5 Terre National Park

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PICTURE section

THE CINQUE TERRE NATIONAL PARK
The Cinque Terre National Park is in Liguria in the province of La Spezia. It extends from the eastern coast of Tramonti to Monterosso, westwards.
The National Park was set up in 1999 as a means of promoting and safeguarding the landscape of the Cinque Terre, an area whose form and structure have been profoundly modified by human activities throughout the centuries.
The early inhabitants of the Cinque Terre were forced, not by tyrannical overlords but by the desperate need to create agricultural space in a hostile environment, to substitute the original vegetation growing on the steep hillsides with a close-knit network of terraces based on dry stone walls for planting vines. The dry stone walls round the hillsides total about 6.729 kilometres.
It was a superhuman endeavour, which has created a unique landscape. Today changes in economic and social behaviour have redefined the significance of this terraced agriculture leading to a slow decline of the traditional activities.
The Cinque Terre National Park intends to restore and to preserve this amazing example of landscape architecture with its historic, cultural, visual and environmental importance by keeping up the cultivation of grape vines, the only human activity that could possibly conserve what is already considered a World Heritage site, and guaranteeing the local production of centuries-old famous wines, such as the fragrant after-dinner wine called Schiacchetrà.

THE CINQUE TERRE PROTECTED MARINE AREA
The fascinating coast along the Cinque Terre is characterized by high cliffs, caves, bays, tiny beaches and cleft rocks.
Marine life in the stretch of the coast which extends from Punta Mesco at Monterosso to Capo Montenegro at Riomaggiore is extraordinarily rich and varied.
The steep faces of the cliffs under water and the shallows and isolated rocks are populated by various kinds of gorgonia (sea fans), such as the colourful Leptogorgia sarmentosa and the white Eunicella verrucosa, a rare species in the Mediterranean, but fairly common along this part of the coast.
The Posidonia oceanica, a plant that creates very important grass-like colonies, grows here and provides a safe habitat for the reproduction of many organisms.
The steep rock faces of Punta Mesco and Capo Montenegro have the richest forms of marine life including rare species: the Eunicella verrucosa mentioned above, the very rare Gerardia savaglia, or black coral. At a depth of only about 15/20 metres at Punta Mesco, unlike the rest of the Mediterranean, it is possible to discover the magnificent fans of the Paramuricea clavata or red gorgonia.
These two stretches of the coast, which have the richest and most varied marine life (the A and the B zones), are the most severely protected.
However there is another reason why the sea at the Cinque Terre is so special: dolphins. This part of the sea is included in the Cetacean Sanctuary, an international protected area where marine mammals can be found.
These are some of the environmental characteristics, which stimulated the setting up of the Cinque Terre Marine Reserve in order to preserve the local biodiversity and the natural habitats by regulating the activities within its boundaries. The reserve has been created without penalizing the local population, which has in fact developed new activities tied to the respect of such an important and beautiful part of the coast.

Info centers:
Riomaggiore c/o Stazione Ferroviaria Riomaggiore Tel. 0187 920633
Corniglia c/o Stazione Ferroviaria Corniglia Tel. 0187 812523
Vernazza c/o Stazione Ferroviaria Vernazza Tel. 0187 812533
Monterosso c/o Stazione Ferroviaria Monterosso Tel. 0187 817059
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The Montemarcello – River Magra National Park comprises the hills along the southeastern flank of the Gulf of La Spezia, the part of the plain of the River Magra flowing through Liguria as well as the major and minor tributaries of the River Vara as far upstream as Ponte Santa Margherita. Stretching from Punta Bianca, the striking rocky tip of the Caprione promontory to the green valleys of the River Vara, the park covers an important natural, historic and cultural area of 3,660 acres. The park includes sixteen comunes: Amelia, Arcola, Beverino, Bolano, Borghetto Vara, Brugnato, Calice al Corniviglio, Carro, Carrodano, Follo, Rocchetta Vara, Santo Stefano Magra, Sarzana, Sesta Godano and Vezzano Ligure.MONTEMARCELLO - MAGRA NATURAL PARK
(PARCO NATURALE DI MONTEMARCELLO-MAGRA)

The Park’s offices are in:
Via Paci, 2 19038 Sarzana (SP)
Tel 0187 691071 Fax 0187 606738
Information centre: Via Nuova, 48 19030 Montemarcello (SP)
Tel 0187 670910
IAT Pro Loco Montemarcello: Via Nuova, 48 19030 Montemarcello (SP)
Tel 0187 600324

Alla Porta Rossa di Cappellini Laudina - Via Rollandi 246 Manarola Cinque Terre (SP) - email: info@mareterra.it
Tel. (+39 ) 0187 920189 - (+39 ) 347 2520857 - (+39) 334 3389691 Fax (+39 ) 0187 760621
P.iva 00989780119
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