Cinque Terre National Park (
Italian: ''Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre'') is a protected area inducted as an Italian national park in 1999. Located in the province of
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest city ...
,
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
, northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, it is the smallest national park in Italy at 4,300 acres, but also the densest with 5,000 permanent inhabitants among the five towns. In addition to the territory of the towns of
Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre (; lij, Çinque Tære, meaning "Five Lands") is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, ...
(
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore ( lij, Rimazzô, locally ) is a village and commune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when travelling north from La Spezia.
Th ...
,
Manarola
Manarola (''Manaea'' in the local dialect) is a small town, a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by ...
,
Corniglia
Corniglia ( lij, Corniggia; locally ) is a ''frazione'' ("hamlet") within the comune of Vernazza in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy with a population of about 150 (in 2016). Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corni ...
,
Vernazza
Vernazza ( lij, Vernassa, locally ; la, Vulnetia) is a town and located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre region. Vernazza is the fourth town heading north, has ...
and
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare ( lij, Munterussu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia, part of the region of Liguria, Northern Italy. It is one of the five villages in Cinque Terre.
Overview
Twinned to Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France, M ...
), the Cinque Terre National Park encompasses parts of the communes of Levanto (Punta Mesco) and La Spezia (Campiglia Sunsets). Cinque Terre was included as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 1999.
The collection of five cliff-side towns on the Ligurian Coast linked by a series of trails highlights a delicate relationship between man and the environment. As modification of the landscape has been so vital for the area's development and tourist industry, the National Park is an essential tool in preserving and maintaining the natural landscape while promoting
sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities. Su ...
that vital to the economic success of Cinque Terre. To achieve its objectives, the Park Organization encourages the development of responsible tourism, able therefore to invest in the identity of the places and the territory's products, and thus save its immense heritage of terracing, now endangered.
Description
![Spezia vernazza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Spezia_vernazza.jpg)
The Cinque Terre National Park was established on 6 October 1999 in recognition of the territory's considerable scenic, agricultural, historical and cultural value. Two years before, the area was added to the list of
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s.
The five medieval towns along the Ligurian Coast provide scenic views of rugged terrain reeled in with terraced stone walls, where the mountains of 'Appennino Ligure come straight to the sea. The form and disposition of the towns as they embrace topography embedded in the cliffs are a testament to the long history of settlement and the terraced cultivated lands to the agricultural heritage of the area. As the first Italian park created to safeguard a landscape that has been mostly built by humans, the Cinque Terre National Park and Protected Marine Area aim to protect cultural heritage of “the park of Man.”
The site's location and topography is a vital part of the identity of Cinque Terre, whose extreme typological restraints and access to the coast inherently provide for a delicate relationship between man and the natural environment. That relationship has led to a dual existence, focused on both land and sea.
[Plummer, Henry 1988 Cinque Terre. Places. 4, no. 2: 46.] For more than a thousand years, man has cut the steep slopes for terrace farming and vineyards while at sea maintaining a strong fishing culture. The beauty of Cinque Terre lies not in a pristine environment void of man, but rather the interplay of the two.
Known for its natural environment and coastal hiking trails, Cinque Terre is a tourist destination that draws people from all over the world, the numbers rising to 3.5- 5 million in the month of August alone.
[Bottazzi, C. 2006 Evaluation of the tourist demand in management plans for UNESCO sites : The case of the Cinque Terre Park (Italy). First International Symposium on Environmental Identities and Mediterranean Area 1: 500–505.] While there is great concern for the environmental effects of such numbers of visitors, tourism is essential, having long replaced farming and fishing as the area's chief economy. Recognizing the value of sustainable ecotourism, the goal of World Heritage areas like Cinque Terre National Park is to maintain the ecosystem in a functional state by preserving the fine balance between tourism and agriculture.
Flora
Even though the
Mediterranean flora
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in ...
have obvious features, there are many microclimates often different from each other which created a huge variety of landscapes. There are
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
,
Aleppo pine
''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region.
Description
''Pinus halepensis'' is a small to medium-sized tree, tall, with a trunk diameter up to , exce ...
,
corks and
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelat ...
.
Rock and coastal environments produce numerous Mediterranean species such as
samphire
Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies.
*Rock samphire, ''Crithmum maritimum'' is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Unit ...
and
sea cineraria
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
. Flora is visible everywhere even as shrub
rosemary
''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...
,
thyme
Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigenou ...
,
helichrysum and
lavender.
[ Also present are several species of trees and succulents clearly visible from many trails.
]
Fauna
The environment is conducive to the development of life and habitat of several animal species. Among the birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
are the gull
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
, the peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
and the raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
. Among the mammals are the dormouse, weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
, mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
, badger, marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on t ...
, fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
and wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
(whose presence is resented for damage to crops). The reptiles
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...
that thrive in the rock are the common wall lizard
''Podarcis muralis'' (common wall lizard) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about in total ...
, the lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
and various snakes such as the rat snake, the grass snake of Aesculapius and the viper; around streams live amphibians
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...
like frogs and salamanders.
Land degradation
One of greatest threats to the Cinque Terre region and one the National Park works to address, is land degradation. Today, a large percentage of cultural heritage sites are classified by governmental authorities as exposed to landslide risk. In Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in particular, whose terrain is 75% mountainous or hilly, 13/36 (36%) of heritage sites are affected by slope instability problems, including the Cinque Terre region.
The landslide activity of a region can be attributed to many factors. According to GNDCI, most current landslides in the Apennines
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
are recently dormant, reactivated with climate change. While this explanation links the problem more to environmental and geological factors, mankind also plays a large role in the problem. Relevantly to Cinque Terre, changes in land use and agricultural practices have drastic effects on landslides and their outcomes. In a comparison of images of Cinque Terre land terracing in 1958 and 2000, there appears a clear increase in soil erosion and degradation of vineyard terraces that is consistent with agriculture abandonment in the 1960s as the main focus of the area shifted to tourism and away from the careful "landscape engineering" of previous centuries. According to city officials, in 1951, about 3,500 acres of Cinque Terre land were cultivated, compared to 275 today.[Povoledo, Elisabetta 2012 In Liguria's Coastal Hills, a Storm's Fury Brings a Struggle for Restoration. New York: New York Times 8-7.]
As land was already in a state of degradation in 2011, terrace abandonment is thought to be a contributing factor to the flash flood disaster of 25 October 2011. After 4 hours of uncharacteristic 22 inches of rain and subsequent flash floods, the towns of Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza were virtually destroyed. The other three cities, due to natural topography and effective draining systems, went mostly undamaged.
For these reasons, one of the foremost agendas of the National Park, is the maintenance and revitalization of the slopes. The value in promoting terracing is two-fold, as it not only addresses landslide control but also recognizes the history and traditions of the villages by bringing back the traditional Cinque Terre vineyards. The "Uncultivated Lands" LIFE Project, co-founded in 2001 by the European Community and the Cinque Terre National Park, seeks to recover the unused terraces and to return them to their previous success for production of Albarola and Vermentino vineyards. One such hill, Corniolo, is featured as not only an educational tool for researchers interested in safe and effective cultivating practices, but also as a "laboratory" to bring back the famed grapes that, in combination, shaped Cinque Terre's reputation as wine producers in the Middle Ages.[Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre 2012 Traditional Cinque Terre Vineyards Back to Life. http://www.parconazionale5terre.it.] A sub-project, in cooperation with Agricultura Cinque Terre seeks to do just that, by reintroducing some of the traditional ancient grapes of the region. In addition, the success of "Uncultivated Lands" has been an invaluable model for other areas, such as the UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
site of Ifugao
Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ifugao; tl, Lalawigan ng Ifugao), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the wes ...
, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, who are interested in perfecting and re-establishing thousand-year old cultivation practices within their own communities.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
At UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
’s meeting on 5 December 1997 the Cinque Terre, Portovenere and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, were added to its World Heritage List under the heading of a cultural landscape
Cultural landscape is a term used in the fields of geography, ecology, and heritage studies, to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee, it is the "cultural properties hatrepresent the co ...
. An important site both environmentally and culturally, it was described as “the harmonious interaction between people and nature to produce a landscape of exceptional beauty". The addition of Cinque Terre to the list also addressed it as a world- known tourist destination. The site was enrolled under a number of criteria, including:
# shows an important interchange of human values, over a period of time or within a cultural area of the world, in the context of developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts or in the planning or urban (landscape) in the design of landscape (ii);
# is a remarkable example of a type of a complex of buildings or architectural or technological or landscape which illustrates a significant moment in human history (iv);
# is a remarkable example of a traditional human settlement or land use that is typical of a culture (cultures), especially if they become vulnerable due to the impact of irreversible change (v).
Ecotourism
The past three decades have seen a significant growth in tourism, in turn providing new economic opportunities for places like Cinque Terre.[Giavelli, Giovanni. 1999 The Aeolian Project: A Mab-UNESCO Investigation to Promote Sustainable Tourism in the Aeolian Islands. The International Journal of Environmental Studies 56(6) 833–847.] Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...
is a branch of the industry with immense benefits, as its aim is the enjoyment and appreciation of a natural landscape in an environmentally-conscious manner. For tourists, there is often an expectation of a pristine untouched environment, and an interest in the local population as a part of that landscape. In Cinque Terre, the greatest draw for tourists are the hiking trails and scenery among authentic traditional settlements. This socio-cultural element is essential as it highlights the heritage and culture of the picturesque Italian villages. Cinque Terre's popularity can be contributed to the establishment of the park in 1999 and the addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, both of which embrace ecotourism and the need for sustainability. A result of extensive efforts towards infrastructure, improvement of accessibility and sustainable practices, the park has developed the site, and increased its appeal on the global scale. While conservation policy can sometimes subordinate the environment and local interests in the favor of promoting tourism, that is not the case in Cinque Terre, where there is such large personal investment from the local population. In fact, locals and park representatives work in tandem to understand and adapt to changing tourist needs while mitigating negative environmental consequences.
