After a winding road made of curves and slopes, between cliffs overlooking a crystalline sea, an attentive tourist will be able to see a small gulf. Here, the little one Monterosso al Mare can be admired in all its beauty. Posted in National Park of Cinque Terre, the village of Monterosso is characterized as the most populous of the five components la Ligurian Riviera di Levante, also commonly called Riviera of La Spezia. This eastern part of the Liguria, precisely for its scenic and natural beauty, it has been recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
History of the village of Monterosso al Mare
The first traces of settlement date back to the XNUMXth century. In this era most likely the village of Monterosso it was part of the fiefdom belonging to the Longobard family of the Obertenghi.
From the mid-1200s it passed under the dominion of Maritime Republic of Genoa. You can still admire the buildings of the period thanks to the permanence of some fortifications, which were used for the defense of the small city. The village of Monterosso unfortunately it was easy prey for the raids of the pirates who plowed the Ligurian Sea. The most majestic of these fortifications is represented by the Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista. It is characterized by a rectangular bell tower which originally served as a watchtower. Built in perfect Ligurian Gothic style, the facade is built in white marble crossed by strips of green serpentine marble. The distinctive feature of the church lies in its interior: the aisles narrow towards the entrance, creating an illusion of perspective and allowing a better diffusion of sound waves.
The village of Monterosso al Mare and Eugenio Montale
You know, the Ligurian Riviera di Levante is linked to numerous artists. These influenced by the naturalistic splendor of the coast, decided to buy residences where they could spend the summer and give vent to their creativity. In the neighbor Gulf of Spezia, known as Gulf of Poets, poets of the caliber of Shelley e Byron.
Monterosso al Mare is inextricably linked to the figure of Eugene Montale. The Genoese poet, Nobel Prize for literature in 1975, he spent the summers of his childhood here. The family of Montale owned a sumptuous style villa art deco, which, situated on a small promontory, overlooked the sea. Unfortunately, the residence is currently not open to the public, as some private individuals have bought it and used it as a luxury apartment for vacationers.
Right from the beach of fegina, the largest beach in front of the village of Monterosso, the first intimate reflections of the young poet began. And still from this little beach, Montale observed the passage of the train which connected Genoa with the village of Monterosso, and on which tracks his imagination also traveled.
La Giant statue
In addition to still being the small station, it is possible to admire in the area of the famous pebble beach also the Giant statue. The work depicts Neptune and was built at the beginning of the twentieth century by the architect Francesco Levacher and by the sculptor Arrigo Minerbi. The municipality of Monterosso al Mare dedicated to Eugene Montale a literary park called "Montale and the Cinque Terre". Here, accompanied by some guides, between one terrace and another, you too can immerse yourself in the magical atmosphere that was the source of inspiration for the Genoese poet. You just have to visit the Monterosso village: a small space of paradise between nature and culture.
