Monterosso is a seaside town located on the western end of the Cinque Terre and is considered the capital of the Cinque Terre. Thanks to its clear water and beautiful beaches, it’s one of the most famous seaside resorts on the Ligurian Riviera. Monterosso and the Cape of Punta Mesco are part of the Marine Protected Area of the Cinque Terre).
The famous Ligurian Nobel poet laureate Eugenio Montale spent many summers of his youth in Monterosso, where his family owned a villa.
The town of Monterosso is over a thousand years old. It has the structure of the characteristic Ligurian villages, with narrow alleys and coloured houses linked to one another by arches and vaults.
The old hamlet conserves its typical “carugi”, the narrow passageways leading down to the sea. Monterosso’s parish church has a dichromatic façade with a finely worked marble rose window; the Oratorio dei Neri conserves its Baroque interior decorated with skulls and skeletons.
The many footpaths which connect the villages of the Cinque Terre are surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation and dry stone terraces. These paths are part of the National Park of the Cinque Terre. Following these paths, it is possible to reach the Via dei Santuari (Soviore, Montenero,etc.), the upper Val di Vara and the Gulf of La Spezia.
In spring and summer, ferry boats and tours depart daily for La Spezia, the gulf towns, the Cinque Terre, the Riviera and Portofino, weather and sea conditions permitting (info: www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it)