A cliffside story

Known for its pastel houses cascading down to the Mediterranean Sea, Manarola, seen in today's image, looks like a place straight out of a fairytale. Perched on the rugged cliffs of Italy's Ligurian coast, it's one of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name 'Manarola' might have evolved from the Latin 'Magna rota,' which became 'Magna roea' in the local dialect. It means 'large wheel,' a nod to the village's historical mill wheel. Believed to be the oldest village in the Cinque Terre, dating to 1338, Manarola's history is rooted in fishing and winemaking. Sciacchetrà, a dessert wine unique to this area, has long been immortalised in the verses of Italian poets.
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