La Spezia, city, northwestern Italy, capital of La Spezia Province, in Liguria Region, on the Gulf of La Spezia (an arm of the Ligurian Sea). With its excellent natural harbor, the city is the major Italian naval base. It is also a resort at the eastern end of the Riviera, and an industrial center producing ships, iron and steel, and petroleum. The city has a fine 15th-century cathedral, which contains work in terra-cotta by the Florentine sculptor Andrea della Robbia. A fortified port since the Middle Ages, La Spezia was badly damaged during World War II and taken by the Allies in 1945. Population (1999 estimate) 96,320.