Monterosso al Mare, Coastal village in Cinque Terre, Italy.
Monterosso al Mare is a coastal town on the Ligurian Riviera, the largest of the five villages in Cinque Terre National Park. The settlement divides into an old core with narrow lanes and a newer beach area, linked by a short tunnel.
The settlement formed during medieval times and received fortifications to guard against raids from the sea. In the 16th century, under Genoese rule, it grew into a center for wine production and fishing along this coast.
The parish church of San Giovanni Battista from the 13th century shows Gothic forms with black-and-white marble bands on the facade, a regional building tradition from Liguria. In the old town center, small squares open up where locals sell fresh fish and locally produced pesto.
The area has a larger sandy beach with both open sections and areas offering lounge chairs and umbrellas for hire. Steps and steep paths connect the two parts of the village, while the tunnel provides a more accessible route.
At the border between old and new parts stands a large concrete Neptune statue, originally part of an early 20th-century villa. The figure lost its raised arm to storms and weathering and now appears as a fragment from past times at the rock edge.
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