focaccia and is often eaten alongside it as a mid-morning combination.

Where to Find It

The main concentration of bakeries is along Via del Prione — La Spezia’s historic main street — and the streets around the covered market near Piazza Cavour. A few consistent reference points:

Visiting La Spezia or the Cinque Terre?
Escape the crowds with our truffle hunt & gourmet truffle lunch & tasting in Lunigiana — a perfect shore excursion from La Spezia.

Or go inland to watch a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy in the Parma Apennines — just over an hour from the coast.

• La Pia Centenaria — the city’s most historic focacceria, trading since 1887, with multiple locations. Known equally for focaccia and farinata; the farinata here comes in several versions (plain, with gorgonzola, with pesto). A reliable benchmark for both products.
• Spezialità Focacceria Bistrò (Via del Prione 5/7) — well-regarded for consistent oil distribution and baking quality. A practical stop in the centre of the historic street.
• L’Antico Sapore del Pane (Via Sardegna 39) — traditional bakery using generous olive oil quantities; reliably bisunta texture. Slightly off the main tourist circuit, which means it tends to serve a local clientele.

Focaccia con i muscoli is available at bakeries throughout the city but tends to be most consistently present near the port and market area. It is a morning and midday product — arrive after 2 pm and supply will be limited or finished. For those combining a food visit with a wider exploration of the territory — including the olive producers and wine estates of Lunigiana and the Cinque Terre coast — the La Spezia food and wine experience covers both the city’s bakery culture and the producers behind the ingredients.