Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

UNESCO World Heritage Site
A view of the National Park of the Cinque Terre, showing Monterosso, one of the five coastal villages
Location	Liguria, Italy
Part of	Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)
Includes	Monterosso al Mare Vernazza Corniglia Manarola Riomaggiore
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iv)(v)
Reference	826-001
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Area	4,511.54 ha (17.4192 sq mi)
Website	www.parconazionale5terre.it/Eindex.php
Coordinates	44°7′10″N 9°43′00″E / 44.11944°N 9.71667°E / 44.11944; 9.71667
Location of Cinque Terre in Italy

The Cinque Terre (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃiŋkwe ˈtɛrre]; Ligurian: Çinque Tære; meaning "Five Lands") are 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, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[1] Vernazza is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").^[2]

The Cinque Terre area is a popular tourist destination. Over the centuries, people have built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the Ligurian Sea. Paths, trains, and boats connect the villages as cars can only reach them with great difficulty from the outside via narrow and precarious mountain roads.