My husband and I spent a week in Florence, Italy, and took several day trips from Florence. We went on a full-day tour to Cinque Terre (Five Lands) with the tourist agency, Ciao Florence. We met at 7:00 AM at Adua Square, next to Santa Maria Novella Train Station and a Burger King. The trip took around two hours, and the bus dropped us off near Manarola. We moved from one village to the other by train and by boat. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, but cars can reach them only via narrow and precarious mountain roads.
Map of Cinqie Terre (Land between sky and sea)
The Cinque Terre is a string of five seaside villages perched high on the Italian Riviera in the region of Liguria in northwest Italy. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The five villages are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Descent from the car park to Manarola.
Manarola, the second-smallest of the Cinque Terre towns, has a population of 353. It is built on a high rock 230 feet (70 meters) above sea level. The village is all ups and downs, with steep narrow alleys leading to the sea.
Continued descent to Manarola
The one main street of the village leads down to the sea.
Along the main road the boats are pulled onto dry land every time the sea is rough. Although there is no real beach here, it has some of the best deep-water swimming around.
Staircase leading to La Piazza Dario Capellini
The piazza with houses perched above
Doggie fountain on piazza
Ristorante Aristide is directly across from the train station entrance.
Train tunnel to Manarola train station going to Riomaggiore
Train tunnel entrance
Tour leader Claudia from the tourist agency, Ciao Florence.
Approaching Riomaggiore
Over centuries, people have built terraces to cultivate grapes and olives on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea. This area is known for pesto, a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese
A picturesque view of Riomaggiore
Notice on the right of the pic, people are going up a steep stairway.
A view of Vernazza
The domed building (center right) is Santa Margherita di Antochia Church, a 14th century church with an octagonal tower overlooking the Ligurian Sea. According to the tradition, the church was built because a wooden box with the bones of Saint Margaret was found on the beach.
Harbor and tour-boat dock in Vernazza
Boat dock in Vernazza
The boats run frequently to the villages of the Cinque Terre, except for Corniglia, since this is the only village without water access
Approaching Monterosso by boat
Monterosso al Mare is somewhat flat and spread out, with a charming old town, a modern new town, and the Cinque Terre's best beaches and nightlife. It has the most restaurants and the most modern hotels. It is the biggest (about 1500 inhabitants) and the oldest of the Cinque Terre’s villages. The predominant crops in the area have been grapes and olives. Some fisherman were based in Monterosso, but the area's pastel-hued painted fisherman's cottages were conceived in the late 1970s as a tourist attraction.
In the middle of the pic is the Church of San Francesco (Saint Francis of Assisi) and the Cappuccini Monastery, built from 1619-1622. They are situated on the top of San Cristoforo Hill, which separates the old part of the town from the new one. As Monterosso was often under attacks by pirates and other enemies, a strong defense system was built to protect the village. In the 16th century, guards kept an eye on the sea from 13 watchtowers, but today only three are left, and one of them is the Aurora Tower, on a steep cliff just below the monastery. It is currently used as a private house.
Monterosso has the biggest beach of the entire coast.
Under the railway bridge, which opens up to the Old Village, is the historical center of town. The history of Monterosso dates back to 643 when the people living in the hills moved down to the sea, hiding from barbarian tribes. The village is named Monterosso because the ruling family used to have red hair. "Monte dei rossi" means "Mountain of the ginger-haired".
Oleanders in bloom
Monterosso with Piazza Garibaldi in the background
Sculpture L’Abbraccio (The Embrace) by Renzo Bighetti
Levanto, October 25, 2011
The floods in Tuscany, Italy, on October 25, 2011, were devastating to the Cinque Terre villages. The damage amounted to millions of dollars, and 13 people died. Many walking trails remained inaccessible to visitors for more than one year. Vernazza was the village that was most affected. Torrential rains and an avalanche of mud, dirt and debris roared through the main street of the town. First floors of almost all the buildings in the village were destroyed and had to be renovated completely. Everything in the town was rebuilt, almost from scratch. A monument of the sculptor, Renzo Bighetti, was erected in memory of the flood of 2011.
A sculpture of St Francis, patron saint of Italy, with wolf by Lombard sculptor Silvio Monfrini is on the promontory below the Convent of the Capuchin friars.
St John the Baptist Church rose window
This church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is on the left side of the main road entering the older sector of Monterosso. The construction began in 1282 and was completed in 1307, 25 years later. The building has a basilica-type plan that includes three naves and two aisles. The façade is adorned with white and black marble. Above the main portal, there is an elegant rose window, attributed to Matteo and Pietro Campiglio
St John the Baptist Church rose window from inside
St John the Baptist Church main nave
St John the Baptist Church pulpit and altar
St John the Baptist Church, left side chapel, the Pieta
St John the Baptist Church, right side chapel, John the Baptist with a crucifix staff
Sacred Heart of Jesus with votive candles
Virgin and Child with votive candles
Near the Chiesa di San Giobanni Battiste (Church of Saint John the Baptist) is the Oratorio di Mortis et Orationis (Chapel of the Brotherhood of Death and Prayer.) The seventeenth-century church was run by the Black Confraternity, a secular association dedicated to doing charitable works. Historically, it took care of widows, orphans and the shipwrecked.
Oratory Mortis et Orationis
Oratory altar
Oratory crucifix
Oratory donation request
FYI: In 1998, the Italian Ministry for the Environment set up the Protected natural marine area Cinque Terre 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. 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.
