The Cinque Terre (= 5 Lands) is a rugged portion of coast of the Riviera to the west of the city of La Spezia, in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of Italy comprising five villages, "The Five Lands": Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in the Cinque Terre national park. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cinque Terre, due to the geographical and anthropomorphic features of the territory in which they are found, represent one of the main tourist attractions of the Riviera of La Spezia and in general of the Liguria region. The orographic context is a naturally rugged, hilly territory, attenuated by the presence of terraces for crops, which degrade towards the seafront in steep slopes. Man's action over the centuries has modelled the territory without altering its delicate ecological balance by terracing the slopes, an agricultural technique intended to exploit as much as possible the heavily sloping soils which degrade towards the sea, thereby making it one of the most characteristic landscapes of Liguria.

said karin_from_zurich 2008.09.19 at 09:51:59 PDT