"Portovenere e le Cinque Terre" a Portovenere Travel Page by MM212

A sleepy seaside resort, Portovenere is a picturesque town located at the southern end of the national park of le Cinque Terre. The town is a great base from which to visit the isolated villages of le Cinque Terre which are best accessible by ferry - or traghetto - from Portovenere.

Along with the whole of le Cinque Terre, Portovenere was designated in 1997 as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Not only is the town itself is filled with history, but its surroundings are also incredibly rich in flora and fauna. During Roman times, then known as Portus Veneris, it was fishing village with an important Temple of Venus, to which the town owes its name (Venere = Venus). After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the town became the base of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) fleet. Then after changing hands a few times, Portovenere became part of Genoa and remained an important defensive town. Much of the architectural heritage left over the centuries remains to be admired to this day.

Road Trip through Italy itinerary - May 2009:

Roma - Siena - San Gimignano - la Spezia - Portovenere - San Remo - Cannes - Portofino - Santa Margherita - Pisa - Roma