Cinque Terre
General Information |
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A MAN MADE LANDSCAPE:
Over the centuries, through constant collective work,
man has managed to create this landscape, the only one
of its kind in the world, safely kept inside a treasure
chest between Punta Mesco and Punta Manara. A little
corner of Liguria where generations have worked to create
this monument in landscape architecture represented
by the steep terraces sloping down to the sea.
Held up by over 7000 km of dry stone
walling, cleverly built without any kind of cement,
they are cultivated as vineyards that reach down to
almost touch the lapping sea waves. The Cinque Terre,
recognised by the Unesco “Mankind’s World
Heritage”, are today a National Park and Protected
Marine Area with the aim of protecting this great cultural
heritage.
ALONG THE PATHS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
BUSH: Without doubt, the best way to discover,
to try and understand and enjoy the Cinque Terre is
to visit it on foot. Along the paths and the centuries
old flights of steps, which up to a short while ago
were the only communication routes between the five
villages, you come under the magic of this landscape
and its panoramas suspended between sky and sea.
The terraced vineyards alternate with
strips of olive trees and where man has abandoned the
soil, the Mediterranean bush has taken over again, with
round euphorbia bushes, broom, white and pink cystus
and the agaves that dot the landscape and heady, spicy
perfume of the eternal flower. The most famous path
of the Cinque Terre is the “Via dell’Amore”,
connecting Manarola to Riomaggiore and partially cut
out of the steep cliffs overlooking the sea.
THE ROCKY SEA OF THE CINQUE
TERRE: The inhabitants of these places had
agricultural origins and lived on the hills. They came
down to the coast, once the Saracens had finished invading,
when the sea became safe and populated the villages
at the mouths of the rivers along the shore. Cinque
Terre landscape is harsh and wild and even the coast
reflects this nature.
High cliffs reaching down into the
cobalt blue depths of the sea hide minute shingle beaches
at Riomaggiore and Vernazza or tiny “ports”
like at Manarola, for pulling up the boats when the
sea is rough. Here, in summer, sunbathers mix with fishermen.
Between Vernazza and Corniglia there is the romantic
beach of Guvano, to be reached on foot. A larger sandy
beach, with facilities, can be found only at Monterosso
al Mare.
THE
VILLAGES: In medieval times, the name “terra”
(land) meant village. From this origin comes the name
Cinque Terre (five villages). Having rounded Punta Mesco,
coming from Genoa, the first village is Monterosso al
Mare, the only one with a large beach and promenade
connecting its historical centre to the new Fegina quarter.
Vernazza, located at the mouth of a river, is naturally
protected from the threat of the sea by a rocky promontory
and it has always been the only safe landing point in
the Cinque Terre.
Corniglia,
the only village not on the sea, but nestling on a hill
surrounded by vineyards, has its own sweetly countrified
appeal. Manarola and Riomaggiore, clinging to the rock
face, with their houses piled up in a multi-coloured
mosaic overlooking the sea, are the most typical and
unspoilt villages of the five.
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