Saturday 5 September 2015

Visit Cinque Terrre and Genoa - an European Heritage

Dear all;

So glad that we have the  unmissable opportunity to  visit  Cinque Terrre ( Five Fishing Villages ),  all on UNESCO’s list of World Monument Sites, a rugged coastline  with cliffs and stunning landscapes on the Italian Riviera .  Also Genoa , the sixth largest city in Italywith a population of  0.6 M,  the region’s capital, is both lovely and fascinating resorts along the Riviera di Ponente. but   public debt  has  penetrated into every part of people’s lives.
In November  2011 heavy rains to much of northern Italy,The Italian government declared a state of emergency for the region and immediately released 65 million euros to start clean-up operations. Additional funds are being collected  and part of the repair works still not finished now. 
This trip motivates thoughts about the seven priorities areas for a nation  in cultures and  developments   as enhancement of our living standards : jobs, energy, cities, food, water, oceans and disasters.

 Bill
  1. At the beginning of the XXth century, the railway was built along the coast, Parallelly to the railway, the Via dellAmore is a pedestrian corridor that connects Riomaggiore to Monterosso along the coast.
The Via dei Santuari is on the hillside, in the terraces strip: a pedestrian corridor that connects the five present sanctuaries in correspondence of the five regions of the area; such corridor is partly interrupted. Between the Via dei Santuari and the Path n.1 there is the carriage road from La Spezia to Levanto. Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso identify different solidarity ambits due to their morphological peculiarities. 
Standing the objective of the protection and maintenance of the landscape identity, the finality is to propose a series of guided interventions that are transformed into punctual proposals and events that have to be realised within an integrated management model.

Cinque Terrre is in the Liguria region of Italy  whose walking trails attract hundreds of thousands of international tourists each year, but population said to shrink from 4,000 people to only about 1000 today and with increase in poverty which pushed many to emigrate abroad, the development of tourism brought back some wealth.

Visit Genoa , the sixth largest city in Italywith a population of 592,995[1] , Liguria’s capital and a beautiful, historic city before BC,   once  a major trading port during the 11th century.  The city enjoys a rich medieval heritage with many buildings and churches reflecting its important role in the middle ages. Attractions include the Palazzo Ducale, the Opera Theatre Carlo Felice, museums, exhibitions centres, the new Aquarium, and the Old Port, which was renovated in 1992 as part of the celebrations to mark the discovery of the Americas in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, reputed to be from Genoa. There is also a large university, with 11 faculties and 43,000 students, adding to the vibrancy of the city.  


 It  is now a major destination in the Mediterranean; but   public debt  has  penetrated into every part of people’s lives. The population of the city decreased by 6.6% between 1971 and 1981, and by a further 11% between 1981 and 1991, although the number of people over 65 increased by 109% between 1951 and 1991.


 As in October 2011, the area suffered devasatation as massive rainfall (540mm in 30 hours or more than 1/3 the annual rainfall) brought the hillsides crashing down into the villages, an estimated 1.5 to 2 million cubic metres of debris, it caused 108 million euros of damage in Vernazza alone. To quote Angelo Betta “Monterosso no longer exists” (Telegraph, 26 October 2011). “Le Cinque Terre is a vulnerable area” said the Environment Minister Corrado Clini and the government is making a plan for its safety. The villagers worked together to fundraise a clean up and recover from this natural disaster. Then, on 24 September 2012, one month away from the anniversary of the previous landslide, another fell on the Via dell’Amore (the way of love) on the blue path between Manorola to Riomaggiore injuring four Australian tourists.
[November 5, 2011]  heavy rains to much of northern Italy, flooding several areas including Venice; storms buffeted portions of Italy’s NW coastal regions of Liguria and Tuscany, causing severe flash floods and mudslides, destroying at least two of the five Cinque Terre villages, leaving more than a dozen people  dead or missing and prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency. At least a dozen people were killed or reported as missing when the Italian port city of Genoa was hit by flash floods following torrential rainfall caused by the remnants of pre-Halloween nor’easter that killed more than 22 people across New England and knocked out power to 4 million homes and businesses on October 29-30. 

The Italian government declared a state of emergency for the region and immediately released 65 million euros to start clean-up operations. Additional funds are being collected 

Though Cinque Terre has long been renowned for the quality of its wines, only part of the landscape is now under cultivation, due to its near abandonment by the winemaking industry. Local winemakers have found it difficult to farm the ancient terraces at a cost that could compete in a market dominated by the wine produced in commercial vineyards of the European Union.  < at 40>

conservation can contribute to poverty reduction strategies. And WWF's ..... twice this many people, almost half the global population, have to make do on less than two dollars a day7: the ...... Portovenere, Cinque Terre and the Islands World .

cinque terre is still a fishing village ? 

The Cinque Terre (Italian pronunciation: [ˌtʃinkwe ˈtɛrːe]) is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al MareVernazzaCornigliaManarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first historical documents on the Cinque Terre date back to the 11th century. Monterosso and Vernazza sprang up first, whilst the other villages grew later, under military and political supremacy of the Republic of Genoa. In the 16th century to oppose the attacks by the Turks, the inhabitants reinforced the old forts and built new defence towers. 


iaufrance.weebly.com › post › 2013/04
Mobile-friendly - Apr 26, 2013 - ... in Cinque Terre, a collection of 5 small villages in Italy's ... He said the population shrank from 4,000 people when he was ... He told us the weakening economy relies on fishing, local ...


Liguria is one of Italy’s smallest regions, it is an agricultural center, producing an abundance of flowers, olive oil and wine and the peaks of the Alps looming in the background. The region’s capital, Genoa, is both lovely and fascinating and the resorts along the Riviera di Ponente are well worth visiting, both for relaxation and for their historical significance. The famed and gorgeous Cinque Terre is in the southern end of the region and represents perhaps the best feature of the small and beautiful Liguria: despite the popularity of the beaches and the draw of tourists, the essence of the small towns, villages and ports remain untouched and preserved for all to appreciate and experience.
Genoa
Genoa started as a small fishing town in the Mediterranean but today has grown into a significant port-of-call, Liguria’s capital and a beautiful, historic city. Ruled by Rome, Genoa was completely destroyed by the Carthaginians in 209 BC but was rebuilt and subsequently ruled by the Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Lombards and then the Franks only to once again face destruction by pirates. The small fishing village rebuilt once more and Genoa grew to become a major trading port during the 11th century. The town entered a period of growth, marked by the construction of beautiful villas and palazzos. After gaining independence as a city-state, prosperity increased but an age of decline was looming; the plague decimated the population and ongoing internal conflicts and a feud with Venice burdened Genoa’s already weakened economy. While native son Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas brought him substantial money from Spain, which he donated a portion of to aid Genoa, a change in the trading routes left the port city with diminishing economic prospects. But as Genoa had done time and again, the city rose after a surge in population in the 1960s and, with the advent of tourism, is now a major destination in the Mediterranean.

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