Page 124 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italian Riviera

122  THE IT ALIAN RIVIER A AREA B Y AREA

y The Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre (or “five lands”) comprises translucent sea
and cliffs plunging into the water, towns clinging to rocky
slopes and terraces dug into the contours of the mountains
directly behind the coast. Today the region is a national park
encompassing some 20 km (12 miles) of coast and the
immediate hinterland. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this
is a place where the relationship between man and the 1 Monterosso
environment is preserved in miraculous equilibrium. The five Geographically the largest, it is also
villages that give the area its name are Monterosso al Mare, the westernmost village of the five.
Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore (see pp124– It offers the widest choice of hotels,
5). The coastal paths connecting them are great for both restaurants and nightlife
(see pp124–5).
walking and horse riding (see p201), and there is also
diving available. Access is primarily on foot,
by boat or train (see pp124–5). Note that
accommodation in high season
should be booked well in Pignone
advance. Pignone

Levanto

•
S.Antonia
Semaforo

0 kilometres 1
0 miles 1

2 The Terraces
The steep-sided terrain
of the Cinque Terre is an
extraordinary example of an
architectural landscape. The
terraces sculpted out of the 3 Vernazza
mountain slopes have been With its colourful houses
used primarily to cultivate olives clustered around an inlet, it is
and vines, from which the highly generally regarded as the
coveted Sciacchetrà (fortified most beautiful of the five
wine) is made (see p187). towns (see pp124–5).
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp181–2 and pp191–4

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