THE CINQUE TERRE

The Cinque Terre form part of the Ligurian Riviera coast line which is located in the province of La Spezia between the inlets Punta Mesco and Punta di Montenero of which are found five charming villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.

The Cinque Terre, by virtue of their particular geographical features, are a major tourist attraction of the province of La Spezia and of the Ligurian region. The physical characteristics of its mountain ranges are quite unique: hilly, rugged and rough, yet softened by vineyard terraces along steep slopes that descend towards the sea.

Over the centuries, the locals have respected this land by enhancing its beauty without affecting the ecological balance. The creation of terraces, due to the need to exploit as much as possible the steep sloped land that descends towards the sea, has made the landscape one of the most fascinating parts of Liguria.

On the terraces overlooking the sea, grape vines grow producing varieties of white wine grapes such as Bosco, Albarola, Trebbiano and Vermentino from which the DOC (“di origine controllata”) wines of the Cinque Terre (that is,  high quality certified  wines) are produced as well as the famous fortified dessert wine Sciacchetrà.

In 1999, the National Park of the Cinque Terre was established for the purpose of protecting the terraces and the dry stone walls that support them. The protected area extends from Tramonti di Campiglia and Biassa (part of La Spezia) to Levanto.