Past Italia: La Chiesa di San Pietro

St Peter‘s (La Chiesa di San Pietro)  in Portovenere stands on a promontory overlooking the Gulf of Poets

The church of Saint Peter on the promontory if Porto Venere in Liguria, Italy

Saint Peter’s at Portovenere is built on the site of a 5th-century church, and before that an earlier, pagan temple dedicated to Venus. It was consecrated in 1198 but its bands of black and white Carrara marble (the black ‘marble’ is technically limestone) are a 13th-century addition, typical of the Genoese Gothic and indicative of the wealth of the Republic at this time. (Many other examples of this style can be seen in the city of Genoa today.) The church has recently become a popular venue for religious weddings, though your guests might find it difficult to park.

Photo by iStock