Twinned to Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France, 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.
The area is famous for its many lemon trees that can be seen throughout Monterosso. It is also renowned for its white wines, grapes, and olives.
History
Historically, many of the villages on the Mediterranean were walled to protect against attacks from the sea. This area of the coast was often attacked by pirates.
In 1870, the Italian government built a railroad line into the city, which opened it up to the outside world. It is the main way in which people enter the city.
During World War II, many young men from the Cinque Terre fought for the resistance against the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, and the subsequent Nazi German occupation of Italy.
Main sights
Monterosso GiantBeach in Monterosso al Mare, Cinque TerreStreet in Monterosso villageIn the church
The Castle, partially ruined, built by the Genoese.
The parish church of St. John the Baptist (1282–1307). Its façade features four small marble columns and a main portal surmounted by a fresco portraying the baptism of Christ. The building is of a basilica-type plan that includes a nave and two aisles. The square medievalbell tower is crowned by merlons.
The convent of Monterosso al Mare. The convent is visible from all parts of the Cinque Terre and is a prime attraction for tourists, thanks to its historical and artistic treasures. They are reminiscent of the 1600 building in Capuchin style, with the altar and choir in wood. Among its works of art is a "Crucifixion", attributed to Van Dyck and "Saint Girolamo the penitent" by Luca Cambiaso. The refectory with its vaulted ceiling features Strozzi’s "Veronica". The convent has maintained the characteristics typical of the time of its origins, in addition to the sublime view invites contemplation.
The beach
Monterosso Giant
Santuario Nostra Signora di Saviore (The sanctuary of our Lady of Saviore) sits 465 metres above Monterroso on a hill overlooking the town. There has been a church on that site since 740CE. The shrine's most prized object is a 14th Century wood statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the dead Christ in her arms. The shrine has a guest house with six en-suite rooms and 30 rooms (2–3 beds each) that share a bathroom between every two rooms. It also has a refectory and offers bed and breakfast or half board options. One can reach the Santuario on foot (1.5 hours) or by local bus from the Piazza Garibaldi in Monterosso and walk back to the town via pleasant wooded paths.
Monterosso giant
In Monterosso, near the beach of Fegina, is the statue of the Giant/Neptune created by the Italian sculptor Arrigo Minerbi (the favourite artist of Gabriele D’Annunzio) and the architect Francesco Levacher.
In the past, the impressive fourteen-metre high sculpture stood on the promontory as part of the decoration of the luxurious Villa Pastine (built in the early 1900s). In addition to the trident, Neptune bore a gigantic shell on his head, which acted as the terrace of the villa.[4]
During World War II, Monterosso was bombed by allied forces, and the Neptune statue (along with the villa) suffered serious damage. It was damaged even further by heavy seas in 1966.[5]
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 (12mi) long road. The train network reaches the other villages of Cinque Terre as well.
Popular culture
The 2021 animated film Luca is inspired by Monterosso al Mare and the other Cinque Terre towns.[6]
The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinally it extends from the border with France and the French Riviera near Ventimiglia eastwards to Capo Corvo which marks the eastern end of the Gulf of La Spezia and is close to the regional border between Liguria and Tuscany. The Italian Riviera thus includes nearly all of the coastline of Liguria. Historically the "Riviera" extended further to the west, through what is now French territory as far as Marseille.
The Cinque Terre is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vernazza is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Riomaggiore is a village and commune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre villages one encounters when travelling north from La Spezia.
Lerici is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in the Italian region of Liguria, part of the Italian Riviera. It is situated on the coast of the Gulf of La Spezia, 8 kilometres (5 mi) southeast of La Spezia. It is known as the place where the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned. The town is connected by ferry to the Cinque Terre and Porto Venere.
The province of La Spezia is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of La Spezia.
Porto Venere is a town and comune (municipality) located on the Ligurian coast of Italy in the province of La Spezia. It comprises the three villages of Fezzano, Le Grazie and Porto Venere, and the three islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. In 1997 Porto Venere and the villages of Cinque Terre were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Deiva Marina is a small Italian comune in the province of La Spezia, located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) east of the city of Genoa on the Riviera di Levante. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Vernazza 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. It is the only natural port of Cinque Terre and is famous for its elegant houses.
Levanto is a comune (municipality) in the province of La Spezia, in the Italian region of Liguria, located almost 90 kilometres (56 mi) southeast of Genoa and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of La Spezia.
Cinque Terre National Park is a protected area inducted as an Italian national park in 1999. Located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy, it is the smallest national park in Italy at 4,300 acres, but also the densest with 5,000 permanent inhabitants among the five towns. In addition to the territory of the towns of Cinque Terre, the Cinque Terre National Park encompasses parts of the communes of Levanto and La Spezia. Cinque Terre was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
The Genoa–Pisa railway is one of the trunk lines of the Italian railway network. It runs along the Ligurian coast from Genoa to Pisa through the Riviera di Levante and the Versilia. It passes through the cities of Massa, Carrara and La Spezia. South of Pisa the Pisa–Rome line continues along the Tyrrhenian coast to Rome. The line is double track and is fully electrified at 3,000 V DC. Passenger traffic is managed by Trenitalia.
Cinque Terre is a small DOC white wine region in Liguria, North Italy. The DOC was granted in 1973 and production is limited to the coastal areas of the Cinque Terre in the Province of La Spezia, and specifically to the territories of the communes of Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, together with two adjacent areas within the commune of La Spezia: Tramonti di Biassa and Tramonti di Campiglia.
La via dell'Amore or The Way of Love is a pedestrian path overlooking the sea, with a length of just over one kilometer, linking the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola, Cinque Terre, in Liguria, Italy. It is one of four sections of the Sentiero Azzurro, "the Blue Path", the most popular hiking trail in the Cinque Terre National Park.
Vernazza railway station is located on the Genoa–Pisa railway, Italy. It serves Vernazza, which is one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre.
Corniglia railway station is located on the Genoa–Pisa railway, Italy. It serves Corniglia, which is one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre.
Manarola railway station is located on the Genoa–Pisa railway, Italy. It serves Manarola, which is one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre.
Riomaggiore railway station is located on the Genoa–Pisa railway, Italy. It serves Riomaggiore, which is one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre.
Monterosso railway station is located on the Genoa–Pisa railway, Italy. It serves Monterosso al Mare, which is one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre.
The Verde Azzurro path, or "Blue trail" is a hiking route that runs entirely within the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, primarily connecting the five main villages.
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