One of the most beautiful Italian coast lines lies between the five pittoresk and colourful seaside villages of Cinque Terre. The steep cliffs are adorned with vineyards and the landscape is dotted with green. This area on the Italian Riviera is immensely popular with tourists and i only go there after the tourists season when it's surprisingly calm compared to july and august.
Cinque Terre, which means Five Lands, is the area called between the five villages of: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.
The history of Vernazza dates back to 1080, when it was first mentioned as a fortified city. Vernazza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 25 October 2011, during heavy rains Vernazza was flooded and dozens of cars were torn through the city streets to the sea by massive mudslides.
The origin of Corniglia can be traced back to Roman times. The name derives from Gens Cornelia, whic was a Roman family that owned thee land in Roman times.
Monterosso al Mare lies in a natural gulf an is protected from the sea by a small artificial reef. On the beach is astatue of a gigantic Neptune from thee sculptor Arrigo Minerbi. Monterosso is famous for it's lemons which are found all over the city.
Manarola is said to be the oldest town in Cinque terre, although there is no specific date to back this claim up. Tradiotionally the Manarolese have been expeeerts in fishing and wine-making. The local wine Sciacchetrà is mentioned in Roman times and was already then known for it's quality.
The history of Riomaggiore dates back to the 13th century and has been surrounded by vineyards ever since. The hiking path "Via dell'Amore" connect Riomaggiore to Manarola. The village name was featured in Forza Horizon 2 where it was on road signs but could not actually be visisted.
