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Trail B Agricultural Civilization
Route TULIPANO BLU, 506
Length 2.5 h
Difficulty Medium

Starting from the village of Manarola, the trail crosses the terraces where vineyards and olive trees are grown and arrives to the village of Volastra, giving visitors the chance to learn about the history and traditions of a millennial agricultural civilisation.

Start from

Start from Manarola - Marina of Manarola
1 St. Michael*
50 m from the start of the street to the Cemetery, a niche on the right represents St. Michael (S. Michele). This is the place where the Oratory of St. Michael used to be. Founded in 1546, its ruins collapsed at the end of the 19th century. The square-shaped square above the marina was built together with the village. A donkey-powered wheel mounted at the centre of the square enabled boats to be lifted from the sea.

2 Cemetery
On the top of hill, you face the current cemetery of Manarola. Originally, the cemetery was in the central part of the village, which was then moved next to the church. From this point, you can observe the fortified centre of the village. The round-shaped house on the cliff has been built at the beginning of the 20th century on top of the village's stronghold. Since the 16th century and for almost 200 years, it hosted two cannons (a third one was installed uphill, in the area which is still called "the artillery" ) to protect the village from the Barbary Pirates who repeatedly attacked the village. A long and detailed letter sent to Genoa on the 11th of July 1545 by the Manarola lieutenant witnesses as much and describes how local inhabitants, thanks to the help of the people of Riomaggiore managed to ward off the attack of the famous pirate Dragut.

3 Madonna del Luogo

Going uphill, at the crossroads with another trail, you will get to a niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. The steep stairway on your right starts in Volastra and used to arrive to the underlying port of Palaedo. This was the fastest way for the people of Volastra to carry their wine to the buyers' boats. Walk uphill and turn left at the first intersection.

TURN LEFT ON THE STAIRWAY OF TULIPANO BLU

4 Madonna del Campaa
Going uphill, you will get to another niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. To bless and preserve their fields, locals used to do special processions through the fields, called Rogazioni. The routes of these processions were spotted with similar niches, by which the priest stopped and said: "A fulgore et tempestate, a flagello terraemotus, a peste, fame et bello" (From lightings and storms, from earthquakes, from plague, famine and war") and people replied in a choir "Libera nos Domine" (Free us God). The cavity below the niche was once used by hunters, who waited here for the birds flying along the coast.

5 Signal
This is a Navy signal that ships previously used in order to establish an alignment (it is in line with the pyramid on top of the village of Manarola).

TAKE THE STAIRS GOING TO PATH #506


6 Fiesse Road
After a flat path, you will cross a large stairway, inaugurated in 1937 as a link to the village of Manarola, once reached only through steep and narrow stairs. By going down the stairs and crossing the road, you will take the trail to Groppo. By going uphill, you'll go to Volastra. Before the construction of the road and of the Volastra cemetery, this trail was used to manually carry remains to the cemetery of Manarola.

7 Olive tree cultivation.
When walking the Fiesse trail, the presence of olive trees cannot go unnoticed. Historically, this has been the main cultivation of Volastra and even its name stems from it: Vicus Oleaster (the village of olives)

8 Volastra
During the period of the attacks of the Saracens (8th century), the population fled to the inner valley until that peril ceased. The village was the re-founded by the people of Vara valley in the 12th century, in the proximity of a fortification which no longer exists. The fields above Volastra were once used to grow cereals, which could not be farmed on the narrow terraces along the coast. The old trails to the inner valleys, once used to trade the products to the coastal area, depart from here. In the inner valleys people could grow products like chestnuts, which were not present along the coast.
Start from Manarola to Groppo
1 St. Michael*
50 m from the start of the street to the Cemetery, a niche on the right represents St. Michael (S. Michele). This is the place where the Oratory of St. Michael used to be. Founded in 1546, its ruins collapsed at the end of the 19th century. The square-shaped square above the marina was built together with the village. A donkey-powered wheel mounted at the centre of the square enabled boats to be lifted from the sea.

2 Cemetery
On the top of hill, you face the current cemetery of Manarola. Originally, the cemetery was in the central part of the village, which was then moved next to the church. From this point, you can observe the fortified centre of the village. The round-shaped house on the cliff has been built at the beginning of the 20th century on top of the village's stronghold. Since the 16th century and for almost 200 years, it hosted two cannons (a third one was installed uphill, in the area which is still called "the artillery" ) to protect the village from the Barbary Pirates who repeatedly attacked the village. A long and detailed letter sent to Genoa on the 11th of July 1545 by the Manarola lieutenant witnesses as much and describes how local inhabitants, thanks to the help of the people of Riomaggiore managed to ward off the attack of the famous pirate Dragut.

3 Madonna del Luogo

Going uphill, at the crossroads with another trail, you will get to a niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. The steep stairway on your right starts in Volastra and used to arrive to the underlying port of Palaedo. This was the fastest way for the people of Volastra to carry their wine to the buyers' boats. Walk uphill and turn left at the first intersection.

