The port city of Genoa marks the border between the Riviera di Ponante (which itself includes the Riviera dei Fiori) and the Riviera di Levante.
The Italian name riviera comes from the Ligurian dialect which itself derived it from the Latin ripa (shore) or riparia (bank). The name initially designated the piers of Genoa, before spreading to the entire Ligurian coast. Subsequently, the fashion for seaside vacations gave the name riviera its touristic tone, to the point that it became a common name and was used to designate other shores conducive to farniente, such as the Riviera del Garda (the shores of Lake Garda), so much so that the Italians speak, for the region, of the Ligurian Riviera.
Very different from the Riviera dei Fiori, which is located West of Genoa, the Riviera di Levante which blossoms along some one hundred and thirty kilometers of the Ligurian coast, has been awarded the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Portovenere, the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto and the Cinque Terre.
The Cinque Terre territory is famous for its cliffs and transparent waters. The five villages – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare – are picturesque, colorful and exude the dolce vita.
Cinque Terre has become, rightly or wrongly, the quintessence of the Riviera di Levante with just under twenty kilometers of coastline.
In Manarola, the main street descends towards the sea.
Vernazza is perched on a small rocky promontory. Near the small port, the parish church of Sainte-Marguerite d’Antioche, flanked by a high octagonal bell tower, overlooks the sea.
Corniglia stands out from the other Cinque Terre villages because it is the only one that does not have direct access to the sea: the main part of the village is located at the top of a promontory overlooking the sea at around 100 meters above sea level.
August 15, 2025
