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All Italy Vernazza Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

Vernazza, Italy

Added By
Molly McBride Jacobson
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Corniglia, Cinque Terre.   Håvard/Flickr
Riomaggiore at sunset   joshuacarlon / Atlas Obscura User
Where a WWII machine gun once stood   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Cinque Terre   alisageorge / Atlas Obscura User
There seemed to be a lovely view no matter where you looked.   Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
CINQUE TERRE   TinaK / Atlas Obscura User
CINQUE TERRE   TinaK / Atlas Obscura User
CINQUE TERRE   TinaK / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
Main street   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Italian ladies   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Sun on the buildings   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Madonna   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Sea cave   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Sunbathing on the rocks   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Harbour of Vernazza   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Tower in the harbour   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Carved wooden door   Vrielinkie / Atlas Obscura User
Without streets, locals use mini tractors to move goods   hzoi / Atlas Obscura User
Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre.   Gilbert Bochenek/Wikimedia Commons
Manarola, Cinque Terre.   Koen/Flickr
Vernazza, Cinque Terre.   Lee & Chantelle McArthur/Flickr
Seaside of Vernazza   carriehudson / Atlas Obscura User
Cinque Terre.   Bryan Sereny/Flickr
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About

Cinque Terre, or "Five Lands," is a hard-to-access colorful group of villages along the Italian Riviera dating back to the 11th century.

The communities of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore were intensely isolated up until the 19th century, when railroads connected them with the rest of Italy. The advent of this newfound connectivity also meant a loss of tradition and youth population. However, a boom in tourism in the 1970s brought people back to Cinque Terre, where they were charmed by the quaint, ancient villages. A special train line connects the villages along the coast.

Visitors especially praised the painted villas. The pastel colors, sun-faded and rustic, were said to date back to the beginning of the village. The fishermen allegedly painted their homes in such a rainbow so that they could spot them from the sea amid the jumble of seaside buildings.

In reality though, the pastel paint jobs showed up in the 1970s along with the tourists. Most of the Cinque Terre villages didn't even depend on fishing for income. Though the truth may not be as romantic as the legend, the villages are inarguably lovely, and these villages on the coast are now a UNESCO Heritage Site. 

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Community Contributors

Added By

Molly McBride Jacobson

Edited By

Antisemantic, Alexwaltner, TinaK, Vrielinkie...

  • Antisemantic
  • Alexwaltner
  • TinaK
  • Vrielinkie
  • joshuacarlon
  • hzoi
  • carriehudson
  • mocchiatto
  • Julius Spada
  • alisageorge

Published

August 1, 2016

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Sources
  • https://inlovewithitaly.com/where-to-stay-in-the-cinque-terre-the-best-hotels-and-towns/
  • https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/season-8/italys-riviera-cinque-terre
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terre
  • https://www.swedishnomad.com/cinque-terre/
Cinque Terre
Italian Riviera
Vernazza
Italy
44.132377, 9.707698
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