INTRODUCTION

The village of Monterosso is characterised by a medieval centre which is the most extended ancient part in comparison to the other villages of the Cinque Terre and by the formation of a modern residential quarter that stretches out along the beach and the coast. The historical origin of this village dates back to the year 643, when the populations of the hills, running from barbaric invasions, settled along the coast. The name, most probably comes from the fact that the then ruling family had red-coloured hair.
In the past, Monterosso had an important tunny-fishing net system, that brought the village to be well-known for its fishing, especially for salted anchovies and for the 'scabeccio', a fried fish preserved in wooden barrels containing vinegar.
The original centre was located on the hill of San Cristoforo that now divides the village in two areas and that stretches along the banks of the Branco, no longer running and covered. The old part of Monterosso has remained practically unchanged and presents the same characteristics (typical tower-houses through which narrow alleys called "carruggi" run) of the other villages of the Cinque Terre. As Monterosso was subject to continuous sea battles, various defence structures were built. Of these, today we can still find the Castle, overlooking the sea, that includes three round towers, a few parts of the city wall, the medieval tower that today is the bell-tower of the Church of San Giovanni and the Aurora Tower which is the only one standing of the thirteen towers that in the sixteenth century surrounded the village.
The modern residential quarter winds along the path leading to the sea in the contiguous bay of Fegina, after which the area has been named. The beach of Monterosso is the most extended on the coasts of the Cinque Terre and alternates sandy areas with isolated reefs. The coast, together with the growth of the town planning of the new quarter, has determined the tourist calling of the village. In fact, Monterosso has the largest hotel capacity of the coast of La Spezia.