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CINQUE
TERRE
Another
delightful itinerary is the one that goes through the Cinque Terre where,
the sea, the hills, the vineyards, the old fishing villages, and the
Genovese style churches add together to result in enthralling scenery.
Portovenere
and the 'Cinque Terre' (the Five Lands) are located on the Poet's Gulf, so
named for its many famous bards, from Dante to Byron. Entering the small
historic center by the medieval walls and walking along the "Carrugio,"
which in Genoese dialect means "small street," you will come to
the ancient 'Castello Doria' and the Byron cave, the old poet-navigator
who inspired Richard Wagner's compositions. Porto Venere is an ideal and
strategic location in Liguria. It is a small natural paradise only twenty
minutes by boat from 'Cinque Terre'.
The 'Cinque Terre' are five small ancient fortified villages inaccessible
until some decades ago when a road was built. They were built in the rocks
by ancient people about a thousand years ago to defend themselves from
barbaric invasions. These ancient people found refuge between the sea and
the mountains completely isolating themselves from the rest of the world,
living on agriculture and fishing. They still preserve their ancient
enchanting allure. There are no cars and no noise but only nature. The
population of each town is less than 500 except for Monterosso with 1000
inhabitants. The 'Cinque Terre' are all connected to each other by sea
(except Corniglia), by train and by trails along the coast which perhaps
represent the best way to see the 'Cinque Terre.' The most famous and
easiest trail (a twenty minute walk) is the "Via dell' Amore"
(which needs no translation) which links Riomaggiore to Manarola; its name
comes from all the rocks that are covered with the romantic writings of
lovers from all over the world, or perhaps because along this trail many
love stories blossom and many....babies. It is definitely a road with the
fragrance of love in the air.
(click
on photo to enlarge)
E-mail
for prices -
include tour name, dates and number of people.
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