The landscape of man

The coastal settlements in the Cinque Terre were all established between the 11th and 13th century, thanks to the better economic and social conditions after the year 1000. The original structure of the villages has remained until the present days without excessive changes. Only the opening of the railway in 1874 led to significant changes in the villages of the Cinque Terre, taking it away from their centuries-old isolation. The main feature of the landscape is the extension of the terraces, called "cian" or "piani", that are often so narrow that they can contain only one grapevine row.