Botticelli's Venus: Is the Gulf of La Spezia the Background?

A conference on March 21 at CAMeC in La Spezia will investigate whether the Gulf of La Spezia is the landscape behind Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (1482–1485). Organized by tourism assessor Maria Grazia Frijia, the event features art historians Cristina Acidini and Marzia Ratti, geographer Lucia Rossi, and photographer Roberto Celi, moderated by journalist-geographer Ornella D'Alessio. Evidence includes a historical map by Celi matching the coastline, the ancient name "Gulfus Veneris" (Gulf of Venus) for the area between Lerici and Portovenere, and the birthplace of Botticelli's muse Simonetta Vespucci in nearby Fezzano. Vespucci described her origin as "in grembo a Venere" (in the lap of Venus), suggesting a literal connection. The painting is housed at the Uffizi in Florence.