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Manarola
Manarola urban jewel of the Cinque Terre park, squeezed between the Ligurian Sea and Mount Zatta was built, around the XII century, in the end of the valley of the Groppo torrent.
The village takes its name from an ancient “magna roea“, a large mill wheel in the town, and develops along the now covered course of the Groppo stream which defines its main street.
The colorful houses of the typical Genoese tower houses, perched between a rocky promontory and its small harbor, chase each other on several levels connected to each other by steep stairways and narrow stone-paved streets.
The coast was often the subject of raids by Saracen pirates and the castle, built to protect against attacks, soon became the main nucleus of the ancient village. Over the centuries the building has become a private home but well recognizable for its structure. Parts of the bastion dating back to the 13th century have been partially incorporated into the modern building perched on the coast facing the sea.
Manarola is also famous for its Nativity scene and today it is one of the most anticipated events of the Christmas period in the whole province. Every year since 1961, for the Christmas holidays, the largest luminous nativity scene in the world is set up on the hill overlooking the village. Master Mario Andreoli, a retired railway worker, created the characters with thousands and thousands of lights, all mounted on special shapes. The statues are all made with recycled materials.
The village of Manarola boasts an ancient wine tradition and is home to the Cinque Terre wine cooperative. The grapes from the vines grown along the terraces on the hill above the village give rise to the dry white wine Sciacchetrà.
Photographer: Michele Sanapo Nikon D4S, 16-35 mm, f / 10, 125 sec, Hoder Nisi V5 Pro, Nisi ND 10 Stop, Nisi GND SOFT ND4 (0.6)
The photo is owned by © Michele Sanapo
Thanks Michele Sanapo for this beautiful photo shared on Planet Color Photography.