CinX's Travels 2015

[CinX]

Manarola by cinxxx, on Flickr

Manarola by cinxxx, on Flickr

Manarola by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Manarola by cinxxx, on Flickr

Manarola by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare is a town and comune in the province of La Spezia, part of the region of Liguria (northern Italy). It is one of the five villages in Cinque Terre.

Monterosso al Mare is located at the center of a small natural gulf, protected by a small artificial reef, to the east of Punta Mesco in the Riviera of La Spezia. It is the westernmost of the Cinque Terre. In the west part of the original village, beyond the hill of the Capuchins, it is the village of Fegina, natural expansion and characterized by a relatively modern tourist resort facility compared to the ancient village that is reachable through a tunnel of a few tens of meters. The local train station is located at Fegina and the beaches are relatively larger compared to the narrow cliffs that characterize the other villages of the Cinque Terre.

The town is divided into two distinct parts: the old town and the new town. The two areas are divided by a single tunnel that caters to pedestrians and the very few cars in the town.

The beach at Monterosso runs along most of the coast line and is well used by tourists and locals. The beach is the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre. Monterosso is a small town overrun by tourists in the summer months.

The village was briefly excluded from the Cinque Terre trail in 1948, but was re-introduced in mid-1949. Italian officials considered the village too large to be considered part of the historic trail.

Originally, the village was only accessible by sea or by mule paths that connected the villages of the Cinque Terre and to Via Roma, the main road that connected all of Italy to Rome. These mule paths have been maintained and used over the centuries and now provide hikers with a more intimate view of the sea-swept Cinque Terre. The area was recently designated as part of the national park system and is considered a protected area, to the effect of limited development and resource usage. The Cinque Terre hiking trails have been taken over by the national park system and there is now a fee to hike on all portions of the trail.

Today, the best way to go to Monterosso is to take local trains from La Spezia or Genoa or Intercity trains from Milan, Rome, Turin, and Tuscany. The village is connected to the E80 highway via a narrow, steep and winding 20 kilometres (12 mi) long road. Using the train is definitely the best option to get there. The train network reaches the other villages of Cinque Terre as well, while the road network is absolutely not practical.

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare - View towards Vernazza by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

Monterosso al Mare by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Vernazza (Latin: Vulnetia) is a town and comune located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre region. Vernazza is the fourth town heading north, has no car traffic, and remains one of the truest "fishing villages" on the Italian Riviera.

Vernazza's name is derived from the Latin adjective verna meaning "native" and the aptly named indigenous wine, vernaccia ("local" or "ours"), helped give birth to the village's moniker.

In 1997, the Cinque Terre was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and in 1999 the National Park of the Cinque Terre was born. Today the main source of revenue for Vernazza is tourism. However, as a testimony to the strength of centuries-old tradition, fishing, wine and olive oil production still continue.

On 25 October 2011, Vernazza was struck by torrential rains, massive flooding, and mudslides that left the town buried in over 4 metres of mud and debris, causing over 100 million euro worth of damage. The town was evacuated and remained in a continued state of emergency.

[CinX]

Vernazza by cinxxx, on Flickr

Vernazza by cinxxx, on Flickr

Vernazza by cinxxx, on Flickr

Vernazza by cinxxx, on Flickr