Portovenere is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Portovenere’s harbor is lined with brightly colored houses and narrow medieval streets lead up the hill to a castle. It is located on a rocky peninsula on the Gulf of Poets, an area in the Gulf of La Spezia once popular with writers such as Byron, Shelley and DH Lawrence. Portovenere is southeast of the Cinque Terre at the end of the Italian Riviera, in the region of Liguria.

The ancient Portus Veneris is believed to date back to at least the middle of the first century BCE. It has been said that the name refers to a temple to the goddess Venus which was sited on the promontory where the church of Peter the Apostle now stands. The name has also been linked to that of the hermit Saint Venerius. In Roman times the city was essentially a fishing community.

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Satellite image of Portovenere

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Le 5 Terre - Riomaggiore e via dell’amore. The Cinque Terre form one of the most unspoilt areas of the Mediterranean and one of the most extended areas in Liguria, Italy. They are a kingdom of nature and wild scents maintained as in the past. The Cinque Terre are five coastal villages which have come to be among the most popular areas of Italy among tourists. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in a national park by the same name. The five villages are, from west to east: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

To visit the Cinque Terre means to visit five villages suspended between sea and earth, clinging on to cliffs and surrounded by green hills; it means to know the history of whom, for centuries, has fought against difficult land but it also means to taste the results of this millenarian struggle and in particular wine and produce. To visit these villages means to learn about the culture of the dry-stone walls and of the vineyard, of the fishermen and of their fishing nets, of the steep valleys and of their paths.

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Vernazza is a quaint, tiny place, with a population of about 1,000. Vernazza is the next to northernmost town and perhaps most picturesque of the five towns of Cinque Terre in Italy. Colorful, antique homes cling to impossible cliffs. A lovely small harbor is nestled under the shadows of an ancient castle and a dramatic seaside church.

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The entire Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vernazza has the only proper harbor in the Cinque Terre and is a charming, small fishing village. Vernazza was founded about 1000 A.D. and was ruled by the Republic of Genoa starting in 1276. Vernazza’s medieval castle, Belforte, was built in the mid-1500’s, primarily to protect the village from pirates.

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Satellite image of Vernazza

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This postcard shows six famous locations in Rome, Italy:

• The Colosseum
• Roman Forum
• St. Peter’s
• Trevi Fountain
• Spagna’s Square (Piazza di Spagna)
• Navona Square (Piazza Navona)

Rome is also called Caput mundi - “capital of the world”, la Citta Eterna - “the Eternal City”, Limen Apostolorum - “threshold of the Apostles”, la citta dei sette colli - “the city of the seven hills” or simply l’Urbe - “the City”. According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC.

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Of all the monuments in Rome, the Colosseum thrills the most. It was here that gladiators met in mortal combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions. Built over the course of 900 years, the Roman Forum (Foro Romano) was the commercial, political and religious centre of ancient Rome from the Republican era until the 4th century AD. Interesting monuments facing the Piazza Navona square are: Stabilimenti Spagnoli, Palazzo de Cupis, Palazzo Torres Massimo Lancellotti, Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore and Palazzo Braschi (Museo di Roma).

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Online map of Rome, Italy

This is a postcard from Cavallino, a small tourist town located on the Lido di Venezia in Italy. Ideal for warm sand treatments, long walks and romantic sunsets, the Cavallino has been left pretty much untouched and daily maintainance ensures a clean area, free from natural and man-made litter.

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Just a stone’s throw from Venice lies the 15km of pristine beach that makes up the Cavallino coastline. Its sand has been washed down from the majestic Dolomites during the past millennia and, like them, it has a peculiar colour that (according to sunlight) oscillates between intense pink and bright white.

Satellite map of Cavallino