The Santuario Nostra Signora di Soviore sits high on a plateau above Monterosso al Mare, distinguished by a long, pink-walled structure and a bell tower that features three floors of mullioned windows. As the oldest Marian sanctuary in…
Cinque Terre Through Time
This self-guided walk explores the historical evolution of the Cinque Terre through its oldest churches, defensive castles, and fortification ruins.
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1. Santuario Nostra Signora di Soviore
2. Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista is identifiable by its striking façade of alternating horizontal bands of white marble and dark green serpentine stone. Built between twelve forty-four and thirteen oh seven, the church serves as a clear…
3. Convento dei Frati Cappuccini
The Convento dei Frati Cappuccini sits on the Colle di San Cristoforo, the hill dividing the old town of Monterosso al Mare from the newer Fegina quarter. You can identify the complex by the distinct striped facade of its attached church,…
4. Church of St. Margaret of Antioch
The Church of St. Margaret of Antioch sits directly on the rocky shoreline of Vernazza, distinguished by an octagonal bell tower that rises forty meters into the sky. This medieval stone structure is built in the Ligurian Gothic style,…
5. Castello di Vernazza
The most recognizable feature of Castello Doria is the high, cylindrical Belforte Tower, which rises from the center of an esplanade atop a seventy-meter-high rocky promontory. This fortress, built upon a site used for defense since the…
6. Chiesa Di San Pietro
The Church of San Pietro is identifiable by its gray stone facade and a striking rose window crafted from white Carrara marble. Located in the upper part of Corniglia, this building dates back to thirteen thirty-four, when the powerful…
7. Viewpoint Corniglia
Corniglia is unique among the five villages of the Cinque Terre because it sits atop a hundred-meter-high promontory rather than hugging the harbor. Its most recognizable feature is the Santa Maria Belvedere, a terrace at the northwestern…
8. Chiesa di San Lorenzo
The Chiesa di San Lorenzo is defined by its white Carrara marble rose window, which features twelve slender columns and is framed by carvings of lion and human heads. Built in thirteen thirty-eight by the people of Manarola and the nearby…
9. Castello di Riomaggiore
The Castello di Riomaggiore stands apart as a quadrangular stone fortress crowned by two squat circular towers, positioned high on the ridge that divides the Rio Maggiore and Rio Finale valleys. Construction began in twelve sixty at the…