Coming from Genoa, it’s the first village of the famous Cinque Terre.

Famous not only for being part of this National Park and for its beautiful beach and wine, but also for lemons and anchovies cooked in multiple variations. You can find everything in this village: here I introduce you to this poem by the famous Eugenio Montale, who spent part of his time in this place.

I limoni

Ascoltami, i poeti laureati

si muovono soltanto fra le piante

dai nomi poco usati: bossi ligustri o acanti.

Io, per me, amo le strade che riescono agli erbosi

fossi dove in pozzanghere

mezzo seccate agguantano i ragazzi

qualche sparuta anguilla:

le viuzze che seguono i ciglioni,

discendono tra i ciuffi delle canne

e mettono negli orti, tra gli alberi dei limoni.

Meglio se le gazzarre degli uccelli

si spengono inghiottite dall’azzurro:

più chiaro si ascolta il susurro

dei rami amici nell’aria che quasi non si muove,

e i sensi di quest’odore

che non sa staccarsi da terra

e piove in petto una dolcezza inquieta.

Qui delle divertite passioni

per miracolo tace la guerra,

qui tocca anche a noi poveri la nostra parte di ricchezza

ed è l’odore dei limoni.

Vedi, in questi silenzi in cui le cose

s’abbandonano e sembrano vicine

a tradire il loro ultimo segreto,

talora ci si aspetta

di scoprire uno sbaglio di Natura,

il punto morto del mondo, l’anello che non tiene,

il filo da disbrogliare che finalmente ci metta

nel mezzo di una verità.

Lo sguardo fruga d’intorno,

la mente indaga accorda disunisce

nel profumo che dilaga

quando il giorno più languisce.

Sono i silenzi in cui si vede

in ogni ombra umana che si allontana

qualche disturbata Divinità.

Ma l’illusione manca e ci riporta il tempo

nelle città rumorose dove l’azzurro si mostra

soltanto a pezzi, in alto, tra le cimase.

La pioggia stanca la terra, di poi; s’affolta

il tedio dell’inverno sulle case,

la luce si fa avara – amara l’anima.

Quando un giorno da un malchiuso portone

tra gli alberi di una corte

ci si mostrano i gialli dei limoni;

e il gelo del cuore si sfa,

e in petto ci scrosciano

le loro canzoni

le trombe d’oro della  solarità.

Vernazza

The second village of the Cinque Terre coming from Genoa is considered by many to be the most characteristic, with its colorful beach umbrellas on the seaside square. It’s the quickest to visit, provided you don’t want to linger and discover its secrets or walk to the beautiful Sanctuary of Reggio dedicated to the Black Madonna, or taste a glass of white wine from the young winemakers who are rediscovering the ancient art of their grandparents.

Corniglia

The Balcony Country.

His country is a balcony overlooking the sea. Crossing the most famous and narrow street in the center, known by everyone as Via Fieschi, you arrive at the Santa Maria Terrace at 90 meters above sea level, from where the view spans the entire Gulf of Poets, and on the clearest days, you can glimpse the mountains of Corsica. An excellent example of Ligurian Gothic art is the church of San Pietro, erected in the 16th century on a pre-existing structure. Here too, wonderful paths pass, from where, with the appropriate equipment, it is possible to reach its heights to immerse oneself in the heart of the park.

Manarola

Each country has its own Christmas traditions. In Italy – at home, on the streets, in shops, generally anywhere – apart from the usual Christmas tree, Christmas nativity scenes takes hold, they are called here Presepe. So, you can find the biggest Presepe in the World in Manarola! The opening ceremony starts on the 8th of December

Some history:
Presepe was designed and built by Mr. Mario Andreoli, who worked on the railway in the past and now he is in retirement at the moment. Since 1976 he has devoted his life to the realization of this unique project, and after 30 years, he finally managed to cover the entire hill. At last, Presepe sparkled like a rainbow at Christmas 2007 and was immediately added to the Guinness World Records. 6 miles of electric cables, 15,000 fires, 300 figures at full-scale which were made of the processed or unused materials were spent for implementation of this project. Since 2008, Presepe is also environmentally safe. Photovoltaic factory was built especially for it and this factory supplies electricity to maintain it, by the way, and its consumption in the last mountain was 13.440 kWh / year.

Riomaggiore

he village extends along a vertical axis where steep staircases are the only means of getting around within the town. The typical houses are towered, spanning two or more floors to make the best use of the available space, and one cannot help but notice the pastel colors (green, yellow, pink) of their facades. Descending from the boat that connects the various villages, you encounter the small harbor, and then, ascending a beautiful bench under a wide umbrella of pine branches, one cannot resist taking a souvenir photo of the surrounding panorama.