Map of the Roman Empire - Porta Veneris

Porta Veneris
H-3 on the Map

Ancient Porta Veneris Portus Veneris: Portovenere. Situated at the southwest point of the Gulf of Spezia (according to legend Porta Veneris was visited by St. Peter)

History of Portus Veneris. The ancient Portus Veneris is believed to date back to at least the middle of the first century BCE. It has been said that the name refers to a temple to the goddess Venus which was sited on the promontory where the church of Peter the Apostle now stands. The name has also been linked to that of the hermit Saint Venerius. In Roman times the city was essentially a fishing community. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Porto Venere became the base of the Byzantine fleet in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea, but was destroyed by the Lombards in 643 CE. Later, it was a frequent target of Saracen raids. First indications of the existence of a castle date from 1113, and in 1161 the walls were erected. Porto Venere became a fiefdom of a family from Vezzano before passing to Genoa in the early twelfth century. In 1494, it suffered a devastating bombardment from the Aragonese fleet during their war with Genoa: subsequently the old part of the town declined in importance, giving way to the development of the Borgo Nuovo ("New District"), which had existed from 1139 and is centred on the church of St. Peter. - Wikipedia

Portus Veneris, a maritime town of the Apuani, in Liguria, bet. Segesta Tiguliorum (30) and Luna (5). Porto Venere.  - Classical Gazetteer