THE CINQUE TERRE NATIONAL PARK
(PARCO NAZIONALE DELLE CINQUE TERRE)

The Cinque Terre National Park, beginning eastward at the coast of Tramonti and limited westward by the village of Monterosso, was founded as an instrument to promote and safeguard the territory of the Cinque Terre, an area that has been profoundly modified both geographically and morphologically by the man's hard work throughout the centuries.
The early inhabitants of the Cinque Terre, in fact, substituted the natural flora and physiognomy of the steep cliffed area with a tight network of terraces supported by approximately 6,729 kilometres of dry stone walls in order to plant grape vines.
The Cinque Terre National Park intends to recuperate and preserve these amazing examples of local architecture that are rich in cultural, environmental, local and historic value by maintaining the cultivation of grape vines, the only human activity that could possibly conserve this terrain which is already considered a 'Patrimony of Mankind' as well as guaranteeing the continuation of local production of wines that have been famous for centuries such as the fragrant after-dinner wine Sciacchetrà.

CINQUE TERRE NATIONAL MARINE PARK
(AREA MARINA PROTETTA DELLE CINQUE TERRE)

The area that constitutes the Cinque Terre natural marine reserve stretches out in front of the five villages of the Cinque Terre, limited by the Punta Mesco at west and by the Capo Montenero at east.
This institution was created to preserve the biodiversity and the natural habitat of the fauna by regulating activities within its limits.
Along the enchanting coastline of the Cinque Terre you can find rocky cliffs, as well as numerous reefs and isolated submerged rocky masses that are populated by numerous gorgonia (sea fans) and by Posidonia Oceanica, a sea plant that on the sea floor of the Cinque Terre forms extremely important fields that serve as safe spots for refuge and reproduction for innumerable organisms.
The sheer cliffs of the Punta Mesco and the Capo Montenegro are the richest in sea life as well as hosting the rarest species.
The waters of the Cinque Terre Natural Marine Park are also included in the zone designated as a sanctuary for cetaceans. Therefore the presence of whales and dolphins has also been confirmed.