Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is mentioned in documents dating to the 11th century. Monterosso and Vernazza were settled first and the other villages grew later, whilst within the territory of the Republic of Genoa. In the 16th century, the inhabitants reinforced existing forts and built new defensive towers to protect the population from attacks by the Turks. Cinque Terre experienced an economic decline from the 17th to 19th centuries,{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} recovering when an arsenal was built in La Spezia and it gained a railway link to Genoa.

Bombing and fighting during World War II caused extensive damage to the Cinque Terre.

The railway led to migration from the area and a decline in traditional industries until the growth of tourism from the 1970s onward brought some prosperity.

The predominant crops in the area have been grapes and olives. Some fishermen were based in Monterosso, but the area's gaily painted fishermen's cottages were conceived in the late 1970s as a tourist attraction.

Because of its exceptional cultural and ecological assets, UNESCO added Cinque Terre to its list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-25 |title=Cinque Terre Adventure: A Comprehensive Travel Guide To Its 5 Beautiful Villages |url=https://theroguetraveller.com/cinque-terre-travel-guide/ |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=TheRogueTraveller}}

On 25 October 2011, torrential rain caused floods and mudslides in Cinque Terre. Nine people were killed and villages were severely damaged, particularly Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.{{cite news |last=Squires |first=Nick |title=Villages all but wiped out as storms batter Italy's 'Cinque Terre' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8850032/Villages-all-but-wiped-out-as-storms-batter-Italys-Cinque-Terre.html |access-date=6 August 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 October 2011 }}

The heavy rainfall event was favoured by the crisis of the traditional and less remunerative cultivation of terraced landscapes which sixty years before started a progressive decline and reduction of maintenance. It was partially balanced by the vegetation that spontaneously developed on abandoned terraces, a role underlined by a part of the existing scientific literature.{{cite journal | title = Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events | author = M. Agnoletti | author2 = A. Errico | author3 = A. Santoro | author4 = A. Dani | author5 = F. Preti | journal = Sustainability | year = 2019 | issue = 1 | volume = 11 | oclc = 7964832494 | page = 235 | doi = 10.3390/su11010235 | issn = 2071-1050 | publisher = MDPI | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2019Sust...11..235A | hdl = 2158/1147026 | hdl-access = free }}

File:2019-05-01 Controllo turisti arrivo binari La Spezia 10.jpg]]

Access to Cinque Terre by car is possible, but parking is a major issue. The best method of transportation is by train. Trains run from La Spezia and Genoa to all five towns within the Cinque Terre, as well as to major regional and national destinations.{{cite web |title=The Cinque Terre Train: A How-To Guide |url=https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/travel-tips/train |website=Walks |date=2 May 2013 |publisher=Walks of Italy |access-date=24 March 2021 }} The Cinque Terre railway stations are located on the Genoa-Pisa line. Most long-distance trains do not stop at all five Cinque Terre towns, making it necessary to transfer to regional trains or the Cinque Terre Express. Some intercity trains also stop at Monterosso Station.

A scheduled passenger ferry runs between Levanto and La Spezia, stopping at all of the main villages except Corniglia, which does not have a landing point, as it is not located on the coast.{{Cite web|title=Cinque Terre: Prices and timetable of boats in Cinque Terre|url=https://www.incinqueterre.com/en/timetable-fares-boats-cinque-terre|access-date=2020-08-20|website=www.incinqueterre.com|language=en}} Boats also connect to Genoa's Old Harbour, Lerici, and Porto Venere.

There are many walking trails in the park.{{Cite web |last=Manual |first=The Adventure |date=2023-05-12 |title=The Best Cinque Terre Hikes |url=https://theadventuremanual.com/cinque-terre-hikes/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Adventure Manual |language=en-GB}} They are named according to the SVA numbering system{{What|date=April 2025|reason=What is the"SVA numbering system"?}}, although it is common to hear trails referred to by their previous numbers, causing confusion to visitors.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The most popular{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} path is known as the {{lang|it|Sentiero Verde Azzurro}} ("Blue Trail"), used to connect the five villages. Due to the unstable terrain, landslides frequently cause portions of the trails to be closed. The Sentiero Azzurro section from Riomaggiore to Manarola, called the {{lang|it|Via dell'Amore}} ("Love Walk"), was closed between late 2019 and February 2025.{{Cite web|title=The footpath Via dell'Amore in Cinque Terre|url=https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-via-dell-amore}}