TURN LEFT ON THE STAIRWAY OF TULIPANO BLU

4 Madonna del Campaa
Going uphill, you will get to another niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. To bless and preserve their fields, locals used to do special processions through the fields, called Rogazioni. The routes of these processions were spotted with similar niches, by which the priest stopped and said: "A fulgore et tempestate, a flagello terraemotus, a peste, fame et bello" (From lightings and storms, from earthquakes, from plague, famine and war") and people replied in a choir "Libera nos Domine" (Free us God). The cavity below the niche was once used by hunters, who waited here for the birds flying along the coast.

5 Signal
This is a Navy signal that ships previously used in order to establish an alignment (it is in line with the pyramid on top of the village of Manarola).

TAKE THE TRAIL TO GROPPO


6 Fiesse Road
After a flat path, you will cross a large stairway, inaugurated in 1937 as a link to the village of Manarola, once reached only through steep and narrow stairs. By going down the stairs and crossing the road, you will take the trail to Groppo. By going uphill, you'll go to Volastra. Before the construction of the road and of Volastra cemetery, this trail was used to manually carry remains to the cemetery of Manarola.

7 Fiesse Niche
Here is another niche used as a stop of Rogazioni (see Madonna del Campaa). Path #502 to the crest departs from here.

8 Mulberry cultivation
Traditionally, the wettest areas along the rivers where dedicated to the cultivation of mulberry, the main source of food for the silkworm. Such cultivation declined around the end of the 18th century, when France conquered Liguria, due to the competition of other French production sites like Toulon. Since the 19th century, mulberries where replaced by lemons.
Start from Volastra - Church Square.
1 Volastra
During the period of the attacks of the Saracens (8th century), the population fled to the inner valley until that peril ceased. The village was the re-founded by the people of Vara valley in the 12th century, in the proximity of a fortification which no longer exists. The fields above Volastra were once used to grow cereals, which could not be farmed on the narrow terraces along the coast. The old trails to the inner valleys, once used to trade the products to the coastal area, depart from here. In the inner valleys people could grow products like chestnuts, which were not present along the coast.

2 Olive tree cultivation.

When walking the Fiesse trail, the presence of olive trees cannot go unnoticed. Historically, this has been the main cultivation of Volastra and even its name stems from it: Vicus Oleaster (the village of olives)

3 Fiesse Road
The wide stairway departing from Volastra, inaugurated in 1937 as a link to the village of Manarola, once reached only through steep and narrow stairs. Walking down the whole stairway and crossing the road, you will take the trail to Groppo. If you turn right according to indications, you will take the panoramic trail to Manarola Before the construction of the road and of Volastra cemetery, this trail was used to manually carry remains to the cemetery of Manarola.

TURN RIGHT TO THE PANORAMIC TRAIL TULIPANO BLU

4 Signal
This is a Navy signal that ships previously used in order to establish an alignment (it is in line with the pyramid on top of the village of Manarola).

5 Madonna del Campaa
Going forward, you will get to another niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. To bless and preserve their fields, locals used to do special processions through the fields, called Rogazioni. The routes of these processions were spotted with similar niches, by which the priest stopped and said: "A fulgore et tempestate, a flagello terraemotus, a peste, fame et bello" (From lightings and storms, from earthquakes, from plague, famine and war") and people replied in a choir "Libera nos Domine" (Free us God). The cavity below the niche was once used by hunters, who waited here for the birds flying along the coast.

TURN RIGHT

6 Madonna del Luogo
Going forward, you will cross a stairway. By going down, you will get to a niche entitled to the Virgin Mary. The steep stairway starts in Volastra and used to arrive to the underlying port of Palaedo. This was the fastest way for the people of Volastra to carry their wine to the buyers' boats. Walk down the stairs.


7 Cemetery
On the top of hill, you face the current cemetery of Manarola. Originally, the cemetery was in the central part of the village, which was then moved next to the church. From this point, you can observe the fortified centre of the village. The round-shaped house on the cliff has been built at the beginning of the 20th century on top of the village's stronghold. Since the 16th century and for almost 200 years, it hosted two cannons (a third one was installed uphill, in the area which is still called "the artillery" ) to protect the village from the Barbary Pirates who repeatedly attacked the village. A long and detailed letter sent to Genoa on the 11th of July 1545 by the Manarola lieutenant witnesses as much and describes how local inhabitants, thanks to the help of the people of Riomaggiore managed to ward off the attack of the famous pirate Dragut.

8 San Michele*

50 m from the start of the street to the Cemetery, a niche on the right represents St. Michael (S. Michele). This is the place where the Oratory of St. Michael used to be. Founded in 1546, its ruins collapsed at the end of the 19th century. The square-shaped square above the marina was built together with the village. A donkey-powered wheel mounted at the centre of the square enabled boats to be lifted from the sea.