CORNIGLIA, Corniglia

Hi, my name’s Marcy, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: Corniglia.

Corniglia is the only village of the Cinque Terre that is not right on the coastline. It sits atop a rocky spike of some 100 meters, and it is the oldest of the five.

The name Corniglia is of Roman origin, and derives from the Gens Cornelia, one of the most noble Roman families: during the excavations in Pompeii, amphorae for wine were found with the name Cornelia written on them.

However you reach Corniglia, you’ll arrive in Piazza Ciapara, which looks out over the hills and is in the center of Via Fieschi, the long street that runs through the village. In one direction, the street leads to the splendid Gothic church of San Pietro, built by the locals in 1350 and well worth a visit.

In the other direction, the street climbs up to Largo Taragio, dominated by the centuries-old Oratory of Santa Caterina and once the heart of village life. Corniglia has today just 150 residents, but the population once reached a thousand or so....