2. Manarola (Manaea in the local dialect) is a small
town, a frazione of the comune (municipality) of
Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia, Liguria,
northern Italy. It is the second smallest of the famous
Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the
Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San
Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is
Manarolese, which is marginally different from the
dialects in the nearby area. The name "Manarola" is
probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, "magna
rota". In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to
"magna roea" which means "large wheel", in
reference to the mill wheel in the town.
3.
4. Manarola's primary industries have traditionally
been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called
Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from
Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine
produced in the region. In recent years, Manarola
and its neighboring towns have become popular
tourist destinations, particularly in the summer
months. Tourist attractions in the region include a
famous walking trail between Manarola and
Riomaggiore (called Via dell'Amore, "Love's Trail")
and hiking trails in the hills and vineyards above the
town. Manarola is one of the five villages of the
Cinque Terre. Most of the houses are bright and
colourful. Manarola was celebrated in paintings by
Antonio Discovolo (1874-1956)
5. In Popular Culture
Like its fellow Cinque Terre town of
Riomaggiore, it was featured in the video game
Forza Horizon 2. It is also the inspiration for the
Dorado map in the video game Overwatch.
