Discover Park and Territory
The Cinque Terre National Park
nineteen hundred and ninety-nine
Established in 1999, the Cinque Terre National Park was created to protect a fragile and spectacular territory, where human activity has learned to coexist with nature without overwhelming it. Because of this identity, it is often described as the “Park of Man”: a place where villages, trails and vineyards form an inseparable system.
Since 1997, the Cinque Terre have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Porto Venere and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. This recognition celebrates the area as a “cultural landscape”: a territory shaped by the harmonious interaction between local communities and a steep, rugged natural environment, which required ingenious solutions for survival and agricultural development.
ciàn
The most representative feature of the Park is its system of terraces.
For centuries, local inhabitants built kilometres of dry-stone walls, without the use of mortar, to create the ciàn: strips of cultivable land overlooking the sea. This monumental work of rural engineering is still essential today, not only for wine production, but also for preventing hydrogeological instability and preserving the visual identity of the landscape.
102 km
of hiking trails
The Park also extends its protection beyond the coastline through the Marine Protected Area, which safeguards the seabed and marine biodiversity between Riomaggiore and Monterosso. On land, a network of more than 120 kilometres of trails allows visitors to explore the territory on foot, connecting the villages with the hillside sanctuaries and the high ridge route, offering a deeply immersive experience in the Mediterranean landscape.
Our Territory
Liguria of Levante
The Cinque Terre stretch along fifteen kilometres of rugged coastline in eastern Liguria. This section of the Riviera is known throughout the world for its five villages — Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso — which share an origin linked to geographical isolation and centuries of adaptation to a steep and demanding landscape.
Located at the eastern edge of the area, Riomaggiore and Manarola are among the purest examples of Ligurian “verticality”.
Riomaggiore
develops along the valley of the ancient Rio Maggiore stream, with its characteristic brightly coloured houses.
Manarola
is a village with ancient winemaking roots, known for the harmony of its natural harbour and for unique traditions such as the illuminated Nativity scene, which lights up its hillsides every winter.
Volastra
A village of Roman origin whose name evokes the cultivation of olive trees, offers wide panoramic views and an atmosphere of quiet.
Groppo
Represents the heart of local winemaking: here, Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes are transformed into the prized Cinque Terre DOC wine and the passito wine Sciacchetrà.
