In the Cinque Terre area the main historical activities were agriculture, which shaped the landscape into its peculiar terracing, and fishing. In every cellar of the Cinque Terre villages dozens of jars of salted anchovies were kept among the wine, and the smells of fish and wine could mix in a distinctive symbiosis.
In 1955 the artist Renato Birolli wrote a note about this: "Down from the geometric vineyards will come grapes; up from the sea always comes fish. And those who go fishing are the same that go to the vineyards".
The wine production and the gastronomic recipes are a legacy of the Cinque Terre traditions and way of life, and represent a tangible expression of the local culture.
Wine production
The thousand-year old tradition of growing grapevines always represented an element capable of modifying deeply the aspect of the Cinque Terre territory. In the past agriculture was dominant in this region, and it was mostly oriented to grapevine cultivation; olives and lemons were cultivated in limited areas, and only small portions of land were left for vegetable growing.
Hilltops were covered with woods (as they are nowadays), and provided wild fruits (especially chestnuts), firewood, and leaves to use as fertilizer in the vineyards. The Cinque Terre populations lived on agriculture, traded products with inland populations, and tried to sell in the nearby cities of La Spezia and Genoa part of the wine they made. This economic system couldn't bear the impact of the development of a dominant industrial system in the neighbouring coastal towns: this led to the decline of wine production, and, consequently, to the deterioration and instability of the environment.
Nowadays, since the establishment of the National Park, the efforts to recover the viticultural tradition tied to the Cinque Terre terracing system have achieved good results, although the approximately 100 hectares of vineyards are not comparable to the 1.400 hectares cultivated one hundred years ago. The difficulties found in cultivating the narrow stripes of land, due to the peculiar geo-morphological conformation of the Cinque Terre region, discourage the allocation of energies and resources; this is related to the impossibility of practicing mechanized farming, with consequent problems for cultivators. Rack monorails, imported from Switzerland since 1980s, are the only machineries that can be used.
Sciacchetrà
Sciacchetrà is a straw wine, sweet and liqueur-like, produced in the Cinque Terre from the Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino vine varieties. While the origin of the name is still a mystery - for some it derives from the Semitic word "shekar", used in Palestine 3.000 years ago to define fermented drinks, for others from the dialectal word "sciacàa", "to squeeze", in this case used to indicate the process of squeezing grapes - this precious wine became the symbol of the Cinque Terre.
A fruity, floral bouquet that reminds Mediterranean scrub: scents of nuts, apricot jam, nectarine, vanilla, chestnut honey and spices. A bright and intense colour: from golden shades to amber, tending to topaz. A sweet but not sugary flavour: warm, rich, velvety and mellow, balanced, slightly and pleasantly tannic.
With a production of 25 litres per 100 kilograms of grapes - bunches are left to dry under the sun until November, then hand selected to choose only the best ones - and an excellent quality granted by the DOC denomination, Sciacchetrà is a niche product that can age for ten, twenty, or even thirty years.
Italian poets and authors loved this wine. Plinio, Boccaccio and Petrarca wrote about it. Giosuè Carducci described it as "the essence of all the dionysiac inebriations", Gabriele D'Annunzio said it's "deeply sensual".
Understanding totally a wine like Sciacchetrà means not only to taste its organoleptic qualities, but also to appreciate its legacy of tradition related to the culture of land. It means to drink a wine that reaffirms in every sip a story that tells about the ancient and sometimes controversial relationship between man and nature.
Salted anchovies of Monterosso
A Cinque Terre traditional dish, they are processed according to the old Monterosso recipe. Known as "pan du maa" (bread of the sea), anchovies are caught, following tradition, with a seine net and fishing lamp, then hand-processed within two or three days.
Anchovies are carefully stratified in jars, pressed, and covered with brine, making them thick and tasty, and helping a perfect preservation. The product, therefore, maintains the smell and taste of fresh fish.
Try them with oil, oregano and garlic as a delicious starter, or even as main course.
Lemons
Lemons have been cultivated in the Cinque Terre since XVII Century. Once known as "citroni", lemons are now used in a great variety of products.
This ancient fruit, symbol of a territory, has found in this region a favourable climate that allows a cultivation without the use of chemicals. The "gold of the Cinque Terre" is used for marmalade, biscuits, tarts, cakes and limoncino.
