“Quando un giorno da un malchiuso portone tra gli alberi di una corte ci si mostrano i gialli dei limoni; e il gelo dei cuore si sfa, e in petto ci scrosciano le loro canzoni le trombe d’oro della solarità” (Eugenio Montale)
Monterosso al Mare
Monterosso al mare is one of the picturesque villages of the “Cinque Terre”, located within the territory of the Cinque Terre National Park, Unesco World Heritage Site. The village has ancient origins dating back to the 9th century. During the centuries, Monterosso and the Cinque Terre, were disputed between the cities of Genoa and Pisa, then from 1254 Monterosso is annexed by the Republic of Genoa charactherized bu its vineyards and dry stone walls all along the mountain slopes directed towards the sea. The economy of the village was based on fishing along with and the plantation of lemon trees.
The village has a strong tourist vocation thanks to the beaches, the crystal clear sea and the mild climate that combined with an enchanting landscape have always been a destination for tourist from all over the world.
Touristic and cultural attractions: The Church of San Giovanni Battista (1244 – 1307), the Capuchin convent and its church; The Aurora Tower (16th century); The Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Soviore (7th-13th century); the house that hosted the poet Eugenio Montale and the places that inspired some of his most famous poems. Many are the scenic and beautiful trails for hiking excursions.
Eugenio Montale: The poet in Monterosso
In Monterosso Fegina area, you can find a residence with a turret called “Villa delle Due Palme” where, in the early decades of the twentieth century, the family of the poet Eugenio Montale (1896-1981; Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975) used to spend their summer holidays. From its garden you could see the terraced facade of the Capuchin Convent. The Montale family had the family chapel in the cemetery which is still connected to the churchyard through a path towards the hills. In Monterosso, in summer seasons from 1920 to 1924 Montale had composed many of the poems in a Ligurian setting and particularly in Monterosso, that he would have gathered in his debut collection “Ossi di seppia” (1925).
Eugenio Montale, Ho sceso dandoti il braccio…
“Ho sceso, dandoti il braccio, almeno un milione di scale
e ora che non ci sei è il vuoto ad ogni gradino.
Anche così è stato breve il nostro lungo viaggio.
Il mio dura tuttora, né più mi occorrono
le coincidenze, le prenotazioni,
le trappole, gli scorni di chi crede
che la realtà sia quella che si vede.
Ho sceso milioni di scale dandoti il braccio
non già perchè con quattr’occhi forse si vede di più.
Con te le ho scese perchè sapevo che di noi due
le sole vere pupille, sebbene tanto offuscate,
erano le tue.”
