Le Cinque Terre Audioguide TravelMate App: 44 audio content for a total of 111 min
Although the five villages have very ancient origins, it was in the Middle Ages that they experienced their greatest development, a period in which castles, towers, and other fortifications were built.
The most extraordinary work carried out by the inhabitants of the Cinque Terre is the radical transformation of the natural landscape through the creation of terraces, locally known as “piane”. Since ancient times, over 7,000 kilometers of dry stone walls, about two meters high and built without lime or cement, have been constructed on the steep and unstable hillsides. These walls served to create small areas of arable land where olive trees, vines, and vegetables could be grown. With the gradual abandonment of agriculture, part of this monumental work—which includes over eight million cubic meters of walls and exploited every strip of land down to the rocks by the sea—has been lost. Dry stone walls require constant maintenance, otherwise they collapse. Despite this, it is still possible to admire most of them in large areas of the territory. For many centuries, the villages, although so close to each other, were connected only by mule tracks running along the hills. The situation changed with the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century. During your visit, you can enjoy truly unique views. One of the most evocative is along the stretch of the “blue path” that leads from Corniglia to Monterosso. The path used to be wider, but some parts were closed after landslides caused by the 2011 flood. The best way to reach the Cinque Terre is by train, although there is now also a road. Alternatively, you can arrive by sea on a boat from La Spezia. Until the 17th century, the Cinque Terre was densely populated; today, however, it is home to only a few hundred inhabitants.
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The Cinque Terre consists of the villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, ancient villages overlooking the sea that are now part of a National Park.Although the five villages have very ancient origins, it was in the Middle Ages that they experienced their greatest development, a period in which castles, towers, and other fortifications were built.
The most extraordinary work carried out by the inhabitants of the Cinque Terre is the radical transformation of the natural landscape through the creation of terraces, locally known as “piane”. Since ancient times, over 7,000 kilometers of dry stone walls, about two meters high and built without lime or cement, have been constructed on the steep and unstable hillsides. These walls served to create small areas of arable land where olive trees, vines, and vegetables could be grown. With the gradual abandonment of agriculture, part of this monumental work—which includes over eight million cubic meters of walls and exploited every strip of land down to the rocks by the sea—has been lost. Dry stone walls require constant maintenance, otherwise they collapse. Despite this, it is still possible to admire most of them in large areas of the territory. For many centuries, the villages, although so close to each other, were connected only by mule tracks running along the hills. The situation changed with the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century. During your visit, you can enjoy truly unique views. One of the most evocative is along the stretch of the “blue path” that leads from Corniglia to Monterosso. The path used to be wider, but some parts were closed after landslides caused by the 2011 flood. The best way to reach the Cinque Terre is by train, although there is now also a road. Alternatively, you can arrive by sea on a boat from La Spezia. Until the 17th century, the Cinque Terre was densely populated; today, however, it is home to only a few hundred inhabitants.
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Seven languages are available for each content:
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- English
- French
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- German
- Russian
- Chinese
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