RIOMAGGIORE - CINQUE TERRE
liguria
Riomaggiore is the first town arriving from La Spezia. Located in the valley of the Rivus Maior stream, now covered, according to the tradition, the town dates back to the VIII century, when a group of Greek fugitives from the persecution of Leone III Isaurico, found shelter here. The houses, painted with typical traditional colours, follow the scheme of the tower houses. They are structured in three or four plants. The access is possible to the main entrance and from behind, at the upper floors height. In Riomaggiore starts the "Via dell'Amore" that leads to Manarola, a very suggestive pedestrian street, with beautiful landscapes, among the noise of the waves smashed against the cliffs.
Castle of Riomaggiore
The castle of Riomaggiore dates back to the XIII century. It dominates the village from the hill of Cerricò, just above the church of St. Giovanni Battista. It was built in 1260 by the marquises Turcotti, lords of Ripalta, and was completed by the Genoese in the XV-XVI century after the domination of Nicolò Fieschi. It has a quadrilateral base, its walls are surmounted by two circular towers. In the XIX century it was turned to a cemetery and then successively restored. Today it welcomes didactic and cultural activities.
Church of San Giovanni Battista of Riomaggiore
In the upper part of the village, the church of Saint Giovanni Battista was built in 1340 by Antonio Fieschi, bishop of Luni. A headstone in the facade remembers the construction of the "Maestri Antelami". The lancet windows and the two Gothic doors adorned with anthropomorphous and zoomorphic elements and on the right side are the only elements of the original structure. In 1870 the church was widened and the facade rebuilt in neogothic style, then replacing the original rose window. The inside has three aisles, separated by ogival archs. It conserves valuable works of art as a wooden crucifix of the Maragliano, a triptych in the right aisle attributed to the Antelami and the "Baptist's Preaching" attributed to Domenico Fiasella.
Oratory of the "Disciplinati" of Riomaggiore
The XVI century oratory of the "Disciplinati" is also called church of the "Confraternita dell'Assunta". It presents in the facade a marble cornerstone dated 1476, remembering the indulgences granted by Pope Gregorio XIII to the Confraternita. It conserves a XV century triptych with a "Madonna with Child between San Giovanni and Domenico" and a wooden statue represented the "Madonna of the chains".
Oratory of San Rocco
The oratory is located next to the castle, on the hill of Cerricò. It was built in 1480 after a plague, whose signs are obvious in the saint carved in the archivolt. Inside there is a triptych representing the Virgin with Child and Saints.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montenero
The first mention of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Montenero dates back to 1335, even though the tradition wants the construction to have been built on a religious building of the VIII century. The sanctuary endured various restorations, the more important in 1740 and 1847. Today it is constituted by three aisles and conserves a XVIII century fresco of painter Battaglia from Castelnuovo Magra. According to the legend, a Byzantine icon was adored and then hidden to save it from the invasion of the Longobards of King Rotari. When it was found again, a source gushed suddenly and was therefore built the church.
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