{{Poem quote|Limoni

The little path that winds down

along the slope plunges through cane-tufts

and opens suddenly into the orchard

among the moss-green trunks

of the lemon trees. [...]{{Cite web|url=https://poets.org/poem/lemon-trees|title=The Lemon Trees|last=Montale|first=Eugenio|publisher=Handsel Books|language=en|access-date=4 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430001025/https://poets.org/poem/lemon-trees|archive-date=30 April 2024|url-status=live}}|Eugenio Montale}}

From the poem, "The Lemon Trees", 1921. This is how the Nobel laureate Eugenio Montale, through his poetry, describes Monterosso and how the Cinque Terre must be discovered.[http://www.e-cinqueterre.com/en/monterosso/montale.htm "Eugenio Montale and the Literary Park"]

The Cinque Terre were not only a source of inspiration for Eugenio Montale but for many others.

• Dante Alighieri compared the Cinque Terre with the rugged cliff of Purgatory in the Divine Comedy:

{{Poem quote

|text={{lang|it|Tra Lerice e Turbìa la più diserta,

la più rotta ruina è una scala,

verso di quella, agevole e aperta.}}Divina Commedia/Purgatorio/Canto III on Wikisource {{in lang|it}}}}

• Boccaccio in the second novel of the tenth day in The Decameron:

{{Blockquote|[...]e allora in una tovagliuola bianchissima gli portò due fette di pane arrostito e un gran bicchiere di vernaccia da Corniglia [...]Decameron/Giornata decima/Novella seconda on Wikisource {{in lang|it}}}}

• Gabriele D'Annunzio in his work Faville del Maglio cites the DOC white wine 'Sciachetrà':

{{Blockquote|...quel fiero Sciacchetrà che si pigia nelle cinque pampinose terre.[https://books.google.com/books?id=EnJ5J5WYZeUC&dq=%22quel+fiero+sciacchetr%C3%A0+che+si+pigia+nelle+cinque+pampinose+terre%22&pg=PA200 "Introduzione alla Guida gastronomica", p.200] Guida gastronomica d'Italia (rist. anast. 1931).] By Touring Club Italiano, Fondazione italiana Buon Ricordo.}}

In 2013, Cinque Terre was one of the shooting locations of the movie The Wolf of Wall Street by Martin Scorsese.{{Cite web |url=http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/culture-and-entertainment/italy-through-its-film-sets.html |title=Italy through its film sets |access-date=2018-01-27 |archive-date=2018-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128022716/http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/culture-and-entertainment/italy-through-its-film-sets.html |url-status=dead}}

The 2021 Disney/Pixar film Luca is set in the fictional town of Portorosso, on the Italian Riviera, placed west of Corniglia on a fictional map. Portorosso was inspired by and modeled after Cinque Terre.{{cite web|title=On Location: How Disney and Pixar's Luca Recreated the Iconic Cinque Terre |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/on-location-disney-pixars-luca |website=Conde Nast |date=28 April 2021 }}{{Cite news|url=https://viaggi.corriere.it/eventi/luca-film-pixar-disney-cinque-terre/|title="Luca", il film Pixar, è ambientato alle Cinque Terre. Ecco il trailer del cartoon più atteso del 2021|author=E.B.|date=30 April 2021|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|language=it|access-date=4 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430000956/https://viaggi.corriere.it/eventi/luca-film-pixar-disney-cinque-terre/|archive-date=30 April 2024|url-status=live}}

The 2016 videogame Hitman features the fictional town of Sapienza, which was inspired by Vernazza and other towns on the Ligurian shoreline.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-hitmans-hokkaido-level-was-made|title=How Hitman's Hokkaido level was made|last=Wiltshire|first=Alex|date=24 March 2017|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|publisher=Gamer Network Limited|language=en|quote=It’s based on Vernazza and some other towns down there on that shoreline|access-date=4 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407010243/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-hitmans-hokkaido-level-was-made|archive-date=7 April 2024|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Cinque Terre DOC}}

