The specific landscape of Cinqueterre area is the result of the pushing and pression of rocks during thousand years.  The erosion by water then created a continuous succession of large and small bays.
Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore are the villages that make the Cinqueterre.  Cinqueterre were inhabited in ancient times and developed their own actual look thanks to the hard and patient human work. The growings in artificial terraces are featuring of the five villages, wrapped upon tight stripes of land over the sea, bordered by many thick and thin dried walls : according to a study, putting all them in one row, Five Lands (Cinqueterre) could be passe through by a 2 mt high and 11 thousand km long wall just like the Chinese wall.  Under the Republic of Genua they felt down and that represented their safety for the preservation of its natural beauty.  Nowadays it is not easy to reach Cinqueterre by car yet and the railway is still the best means of transport. Nowadays Cinqueterre are an unpolluted area. A natural place with wild smells.