Discovering Corniglia
To reach Corniglia it is necessary to go up a long flight of stairs called Lardarina, consisting of 33 flights with 380 steps or follow the road that connects it to the railway station. The origins of the village date back to Roman times; the name of the town probably derives from Gens Cornelia, the family that owned the territory. It is interesting to remember that during the excavations of Pompeii, wine amphorae were found on which the name “Cornelia” appeared. During the Middle Ages, similarly to the neighboring villages, it was subjected to the dominion of the Counts of Lavagna, the Lords of Carpena, and Luni. In 1254, Pope Innocent IV ceded its possession to Nicolò Fieschi, until 1276 when power passed to Genoa.
The entire town develops along the main street, Via Fieschi, which leads from the parish of San Pietro to the belvedere of the Santa Maria terrace. Directly below the churchyard of the parish church, you can spot some remains of medieval architecture on the facade of a house, including some small sculptures. Continuing along the street, you meet the carriage road, which forms the Ciapara square (in the local dialect *ciapà*). Crossing it, you enter the carrugio of Corniglia. This narrow street leads to the main square of the town, Largo Taragio (in the local dialect *er Taragiu*), in the center of which the War Memorial is placed, dominated by the Oratory of Santa Caterina. Behind the small church, after a long and steep staircase, you reach a small square called “fosso”, where you can recognize the Tower, the only remaining ruin of the Genoese fortifications built around 1556. Once you reach the top of what remains of this tower, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the sea and the coast towards Manarola.
Another breathtaking view of the entire coast of the Cinque Terre can be enjoyed from the Santa Maria terrace (approx. 90 meters above sea level), reachable from Largo Taragio by continuing along Via Fieschi. In the corner of the panoramic terrace facing Vernazza stood a small church, which fell into the sea in the mid-nineteenth century. On the same side, you can see the small gulf that forms the “Marina di Corniglia”. Still on this side, on the mountains, you can see the sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie in San Bernardino.
From Largo Taragio, in front of the war memorial, a staircase (Via alla Marina) descends towards the marina of Corniglia. The small and enchanting gulf is characterized by a marina with a few berths for the town’s citizens, enclosed on the left by a small pier extending towards the sea promenade, and on the right by the imposing promontory called “of the three crosses” due to the presence of three crosses commemorating the death of Christ. On the opposite side of this promontory, following the coastline towards Vernazza, you reach the Gùvano beach: located below what remains of the railway wall (the trains now run entirely through tunnels inside the mountain), it is reachable by sea or through the now disused railway tunnel. This stretch of coast is perhaps one of the most beautiful along the entire coastline of the Cinque Terre, often a destination in summer for numerous boats and naturist tourism.
Among its notable monuments is the parish church of San Pietro, a shining example of a 14th-century Ligurian-Gothic monument. It was built on the remains of an 11th-century chapel and, after subsequent alterations, features Baroque superimpositions inside. Behind the main altar, you can admire two very colorful stained glass windows, the work of the Treviglio artist Trento Longaretti. A building with black stone Gothic arches, located under the churchyard, is considered part of the ancient posting station that belonged to the well-known Ligurian Fieschi family.
On June 29th, the patron saint, San Pietro, is celebrated. Religious celebrations include the classic procession through the streets of the town, from the Church of San Pietro to the Santa Maria terrace. The typical gastronomic specialty of the festival is the rice cake, prepared with rice, cheese, eggs, and baked in the oven. Equally typical is the distribution in the square of the Fieschi Cake to all festival participants. As in many other Italian towns, on the evening of Good Friday, the typical procession following the statue of the dead Christ takes place along the main street of the town.
