Cinque Terre National Park
The Cinque Terre is a national park located on the shores of the Ligurian Sea on the eastern side of the Riviera, belonging to beautiful Italy. In translation, the name of the reserve sounds like "Five Lands", since it covers exactly so many small settlements with names.: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The longest distance between them is a 2-hour walk. Since 1997, this reserve has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cinque Terre is a gorgeous rocky coast with hiking trails.
This plot of land is covered with vineyards and various groves. The magnificent landscapes of the Cinque Terre Park are deservedly at the forefront of the most beautiful places in Italy. The village of Riomaggiore was born back in the 13th century, when the first structures were erected to strengthen it. It is inhabited by about 2,000 people, whose main occupation is fishing, as well as growing grapes. Here you can endlessly admire natural paintings, but some cultural monuments also belong to the sights, among them the castle, which was built back in the XV-XVI centuries. The Church of St. John the Baptist has also been preserved to this day.
There is a so-called "Road of Love" between Riomaggiore and Manarolo, which is a narrow path along the rocky coast. It originated at the beginning of the 20th century, and before that, there was almost no connection between them. In the town of Monarola, you just can't get enough of the beautiful view of the harbor and the cascading houses that rise up onto the cliff. The oldest settlement of the reserve is Vernazza, which appeared somewhere in the 11th century. Here, climbing the tower of Doria Castle, you can see all the charms of the city, as well as the coastal area and green shrubs. There are cultural monuments in the town, including the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch, which dates back to the 11th century, as well as the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. In the village, it's worth taking a walk through the streets, which are so narrow that sometimes it seems like this is already the territory of the house. A characteristic feature of the streets of these five cities is that there are fishing boats everywhere. Monterossa del Mar has wonderful sandy beaches with beautiful landscapes.
Tourism is very developed in these cities, houses and rooms are rented everywhere for the guests of the city. There are many cozy cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops on the territory of the park. You can get to the Cinque Terre by train from Genoa, spending about two hours on the road. It is forbidden to enter the territory by car, except in the city of Monterosso, where the parking lot is located. You will have to travel between the towns of the reserve on foot, as well as using water ferries and ecological buses.