In order to maintain responsible and sustainable tourism within a community, certain criteria must be met. Foremost, the tourism must be culturally appropriate.[Charnley, Susan. 2005. From Nature tourism to ecotourism? Human Organization 64(1):75–88.] As a World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, Cinque Terre embraces its traditions and culture and expands the tourist experience beyond a hike through the hills. The National Park makes a connection to the place with authentic customs, foods and wines. Second, is the importance of land tenure and connection to the land, which Cinque Terre addresses with lifestyles that depend on both land and water. It is this strong connection to the environment that continues to bring tourists to these towns imbedded perfectly in the coastal hills. Finally, what gives Cinque Terre so much potential for sustainable tourism are the local benefits that stretch beyond economics. As tourism is now so ingrained in the towns, the social benefits of interaction are evident and foster a sense of empowerment and pride that comes with caring for a protected land that millions enjoy.
Management and development
Trail management
The presence of trails that are safe and accessible while minimizing soil erosion
Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...
is vital for a National Park, particularly one whose typology is as extreme as Cinque Terre. A direct result of the heavy crowds during the summer months, Cinque Terre trails, spanning almost 12 miles are in constant need of supervision, as both soil degradation and human safety are real concerns.[Marion Jeffery, L., Leung, Yu-Fai. 2004 Environmentally Sustainable Trail Management. Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism. Ecotourism book series, volume 2. Wallingford, Oxon, GBR: CABI Publishing.] The absence of adequate control can have effects ranging in severity from vegetation loss to major soil erosion. Environmentally sustainable trail management relies on proper oversight that can include an inventory and evaluation of existing trails and grades, set standards for accessibility and closures when weather or other natural conditions deem appropriate. In evaluating trails, it is important to assess intended recreational uses: the extent to which particular paths will be used and the difficulty of said trails. While the best trails are those that are designed, like many other parks, Cinque Terre relies more on visitor created paths or those that are originally the result of local necessity. For instance, the Via dell’Amore is a footpath that was originally built by railroad workers in 1926–1928 for convenience between stations. In addition, to counteract the steep topography of the hills, the park relies on hillside trail construction, stone retaining walls and steps to maintain sustainable footpaths.
Development
In moving forward to improve and sustainably manage the park, an evaluation of tourist demands and projects that respond to those needs are essential. In collaboration with the Italian government, UNESCO has launched a pilot project to implement Management Plans that will provide guidelines for the sites listed in the World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...
before 2002, hoping to eventually expand the project to all other National Heritage sites. Specifically for Cinque Terre, the park foresees as its goals the management of tourist flow, preservation of land, an increase of the market for local products and, subsequently, an expansion of the local economy. The analysis considers "attributes" such as the landscape, accessibility, services, type of cookery and cost, and tourist perceptions of these factors. In regards to the landscape attribute, a negative connotation was connected to "mixed cultivation", suggesting that the main draw for tourists is the appreciation of the natural landscape, and less so the tradition that is tied to terraced vineyards. As many of the terraces are now degraded, steps such as the "Uncultivated Lands" initiative are essential in raising interest in this area. Analyzing accessibility, tourists showed interest in the current "system using trains for transportation" as a convenience, but were less supportive of "strengthening of the train system", implying that while the current system is appreciated, further development that would take away from the natural environment would be detrimental. These examples provide an interesting tool for both the park and UNESCO in moving Cinque Terre and other similar sites to a better and more sustainable state.
Unfortunately, tourism in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
is seasonal, and heavy surges of visitors in the summer months overload the natural resources over the course of a very short time and crowd-control and limiting trail hours which would minimize the impact of heavy foot traffic are options that are still being perfected. In the off-season, some businesses are virtually abandoned, creating an economic imbalance that is difficult to adjust to. In response, the National Park has tried to draw tourist attention to other aspects of the towns. While there is great success of the "Cinque Terre Card" that allows access to the trails, potential additions of the "Education Card" (granting access to museums and laboratory activities) and the "Health Card" (which promotes natural alternative medicine such as naturopathy and plantar reflexology) are met with less enthusiasm. In either case, ecotourism development is desirable in leading the industry in a more sustainable direction.
