Tourist Activities - Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre form one of the most uncontaminated and large Mediterranean areas in Liguria, a kingdom of nature and wild scents, preserved as it was before. Visiting the Cinque Terre means to visit five villages suspended between sea and earth, clinging on cliffs overlooking the sea and surrounded by green hills, means to know the history of those who are still fighting for centuries with a difficult territory, but also to taste the fruit of this effort in the wines and products.
Monterosso al Mare, is the westernmost of the Cinque Terre and is reached by walking along the most difficult part of the "Sentiero Azzurro" footpath. The village is protected by hills covered with vineyards and olive groves and is surrounded by vegetation. Its beautiful beaches, steep rugged cliffs and crystal-clear waters, make this one of the most charming resorts on the Ligurian Riviera of the east. The medieval tower "Aurora", located on the hills of the Cappuccini, separates the ancient part of the village from the more modern part. In the church of Saint Francis "San Francesco" works of great importance such as the Crucifixion, believed by many to have been painted by Van Dyck, are preserved.
Vernazza. A path between the Mediterranean scrub and crops, reaches the highest point of the route and leads to the village. Vernazza based around 1000, acquired over time strong maritime traditions. The presence of architectural elements, such as balconies, porches, portals, testified that the standard of living of the past was economically and socially superior to that of other towns of the Cinque Terre.
Corniglia is located on a rocky promontory overlooking the sea, on the edge of a basin intensively cultivated with vineyards. More linked to ground than sea, this small center presents a urban typology similar to that of rural households in the hinterland. The parish church of San Pietro is one of the most interesting Gothic-Ligurian monuments of Cinque Terre, built in 1334 on the ruins of a chapel of the eleventh century, was subsequently reworked and presents baroque overlapping. In the churchyard there is a building with Gothic arches in black stone which tradition identifies with the old station's mail of Fieschi family.
From Manarola begins a pedestrian road called Via dell’Amore. The route winds along the coast, overlooking the sea, and reaches Riomaggiore with a walk of about 30 minutes. The village has very ancient origins, but it is difficult to trace a well-defined profile because of the slim bibliography, which presents only hypothesis. Dominant, upstream of the village, there is the parish church of 1338 in Gothic style. The port is situated between two rocky spurs.
Riomaggiore is the easternmost of the Cinque Terre. The origins of the town according to tradition dating VIII century when it was founded by a group of Greek refugees escaped from the iconoclastic persecution of Leo III the Isaura. Passed from Fieschi to the Republic of Genoa in 1276. The village has an urban structure organized according to a series of pedestrian paths, set along the lines of the ground level, enabling access to the upper floors of houses, of which the oldest, according to the schematic of the tower-house, are developed in height and arranged in parallel rows. At the top there is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, built in 1340 by the Bishop of Luni. In 1870 the facade was threatening to collapse and was rebuilt in Gothic style. Nearby there is the house where from 1870 stayed several times Telemaco Signorini, who in many paintings portrayed the unique aspects of this place. From here is possible to descend to the “oratorio Disciplinati” of the sixteenth century; while from the other side in an elevated position there are substantial remains of the castle of the XV - XVI century, where it was placed the old cemetery. In Riomaggiore opened a highly picturesque pedestrian road called Via dell'Amore linking to Manarola.
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