Lemons and vines hill: the hidden face of Cinque Terre

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By Giuseppe S. 5 terre 6 May 2019

Not only sea, not only sun; not only little restaurants facing the beach and promenades along the romantic Ligurian alleys.
If you believe Cinque Terre have only this to offer, it means that you haven’t had the chance to get to know their hidden side – that someone considers Cinque Terre best side!

The vines hills

Cinque Terre are famous all over the world for their breath-taking beaches, crystal clear sea and an overall peaceful environment.

However, there’s something deserving mention: on the back of the beautiful renown villages located along the coast, the rocky hills, veined by trails, host numerous and dense rows of grapevines.

The terraces harboring the vines are divided by drywalls, giving an unusual taste of “antique” to the eye of the beholder. Stones are piled up with great precision, to prevent landslides: their warmth contributes to the withering of the grapes used to produce Sciacchetrà.

The terraces are connected to each other and to the villages with a system of pathways and stairways: along the pathways and through the grapevines, there’s a hidden Liguria ready to be discovered.

Corniglia

Corniglia the most renown among Cinque Terre for wine production.

Its name comes from the family who used to rule the colony during the Roman Republic age: the “Gens Cornelia”.

Settlers of that territory were the first to produce wine and to export it as far as Pompei.

Corniglia is the only village perched on the ridge of the promontory. To reach it from Guvano beach you must climb the “scalinata della Lardarina”: 383 steps from sea to sky and back.

A brief journey where you can only admire. Take a look around: you will see the top of the hills, right up there, shaping a soft profile where they meet the sky. You will see the beach, there, below, lazily licked by the waves of a crystal sea.

You will feel surrounded by the vine leaves hiding little colorful and fragrant fruits.

Take a careful look and you will see all of it: the secret face of Cinque Terre only reveals itself to the most observant eyes.