Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre (pronounced Chin-qe Ter-ra) is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

Geography

The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, man has carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages and cars can not reach it from the outside. It is a very popular tourist destination.

In 1998 the Italian Ministry for the Environment set up the Protected natural marine area Cinque Terre to protect the natural environment and to promote socio-economical development compatible with the natural landscape of the area.

In 1999 the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre was set up to conserve the ecological balance, protect the landscape, and safeguard the anthropological values of the location.

Climate

The climate is mild, the summer is long and warm. Afternoons are mitigated by the sea breeze of mistral, the winter almost always introduces a mild climate and ventilated, among the sea winds there are: from east/south, Scirocco; from west/south Libeccio, violent and almost cold, but of brief duration. The Grecale wind falls violent and cold and takes back more power in the brief valleys.Usuallly the average winter is around 12-14 degrees. The spring is usually moderate and introduce temperature until 25 centigrades. Autumms according the years can be beautiful or enough rainy.

Cuisine

Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies of Monterosso are a local specialty designated with a Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. This area, and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is known for pesto — a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. Focaccia is a particularly common local baked product. Farinata is also a typical snack found in bakeries and pizzerias- essentially it is a savoury and crunchy pancake made from a base of chick-pea flour.

The grapes of the Cinque Terre are used to produce two locally made wines. The eponymous Cinque Terre and the Sciachetrà are both made using Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes. Both wines are produced by the Cooperative Agricoltura di Cinque Terre (“Cinque Terre Agricultural Cooperative”), located between Manarola and Volastra. Other DOC producers are Forlini-Capellini, Walter de Batté, Buranco, Arrigoni.

In addition to wines, other popular local drinks include grappa, a brandy made with the pomace left from winemaking, and limoncello, a sweet liqueur flavored with lemons.

Unique

What is Farinata? "It is a typical Ligurian and Tuscan dish, made with chick pea flour and mixed with water, salt and olive oil. It must be cooked in a high temperature oven (400°C) and can be mixed with Pesto sauce, Gorgonzola and Stracchino cheese. It takes about ten minutes in the oven and then it is ready."

Thanks to Taverna Garibaldi Staff!!!