At a glance

Cinque Terre Sentiero Azzurro (the most precisely Cinque Terre zone Cinque Terre Liguria Italy 44.1019 N 9.7398 E UNESCO WHS 1997 reference 826: the terraced vineyards (the “ciappi” (the Cinque Terre dialect word for the dry-stone-walled terraces): the statistics: 7,000 km of dry-stone retaining walls (the muretti a secco) in the Cinque Terre national park (roughly the area of the Grande Muraglia (21,196 km) divided by 3); the walls were built without mortar (the stones are fitted together by weight and friction); the specific geology: the rock is the “calcari di Bonassola” (the Bonassola limestone): a grey-black metamorphic limestone with interlayers of green schist; the rock is extremely hard and provides long-lasting walls (the oldest intact terraces in Cinque Terre date to the 13th–14th century CE (documented in Genoese tax records of 1309 and 1385 CE)); the maintenance crisis (the maintenance of the walls requires continuous human intervention: walls collapse in winter rainfall without upkeep; the 2020 CE survey counted approximately 30% of the walls as in need of urgent repair; the Cinque Terre National Park funds a restoration programme with funding from the park entrance fee (the “Cinque Terre Card”: €7.50–€18.50 per day depending on season; 90% of the fee goes to trail maintenance and wall restoration))); the wine (the Cinque Terre DOC wines: (1) Cinque Terre Bianco (the white wine of the Cinque Terre: produced from Bosco (minimum 40%), Albarola, and Vermentino grapes; the first DOC: 1973 CE; the characteristic: high acidity, minerality from the slate soils, citrus finish); (2) Sciacchetrà DOC (the raisin wine: Cinque Terre grapes dried on bamboo mats in well-ventilated rooms (the “essiccatoi”) for 3–5 months; the resulting grape loses 40% of its water content; the pressed juice is then fermented and aged for minimum 12 months in 500-litre oak barrels; the result: 17–18% alcohol; 150–200 g/L residual sugar; the production is extremely limited: the total annual production is less than 10,000 bottles; price: €30–€80 per 375 ml bottle (the 375 ml (“half-bottle”) is the traditional Sciacchetrà format))); the Sentiero Azzurro (the Blue Trail: the coastal trail connecting the 5 villages: Riomaggiore–Manarola–Corniglia–Vernazza–Monterosso; total distance: 11.2 km; total ascent: 678 m; the sections: (1) Via dell’Amore (Riomaggiore–Manarola; 1.2 km; reopened 2023 CE after 10-year closure due to rockfall; requires the Cinque Terre Card €10); (2) Manarola–Corniglia (4 km; 3h; the toughest section; 377 steps to climb out of Corniglia; the trail enters olive and lemon groves above the village); (3) Corniglia–Vernazza (4 km; 3h; the most spectacular views: the trail traverses the cliff above the Cantina Sociale at 250 m altitude; the view encompasses all 5 villages in sequence); (4) Vernazza–Monterosso (3 km; 3h; the highest point 240 m; descends to the Monterosso beach)).