Corniglia ( lij, Corniggia; locally ) is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a '' comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate terri ...

'' ("hamlet") within the

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

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 ...

in the province of La Spezia,

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 with a population of about 150 (in 2016). Unlike the other localities of the

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, Manarol ...

, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea. Instead, it is on the top of a promontory about 100 metres high, surrounded on three sides by

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

and terraces, the fourth side descends steeply to the sea. To reach Corniglia, it is necessary to climb the ''Lardarina'', a long brick flight of steps composed of 33 flights with 382 steps or, otherwise follow a vehicular road that, from the station, leads to the village. Sometimes a small bus runs. The village stretches along the main road, Fieschi Road, and the houses have one side facing this road and the other facing the sea. Corniglia is characterised by narrow roads and a terrace in the rock from which all other four Cinque Terre's villages, two on one side and two on the other, can be seen. The town planning structure presents original characteristics compared to those of the other villages: the houses are lower set, and only more recently higher, similar to those of the villages of the hinterland. Corniglia is mentioned in a famous novella of

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was som ...

's ''

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; it, label= Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Da ...

'' and in the novel ''The Invisible Circus'' by

Jennifer Egan Jennifer Egan is an American novelist and short-story writer. Egan's novel '' A Visit from the Goon Squad'' won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. As of February 28, 2018, she is the Preside ...

History

The origin of the village dates back to the Roman Age as testified by the name, which finds its roots in '' Gens Cornelia'', the Roman family to whom the land belonged. In the Middle Ages it was a possession of the counts of

Lavagna Lavagna is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy. History and Culture The village, unlike nearby Chiavari which has pre-Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of ''Lavania''. T ...

, the lords of

Carpena Carpena, Cárpena or Carpeña is a Spanish surname of Italian origin. It is the hispanicised version of the Italian family name Carpegna, brought to Spain by Italian settlers, which is a habitational surname for people from the village of Carpegna ...

and of Luni. In 1254

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

gave it to

Nicolò Fieschi Nicolò () is an Italian male given name. Another variation is Niccolò, most common in Tuscany. It may refer to: * Nicolò Albertini, statesman * Nicolò Amati, luthier * Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer * Nicolò Barattieri, Italian engineer ...

, who held it until 1276, when the village was acquired by the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

Main sights

Documents dating from 1276 to 1277 mention the existence of a castle. However, remains of the castle have yet to be discovered and the location of the castle grounds is unknown. The only ruins in Corniglia belong to Genoese fortifications, a stronghold on a cliff plunging into the sea, which dates back to approximately 1556.

Popular Culture

The 2021 animated film '' Luca'' was inspired by the Cinque Terre towns. While the fictional Portorosso town in the film is set on a coast, the Pixar animation team was particular interested in Corniglia for its more remote and less tourist heavy nature.

Gallery

File:Corniglia_FB02.JPG, ''Corniglia's Marina'' File:Corniglia_FB03.JPG, ''Church of S.Pietro from via Serra'' File:Corniglia_FB04.JPG, ''Church of S.Pietro from the carrugio'' File:Church Of San Pietro Interior Corniglia.jpeg, ''Interior of the Church of S.Pietro'' File:Corniglia_FB05.JPG, ''The oratory of S.Caterina over Largo Taragio'' File:Corniglia_FB07.JPG, ''S.Bernardino'' File:Corniglia02.jpg, Setting

References

External links

Corniglia
@ Cinque Terre Tourist Association
Cinque Terre Pics
Cinque Terre Slideshow - 50 Pictures {{Coord, 44, 07, 11, N, 9, 42, 31, E, region:IT-SP_type:city, display=title Coastal towns in Liguria Frazioni of the Province of La Spezia Italian Riviera World Heritage Sites in Italy