Cinque Terre National Park
Smallest Italian national park, dense with five cliff-side towns.
Cinque Terre National Park, known in Italian as Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, became a protected Italian national park in 1999. It sits in the province of La Spezia, within the Liguria region of northern Italy. Despite being Italy’s smallest national park—covering just 4,300 acres—it is also its most densely populated, with 5,000 permanent residents spread across the five towns. The park’s territory includes the Cinque Terre towns themselves (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare), as well as portions of Levanto (Punta Mesco) and La Spezia (Campiglia Sunsets). That same year, 1999, the area was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The five cliff-side villages, linked by a network of trails along the Ligurian Coast, showcase a fragile balance between human activity and the natural world. Because reshaping the landscape has been central to the region’s growth and its tourism economy, the national park plays a key role in preserving that scenery while encouraging sustainable tourism—an economic lifeline for Cinque Terre. To meet these goals, the park promotes responsible travel that invests in local identity and products, helping to protect the area’s endangered network of terraced fields.
The park was officially created on October 6, 1999, in recognition of the region’s outstanding scenic, agricultural, historical, and cultural value. Two years earlier, the site had already been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The five medieval towns cling to the coast, offering dramatic views of rugged terrain where the Apennine mountains plunge straight into the sea. Their layout—hugging the cliffs—reflects centuries of settlement, while the terraced cultivated lands speak to a deep agricultural heritage. As Italy’s first park established to protect a landscape largely shaped by humans, Cinque Terre National Park and its adjacent marine protected area aim to safeguard what is called “the park of Man.” The site’s extreme topography and coastal position create a delicate relationship between people and nature, leading to a dual existence tied to both land and sea. For over a thousand years, residents have carved steep slopes into terraces for vineyards and farming, while maintaining a strong fishing culture offshore.
Quick Facts
- Iucn Category
- II
- Location
- Liguria
- Nearest City
- La Spezia
- Area
- 38.60 km2
- Established
- 1999
- Governing Body
- Ministero dell'Ambiente
- World Heritage Site
- 1997
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Cinque Terre National Park was established on 6 October 1999 in recognition of the territory's considerable scenic, agricultural, historical and cultural value. Two years before, the area was added to the list of World Heritage Sites. The five medieval towns along the Ligurian Coast provide scenic views of rugged terrain reeled in with terraced stone walls, where the mountains of Appennino Ligure come straight to the sea. The form and disposition of the towns as they embrace topography embedded in the cliffs are a testament to the long history of settlement and the terraced cultivated lands to the agricultural heritage of the area. As the first Italian park created to safeguard a landscape that has been mostly built by humans, the park aims to protect cultural heritage of 'the park of Man'.
Reader's Guide
The Cinque Terre National Park is significant as the smallest national park in Italy, yet it holds the highest population density among Italian parks, with 5,000 permanent inhabitants. Its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 (and as a national park in 1999) highlights the delicate relationship between man and the environment, where terraced farming and fishing have shaped the landscape for over a thousand years. The park's primary legacy is its role in preserving the terraced vineyards and cultural heritage while promoting sustainable tourism, which has become the area's chief economy. Land degradation, particularly from terrace abandonment and landslides, poses a major threat, as seen in the 2011 flash flood that destroyed Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza. The park's 'Uncultivated Lands' LIFE Project, co-founded in 2001, works to recover unused terraces and reintroduce traditional grape varieties like Albarola and Vermentino. This model has been used by other UNESCO sites, such as Ifugao in the Philippines, to restore ancient cultivation practices.
Did You Know?
- The park is the smallest national park in Italy at 4,300 acres but the densest with 5,000 permanent inhabitants.
- In 1951, about 3,500 acres of Cinque Terre land were cultivated, compared to 275 today.
- The 2011 flash flood, after 56 cm of rain in 4 hours, virtually destroyed Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza.
- The 'Uncultivated Lands' LIFE Project, co-founded in 2001, seeks to recover unused terraces for Albarola and Vermentino vineyards.
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