Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Cinque Terre

For quite some time, this photo of Manarola was my desktop wallpaper. The colors! The rugged cliff side! The froth of turbulent waves! I'd look at those little boats pulled up onto the stone steps and wonder how the humans who captain those small vessels avoid being slammed into the rocks. It's all so dramatic and characteristic of the villages that line the Cinque Terre.

When I realized that we'd be docking in Portofino - just a short distance from Manarola - I was thrilled. Next to Tuscany and Venice, the Cinque Terre has long captured my attention when it comes to Italy. In many ways, photos of the area remind me of Santorini (or, at least, photos I've seen of the place, lol). Here's a bit of info about the area (thank you Wikipedia):


"The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside."

I'd love the chance to see these places in person. It's amazing to think of the different cultures and towns Italy has to offer. From the isolation of the Cinque Terre to the Eternal City to the Tuscan countryside and fashion capitols like Milan, it's somewhat mindboggling. And all this from a country that the CIA World Factbook describes as "slightly larger than Arizona!"

No comments:

Post a Comment