Cinque Terre (The Five Lands, La Spezia, Liguria) is the coast called on the Italian Riviera and it’s composed by 5 villages: Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare , Corniglia, and Riomaggiore.
Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea.
Paths, trains, and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. [Wikipedia]
Manarola is indeed a very popular photographic challenge.
Manarola originated from the migration of populations who from the Val di Vara and the Roman settlement of Volastra moved towards the sea to exploit its resources. Its name derives, perhaps, from the Latin Manium arula, which means “small temple dedicated to the Mani”, but this etymology still remains very uncertain.
Manarola can be reached via two main paths.
Images
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre
Manarola’s primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making.
Source: Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2
Images: Flickr, commons.wikimedia.com
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