For geographical features and human activities where are built, the Cinque Terre are considered one of the most evocative Italian coastal attractions, for their hilly topography naturally harsh and rugged;  the slopes are softened by the construction of terraces or bands for the crop, which fall into the sea with steep slopes; where the sea creeps into the earth lie the villages, articulated to follow the natural shape of the hills.

Each hamlet of Cinque Terre deserves a thorough visit for its historical, artistic, and natural heritage.
At an altitude between 300 and 450 meters over the sea level, are built 5 Marian Sanctuaries , each of them  watches over each hamlet of the Cinque Terre. Each of them keeps the deep roots of the Cinque Terre's spirituality and culture that the inhabitants are bound to through worship. They are an unmissable stage for the careful visitors who decide to get closer to the most genuine identity in this stretch of the outermost eastern Italian Riviera. Even if they are all reachable through roads open to vehicles - except for the Nostra Signora di Montenero Sanctuary in Riomaggiore - the best way to visit them and enjoy their natural beauties and panoramas is walking. The itineraries belong to the Cinque Terre's path network, and they are all marked with the white-red trail markers, symbols of the CAI.

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