The MQA Project
The Marchio di Qualità Ambientale (Environmental Quality Brand) is a project whose aim is to minimize the impact of man on the environment by promoting sustainable tourism. The initiative is aimed at tourist-sector businesses on a voluntary basis, the hope being that services that have the potential to safeguard the environment do so through business practices. It is a partnership between the National Park and local business owners, establishing a relationship between socio-economic development interest and environmental protection.
Protected Marine Area
The Protected Marine Area was founded in 1997 and preludes the National Park as an effort to protect and maintain proper usage of the sea off the coast of Cinque Terre. It is subdivided into 3 zones, a Strict Nature Reserve, where boaters are prohibited, the General Nature Reserve, which allows access to motor boats, registered retail fishermen and guided scuba diving tours and the last and least stringent Partial Nature Reserve that allows monitored recreational fishing.
Pelagos Sanctuary
This part of the Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...
is included in the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean marine mammals, an international protected area that includes territories of France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.[Notarbartolo-Di-Sciara, G, T Agardy, D Hyrenbach, T Scovazzi, and P Van Klaveren. 2008 The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals. Aquatic Conservation-marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18.4:367–391.] Founded in 2002, The Pelagos Sanctuary focuses on the protection of Mediterranean cetaceans under threat from human involvement. In Italy, past practices included deep-net fishing and pollution from cruise ships that dock in areas like Cinque Terre, endangering the habitats of dolphins and other cetaceans that live in its waters. Goals are aimed at the protection of Pelagos cetaceans and their habitats and food ecosystems as well as the general biodiversity of the Mediterranean coast.
The coast along the Cinque Terre is characterized by high cliffs, caves, bays, tiny beaches and cleft rocks. Marine life in the stretch of the coast which extends from Punta Mesco at Monterosso to Capo Montenegro at Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore ( lij, Rimazzô, locally ) is a village and commune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when travelling north from La Spezia.
Th ...
is rich and varied. The steep faces of the cliffs under water and the shallows and isolated rocks are populated by various kinds of gorgonia (sea fans), such as the colorful '' Leptogorgia sarmentosa'' and the white ''Eunicella verrucosa
''Eunicella verrucosa'', the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Descript ...
'', a rare species in the Mediterranean, but fairly common along this part of the coast. The '' Posidonia oceanica'', a plant that creates very important grass-like colonies, grows here and provides a safe habitat for the reproduction of many organisms. The steep rock faces of Punta Mesco and Capo Montenegro have the richest forms of marine life including rare species: the ''Eunicella verrucosa
''Eunicella verrucosa'', the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Descript ...
'' mentioned above, the rare '' Gerardia savaglia'', or black coral. At a depth of only about 15/20 meters at Punta Mesco, unlike the rest of the Mediterranean, it is possible to discover the fans of the ''Paramuricea clavata
''Paramuricea clavata'', the violescent sea-whip, is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Plexauridae. It is found in shallow seas of the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the north-western Mediterranean Sea as well as Ionian Sea. This s ...
'' or red gorgonia.Alla Porta Rossa
Sanctuaries
On the Cinque Terre path network, there is a route that serves five Marian sanctuaries attached to each village. They are also accessible by road, except for the one in Montenero. The sanctuary of Corniglia, 390 metres high, dates from the 20th century and was built on the site of a chapel dating from 1584. The other buildings all date from the Middle Ages, including that of Nostra Signora de Soviore, the oldest Ligurian sanctuary, noted in a document of 1225.
Administration
The Cinque Terre are composed of five villages: from west to east:
*
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al Mare ( lij, Munterussu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia, part of the region of Liguria, Northern Italy. It is one of the five villages in Cinque Terre.
Overview
Twinned to Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France, M ...
(''comune'')
*
Vernazza
Vernazza ( lij, Vernassa, locally ; la, Vulnetia) is a town and located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre region. Vernazza is the fourth town heading north, has ...
(''comune'')
*
Corniglia
Corniglia ( lij, Corniggia; locally ) is a ''frazione'' ("hamlet") within the comune of Vernazza in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy with a population of about 150 (in 2016). Unlike the other localities of the Cinque Terre, Corni ...
(''frazione'' of Vernazza)
*
Manarola
Manarola (''Manaea'' in the local dialect) is a small town, a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by ...
(''frazione'' of Riomaggiore)
*
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore ( lij, Rimazzô, locally ) is a village and commune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when travelling north from La Spezia.
Th ...
(''comune'')
Other municipalities whose territory is part of the Cinque Terre National Park:
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Levanto
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La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest city ...
See also
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Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...
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Province of La Spezia
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
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National parks of Italy
References
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National parks of Italy
Parks in Liguria
Province of La Spezia
World Heritage Sites in Italy