[Cheongsong Natural Heritage Grand Slam]<8>Beautiful Italian Marine Park

Cinque Terre in the region of La Spezia, the northwest part of Italy, was designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1997 and a National Park in 1999. It is a beautiful coastal town, only accessible by train or boat. Poor accessibility and being unknown to people for a long time have led to preserving nature as it is. Photo: Jonghun Chon

The Pope's summer residence is located in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the Lake Albano. The two craters made by volcanic activity form a beautiful lake that is renowned as an Italian summer holiday destination. Photo: Jonghun Chon

Only accessible by train or boat to the village... accepting inconvenience to preserve magnificent natural landscape

Cheongsong is a unique city in the world. It has natural treasures including UNESCO Global Geopark, International Slow City, and National Park. Italy also has a lot of natural and cultural heritages like Cheongsong in the world. Italy situated in central and southern Europe was the birthplace of the Roman Empire. After the medieval age, it finally turned into a unified state in 1870. Located in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea, the territory resembles the shape of a boot and is over 1,200 kilometers from northwest to southeast. The northern part is bordered by the Alps with France, Switzerland, and Austria.

The reporter visited Italy to look at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, National Parks, and the International Slow City. Italy is the country that introduced its natural and cultural heritage to the global market and applied them in various aspects such as tourism and economy, much earlier than Cheongsong, Republic of Korea. Italy's advanced cultural policies will be analyzed in a serial of three installments.

◆The remote village, Cinque Terre, was reborn as a treasure

Cinque Terre in the La Spezia region, northwest of Italy, was designated as a national park on October 6, 1999. Cinque Terre refers to 'the five lands.' It is a place where the coastal towns of the Middle Ages are preserved. The coastal villages are, from the north along the coast, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. These villages are only accessible by train or boat. Due to the poor accessibility, the towns were unknown to people for a long time; therefore, nature has been preserved without being damaged.

It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 before national park designation. However, the transportation system or its accessibility has not improved for 20 years. Fishing is the primary livelihood activity of the village, and fishers keep and preserve their traditional culture. For example, there are drinking fountains throughout the town for pets and seashore creatures. When using a toilet or drinking water, people have to pay for it. In contrast, you can get a sense of generosity from the villagers to animals. Also, the cemetery of each town is located on the hilltop overlooking the most beautiful scenery. The villagers not only remember their roots forever but also support their ancestors wholeheartedly after death.

Human beings were willing to accept inconvenience, and in turn, the untouched nature has given the residents in Cinque Terre a beautiful coastal cliff more than ten kilometers. When you walk along the cliffs, beautifully colored houses huddled together on the black rocks delight your eyes. People who depend on the sea for their livelihood have painted the outer walls of their houses in bright colors so that their family and friends coming back from fishing would quickly recognize their homes and towns. Furthermore, to prevent the houses from being damaged in a rough storm, the connection between the houses to each other has been able to withstand.

◆Beautiful Island Capri

Capri is well known as a trademark of one beer Company in Korea. The Capri Island in southern Italy is located at the mouth of the Gulf of Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the offing of Sorrento peninsula. The island is home to a variety of attractions, from the Neolithic period to the remnants of humankind.

It is renowned as the holiday resort of Roman Emperor such as Augustus and Nero. Capri Island was the favorite resort of Roman emperors, who ruled not only the Italian peninsula but also the rest of the world, and loved it more than any other place. It was also the honeymoon destination of Prince Charles and Princess Diana of England, and of former Korean national soccer player Jisung Park. It captures the hearts of celebrities regardless of the past and present.

The symbol of Capri Island is 'Grotto Azzurra (Blue Cave).' The sea cave, 53 meters deep, 30 meters wide, and 15 meters high, is filled with the brilliant blue light as the sunlight passes and shines through the seawater. This cave has been well known from the Roman era, and its beauty has been preserved until today. The summit of Mt. Monte Solaro which is a great spot to see the Capri Island and the coast at a glance, is also recommended for many visitors.

On the island formed by lava, the most convenient public transportation is minibus run by the residents. The minibus navigates the narrow island roads more than a thousand years old and offers beautiful scenic views to visitors. When a minibus encounters other vehicles on the narrow lanes, the residents step aside for the minibus. The local residents on Capri Island are more naturally considerate and relaxed.

◆The Lake Albano in the dormant volcano, the summer resort of the Pope

The Pope's summer resort in Castel Gandolfo is located 17 kilometers away from the center of Rome. It takes about 20 minutes by car and 30 minutes by train from Rome.

The Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo is situated at the highest point of the village and overlooks the Lake, Albano. It is an oval-shaped lake formed from the union of two volcanic craters. On the lakeside, there are black sand beaches composed of volcanic ash and other substance, and the banks of the lake are lined with grass. People spend the day free to swim and do water sports activities like yachting. The lake is not yet known to foreigners, thus offers more authentic feeling of Italian recreation culture.

Generally speaking, the price of food and beverage in Castel Gandolfo is less than half the price compared to Rome. You can enjoy traditional Italian cuisine at a scenic spot along the lakeside. In fact, the lake is home to fishing activities and is famous for its freshwater eel. Anyone can enjoy spending time by the lake for free.