Cinque Terre
Throughout the centuries, thanks to everybody’s continuous work, man
has been able to create this unique landscape, inscribed between Punta
Manara and Punta Mesco: the Cinque Terre. The name dates back to the
Middle Ages, when the word “terra” (land) meant “village”.
The
terracings overhanging the sea, realised thanks to the hard work of
many generations, are sustained by 7,000 km of dry stone walls and
are planted with vineyards till close to the sea. The best way to
discover, try to understand and enjoy the Cinque Terre is to walk
through the paths and the hundred years old steps, once the only lines
of communication between the five villages, and to be fascinated by
this land hanging between sky and sea. Leaving La Spezia, the first
villages you find are Riomaggiore and Manarola: hanging on to the
cliff, with houses forming a many-coloured mosaic, they are the
wildest and most characteristic of the five towns. Then you meet
Corniglia, the only one which is not on the sea but on a hill
surrounded by vineyards.
A rocky headland protects Vernazza from the
dangers of the sea and makes it the only one safe landing place in the
Cinque Terre. Monterosso is the last one: it has a beautiful beach and
a long promenade on the sea linking the old town with the new port.
Today the Cinque Terre, proclaimed by UNESCO “mankind’s estate”, have
been declared national park and protected sea area, in order to take
care of this great cultural heir.