Honey
From the rich vegetation of the Cinque Terre different types of honey are produced, such as acacia, chestnut, and Mediterranean scrub.
In 1955 the artist Renato Birolli wrote a note about this: "Down from the geometric vineyards will come grapes; up from the sea always comes fish. And those who go fishing are the same that go to the vineyards".
The wine production and the gastronomic recipes are a legacy of the Cinque Terre traditions and way of life, and represent a tangible expression of the local culture.
Wine production
The thousand-year old tradition of growing grapevines always represented an element capable of modifying deeply the aspect of the Cinque Terre territory. In the past agriculture was dominant in this region, and it was mostly oriented to grapevine cultivation; olives and lemons were cultivated in limited areas, and only small portions of land were left for vegetable growing.
Hilltops were covered with woods (as they are nowadays), and provided wild fruits (especially chestnuts), firewood, and leaves to use as fertilizer in the vineyards. The Cinque Terre populations lived on agriculture, traded products with inland populations, and tried to sell in the nearby cities of La Spezia and Genoa part of the wine they made. This economic system couldn't bear the impact of the development of a dominant industrial system in the neighbouring coastal towns: this led to the decline of wine production, and, consequently, to the deterioration and instability of the environment.
Nowadays, since the establishment of the National Park, the efforts to recover the viticultural tradition tied to the Cinque Terre terracing system have achieved good results, although the approximately 100 hectares of vineyards are not comparable to the 1.400 hectares cultivated one hundred years ago. The difficulties found in cultivating the narrow stripes of land, due to the peculiar geo-morphological conformation of the Cinque Terre region, discourage the allocation of energies and resources; this is related to the impossibility of practicing mechanized farming, with consequent problems for cultivators. Rack monorails, imported from Switzerland since 1980s, are the only machineries that can be used.
Sciacchetrà
Sciacchetrà is a straw wine, sweet and liqueur-like, produced in the Cinque Terre from the Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino vine varieties. While the origin of the name is still a mystery - for some it derives from the Semitic word "shekar", used in Palestine 3.000 years ago to define fermented drinks, for others from the dialectal word "sciacàa", "to squeeze", in this case used to indicate the process of squeezing grapes - this precious wine became the symbol of the Cinque Terre.
A fruity, floral bouquet that reminds Mediterranean scrub: scents of nuts, apricot jam, nectarine, vanilla, chestnut honey and spices. A bright and intense colour: from golden shades to amber, tending to topaz. A sweet but not sugary flavour: warm, rich, velvety and mellow, balanced, slightly and pleasantly tannic.
With a production of 25 litres per 100 kilograms of grapes - bunches are left to dry under the sun until November, then hand selected to choose only the best ones - and an excellent quality granted by the DOC denomination, Sciacchetrà is a niche product that can age for ten, twenty, or even thirty years.
Italian poets and authors loved this wine. Plinio, Boccaccio and Petrarca wrote about it. Giosuè Carducci described it as "the essence of all the dionysiac inebriations", Gabriele D'Annunzio said it's "deeply sensual".
Understanding totally a wine like Sciacchetrà means not only to taste its organoleptic qualities, but also to appreciate its legacy of tradition related to the culture of land. It means to drink a wine that reaffirms in every sip a story that tells about the ancient and sometimes controversial relationship between man and nature.
Salted anchovies of Monterosso
A Cinque Terre traditional dish, they are processed according to the old Monterosso recipe. Known as "pan du maa" (bread of the sea), anchovies are caught, following tradition, with a seine net and fishing lamp, then hand-processed within two or three days.
Anchovies are carefully stratified in jars, pressed, and covered with brine, making them thick and tasty, and helping a perfect preservation. The product, therefore, maintains the smell and taste of fresh fish.
Try them with oil, oregano and garlic as a delicious starter, or even as main course.
Lemons
Lemons have been cultivated in the Cinque Terre since XVII Century. Once known as "citroni", lemons are now used in a great variety of products.
This ancient fruit, symbol of a territory, has found in this region a favourable climate that allows a cultivation without the use of chemicals. The "gold of the Cinque Terre" is used for marmalade, biscuits, tarts, cakes and limoncino.
Honey
From the rich vegetation of the Cinque Terre different types of honey are produced, such as acacia, chestnut, and Mediterranean scrub.
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