{{More citations needed|date=March 2010|section entitled Food and Wine}}

File:Terraces Manarola Volastra Cinque Terre Sep23 A7C 06874.jpg

Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies of Monterosso are a local speciality designated with a Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. This area, and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is known for pesto, a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese. Focaccia is a particularly common locally baked bread product. Farinata, a typical snack found in bakeries and pizzerias, is a savoury and crunchy pancake made from a base of chick pea flour. The town of Corniglia is particularly popular for a gelato made from local honey ({{lang|it|miele di Corniglia}}).[https://books.google.com/books?id=pZAc5U8potEC&dq=miele+di+corniglia&pg=PA1040 Rick Steves' Best of Europe]

The grapes of the Cinque Terre are used to produce two locally made wines. The eponymous Cinque Terre and the Sciachetrà are both made using Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes. Both wines are produced by the {{lang|it|Cooperative Agricoltura di Cinque Terre}}, located between Manarola and Volastra. Other DOC producers are Forlini-Capellini, Walter de Batté, Buranco, Arrigoni.

In addition to wines, other popular local drinks include grappa, a brandy made with the pomace left from winemaking, and limoncino, a sweet, creamy liqueur made from lemons. It is served chilled after meals and often used in the preparation of desserts.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oasihotel.eu/limoncino-or-limoncello/ |title=Limoncino or Limoncello? In the Cinque Terre only Limoncino! |access-date=2019-06-23 |archive-date=2021-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024002518/https://www.oasihotel.eu/limoncino-or-limoncello/ |url-status=dead }}

In 1998, the Italian Ministry of the Environment set up the Cinque Terre protected natural marine area to protect the natural environment and to promote socio-economic development compatible with the natural landscape of the area. Today, millions of visitors visit it every year.[http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/decreto_amp.asp?id_lingue=1 Istituzione dell'area naturale marina protetta denominata "Cinque Terre"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201181346/http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/decreto_amp.asp?id_lingue=1 |date=2008-12-01 }} (G.U. della Repubblica Italiana n. 48 del 27 febbraio 1998) In 1999, the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre was created to conserve the ecological balance, protect the landscape, and safeguard the anthropological values of the location.[http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/decreto.asp?id_lingue=1 Istituzione del Parco nazionale delle Cinque Terre] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227045435/http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/decreto.asp?id_lingue=1 |date=2009-02-27 }} (G.U. 17 dicembre 1999, n. 295) Nevertheless, dwindling interest in cultivation and maintenance of the terrace walls posed a long-term threat to the site, which was for this reason included in the 2000 and 2002 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund.[http://www.wmf.org/project/cinque-terre World Monuments Fund - Cinque Terre] The organization secured grants from American Express to support a study of the conservation of Cinque Terre. Following the study, a site management plan was created.

File:ISS067-E-152539 - View of Cinque Terre coast, Gulf of La Spezia, Italy (cropped).jpg (right of the middle), Golfo dei Poeti, La Spezia, Lerici and Tellaro coast]]

• Bonassola
• La Spezia
• Lerici
• Levanto
• Porto Venere
• Sarzana
• Volastra (village)

{{clear}}

• Southland District, New Zealand

File:Monterosso CinqueTerre.JPG|Monterosso al Mare

File:1 vernazza 2012.jpg|Vernazza

File:East Above Corniglia Cinque Terre crop Sep23 A7C 06797.jpg|Corniglia

File:Manarola NW Cinque Terre Sep23 A7C 07237.jpg|Manarola

File:Riomaggiore From Ferry Cinque Terre Italy Sep23 A7C 07414.jpg|Riomaggiore

• Asteroid 273994 Cinqueterre
• Liguria wine

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Commons category|Cinque Terre}}

• {{Official website}} {{in lang|en|it|fr}}
• [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/826/gallery/ Official UNESCO Photo gallery]
• [https://www.theheartofcinqueterre.com/slideshow.php Slideshow Photo gallery]
• [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cinque-terre-terraces "How a Village United to Save Cinque Terre's Ancient Terraces"] – Atlas Obscura
• [https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card Cinque Terre Card and Train Timetable]

{{World Heritage Sites in Italy}}

{{Province of La Spezia|nocat=true}}

{{Liguria}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Coasts of Italy

Category:Italian Riviera

Category:Ligurian Sea

Category:Province of La Spezia

Category:Coastal towns in Liguria

Category:Hiking trails in Italy

Category:Wine regions of Italy

Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy

Category:Tourist attractions in Liguria

Category:Road-inaccessible communities of Europe