Manarola

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Manarola

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Casa Capellini

The village

Breathtaking landscapes, Mediterranean aromas, nature walks, terraced hillsides and a splendid sea, the architectural monuments in the various towns, are the characteristics that attract tourists from all over the world to Manarola in Cinque Terre.
Starting in Casa Capellini, on via Ettore Cozzani, you find yourself in the square a few metres away from the parish church of Manarola; everywhere you look except for the sea, you can see the vineyards supported by typical dry stone walls.
From the church square (near the State Road) a network of walking paths branches off, including one to the panoramic view of the upper part of the town, one flat path across the hill or another towards the trail high on the ridge of the mountain (direction Levanto or Portovenere).
And then, always on foot, it is easy to reach the train station and the famous Via dell'Amore, proceeding on to the sea where you can catch the ferry, and finally to the seaside trails (sentiero azzurro) towards the other towns of the Cinque Terre.
If necessary, we are at your disposition for any further information.

And now, for those interested, a little about the history of Manarola.
The town was probably founded by the inhabitants of Volastra (ancient Oleastra), which already existed in Roman times, where a military road passed through the area and there was a station for exchanging horses.
Subsequently, the Riviera passed from the Genoese to the Bishop of Luni, the Marquis Doria, the Fieschi and then the Serenissima Republic of Genoa.  Sinibaldo Fiesco was born in Manarola in 1182, later becoming Pope Innocent IV from 1243 to 1254.  
Furthermore, according to Cipriano Pallavicino, Archbishop of Genoa, a young man with the last name Parentuccelli and first name Tomaso came to Manarola in the Cinque Terre for daily visits, who later became the Pope from the year 1447 under the name Nicholas V until 1455.
He left the community a large sum of money to marry off young people and for the Church in that town, but it is not known why not even a scarce part of the money reached its destination.
The settlements near the sea in the various towns were first founded to provide defense from raids by pirates and Saracens, and even today the tower is visible on the rocks, which is now transformed into a dwelling.
Also, at the top, the Bell Tower on Piazza del Duomo is detached from this first Watchtower and defense, and only subsequently was raised and fitted with a spire.
The names of the streets and neighborhoods of the town are in Italian and dialect, and dedicated to the struggle to defend the town over the centuries from attacks from the sea and sieges from the via Baluardo, the Castle at "Devil's leap" to "Serravallu" (close the wall, the passage) to via Rocca
Manarola is the town that produces the most wine in Cinque Terre, although some land and sea near the forests is no longer cultivated.

rev. 12/01/2012