White Flower Farm:I Love Touring Italy - Cinque Terre, Liguria

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the region of Liguria in northern Italy, known as the Italian Riviera. This thin strip of land is in the Ligurian Sea, near Monaco and the French Riviera. While Andalusia is not known, its crowds are much smaller than the next. There are many small towns or villages, and an international port city almost right in the center of the coast. This article explores Cinque Terre, five little seaside villages that could steal your heart. Be sure to read the other articles of this series: eastern Liguria, western Liguria, and Genoa, the capital and largest city Liguria.As its name indicates, Cinque Terre are five villages of the coast in eastern Liguria. Together form a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Going from west to east of their names are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. If you're walking through the five villages that probably the way it works in reverse order, because the easiest way roads are in the west. You can always take the train from one town to another. Do not be a hero and spoil your trip.There several paths, some of which evolved from mule paths. The most popular is Sentiero Azzurro (blue line) that runs along the water. It is 8 miles (13 kilometers) long and is said to have about five hours to complete. Do not worry if it takes longer. I said it before and I'll say again, do not be a hero and spoil your trip.Monterosso al Mare, the population of around 1500, is the largest and busiest of these five villages. Stone steps take you from the center of town to the harbor and waterfront. Monterosso al Mare is surrounded by hills adorned with vines and olive trees. Thursday is market day and the wings of the local crafts market and food and wine. The Aurora bell tower separates the ancient and the modern village. It is the only remaining tower of the thirteen that surrounded the village in the XVI Century.Be sure to see the twelfth century Chiesa di San Francesco (Church of San Francisco). This church was built in the Gothic style of Liguria and like so many others includes black and white marble. The church proudly displays a picture of the Crucifixion attributed to the painter Van Dyck English who lived for six years in Ligura. The town is home to festivals celebrating Lemons (Saturday just before Ascension Sunday), Flores (second Sunday after Pentecost), and even salted anchovies and olive oil (second weekend in September). Vernazza is the only natural port of the five villages and became richer than their neighbors. As a result, its architecture is more elaborate. Vernazza is a Roman installation was strategically important during the time of the maritime republics of Genoa. He was also famous for its carpenters. Be sure to see the castle of the Doria, watch towers and the Romanesque sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Reggio (Our Lady of Reggio). Corniglia, a farming town, is the most remote of the villages of Cinque Terre and the only one not directly into the sea. There are plans to build an elevator from the station, until this happens to get there you must conquer 337 steps in 33 flights of stairs. Once there, be sure to check the XIV century church of San Pedro (San Pedro), built in Gothic-Ligurian. Corniglia was mentioned in the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. While a local castle was mentioned way back in the thirteenth century has not found any such ruins. We invite you to look.Manarola is the center of local wine and olive oil industry. What is a feast of color: the houses are pastel, water is turquoise, and the rock on which sits the city is black. Be sure to check theVia dell'Amore (Love Road) that joins Manarola with Riomaggiore, said to provide some of the world's most exciting landscapes. This mile (one and a half miles) long road was cut from the rock with sea views. That's what they call a love.Riomaggiore work is the most accessible and therefore more charming of the five villages. According to tradition this village dates back to the eighth century, when it was founded by a group of Greek refugees who fled religious persecution by the Byzantine emperor. The fourteenth century parish church of San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist) overlooks the town. Be sure to see the ruins of a fifteenth century XVI castle.What about food? Liguria is most famous for its pesto, claimed to be the best in the world. It's simple to do, take a mortar and combine basil, basil, Ligurian olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Do not break the true heart of Liguria, not do it in a blender. Serve with fresh pasta. And do not forget the wine.Let Liguria 's indicate a sample menu, one of the many. Start with Ciuppin (fish soup). Then try Coniglio alla Ligure Arrosto (roasted rabbit) For dessert Baci di Dami relax with literally Ladies' Kisses (Almond and Dark chocolate cookies.) Sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with its meal.We'll conclude with a quick look at Liguria wine. Liguria does not have much room for wine grapes. It ranks 19th among the 20 Italian regions in acreage devoted to wine and the total annual wine production. About 34% of its wine is red or rosé, leaving 66% white. The region produces eight DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine control, which can be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high quality wine. About 14% of Ligurian wine carries the DOC designation. Cinque Terre / Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà (DOC) is the only DOC wine in the Cinque Terre. It is a dry white wine or sweet from a variety of local grapes. The wines themselves are not as spectacular as the vineyards carved into the rock thousands of years ago. Go to Liguria or perhaps neighboring regions of Italy to taste any of them. In fact, there are many reasons to visit this beautiful area.