5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CINQUE TERRE
A land made for Travelers...not Tourists!
Traveling is not only moving from one place to another…traveling is knowledge, understanding, a way of adding values to our lives while visiting places with different languages, cultures and traditions. And knowledge will also avoid us encountering problems and facing misunderstandings when in a foreign country.
If we learn about the place we are visiting when making travel plans, our journey will be more rewarding.
If you are a foreign visitor and you are planning a trip to the Cinque Terre Riviera, read carefully our advice, it will be a great help for your holiday in this wonderful land
The Cinque Terre Way of Life
In this remote corner of land, named Cinque Terre since Medieval age, houses were built on the rocky coast as if they were protective walls closed around the main castle, so to protect it and exploit the walls as housing places. In this land everything talks about the incredible art of villagers in taking the most from what nature has offered them: an extremely hard soil, but incredibly kissed by the sun and blessed by a mild climate and a clean and wonderful sea teeming with fish.
This is the only reward and help for their hard work and it helps them to gather uncommonly good grapes and vegetables and get delicious fish to bring on their tables.
#1 Life is simple in the Cinque Terre
Do not look for drastically air conditioned rooms here (even though now get everyday more popular…). Thick stone walls keep building warm in cold weather and cool in hot days
Summers are never too hot and houses are wisely built: big stone walls that keep places warm in winter and fresh in summer.
Do not look for high fashion brand stores, we go to local small stores.
You won’t find fast food chains, we still eat pesto & pasta and the catch of the day.
Do not look for TV sets in properties, our shows are outdoors and Nature is best actor, ever!
Internet connections are still slow, but sufficient for emails and managing trips. Say good bye to other commitments…enjoy 5 Terre life!
#2 Vineyard terraces building still requests human sacrifices
In this amazing reportage filmed in 1942 you will see the ancient techniques to grab land from rocks and make a living from what apparantly is just arid land. Today the situation does not differ much and still stone walls are uniquely made by hand
#3 The entire land, life and economy still relies on climate
The 1942 video shows how hard long work to create terraces is destroyed just by a single storm. The very same happened October 25th, 2011 with greater damages than those shown in this chronicle. Vernazza and Monterosso plus several inland villages have been totally destroyed in a few hours storm. For this reason we, more than other places, have to pay attention to climate changes and preserve our land as much as possible.
This was 2011…we do not want it happens again! Let’s travel sustainable and do our part!
#4 Traditions are still the lymph, glue and rescue of community
Baptisms, First Communion, Weddings with their Benediga and processions for Liturgic Celebrations still go same way of the past
#5 Be part of this world and go back to the essentials: it's life!
Mingle with locals, say hello when entering a store, have a chat in the “piazza”, share a drink with a local: there are the best things you might get from your stay and they will be your most precious memory.
Get involved in processions, concerts, dance events.
Do your part and make the best of your stay in this unique land!You’ll love it!
Go Green, Think Green
Here, at home or wherever you are
