For about twenty years, Eugenio Montale (who was not only a poet, but also a journalist, translator, music critic and writer) spent his holidays in Monterosso: in Villa Montale, indeed, “the yellowish pagoda” that stands at Fegina, suspended between the sea and the Mediterranean scrub.
The most famous (and most beautiful) poems by the poet, born in Genoa in 1896 and died in Milan in 1981, such as Meriggiare pallido e assorto, La Casa dei Doganieri, La punta del Mesco and I limoni, are inseparably linked to this natural setting. In the terms of literary criticism, they are its “objective correlative”.
Today, curious tourists who wish to immerse themselves in an experience that is both physical and spiritual – made of scents, colours, visions and lines of poetry – can travel through this Montalian Liguria by following a precise, well-defined itinerary, supported by the necessary information.
The Literary Park dedicated to Eugenio Montale is a protected area in which the attentive traveller can rediscover the evocations and traces of one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century.
What is offered to the visitor is a natural and scenic setting of great power, largely still intact. These are the “ridges of hills and sky” that inspired many of the poet’s verses, already recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and then protected thanks to the establishment, two years later, of the National Park with its Marine Protected Area.
With the aim of combining the protection of the landscape and environment with the cultural history of the places, the Park Authority, in collaboration with the Municipality of Monterosso, has created a path of discovery of that land of “blades of water” and “garden walls” through the lens of poetic inspiration.
The result, for those who wish to take part, will be a full immersion in the most authentic Cinque Terre: also thanks to cultural initiatives and guided discoveries, which enrich the Park’s calendar of events every year.
In addition to the routes through the village of Monterosso, genuine excursions are organised throughout the year (but especially from June to October) along the Park’s rich network of paths and to the places of greatest appeal, including from a historical and artistic point of view, such as the Marian Sanctuaries.
Since July 2021 (the year the Literary Park was established), the excursions and routes have been led by Carlo Torricelli, hiking guide and naturalist, and Cristina Currarini, literary scholar.
For further information and the calendar of initiatives, here are the links:
https://www.parchiletterari.com/parchi/montale-e-le-cinque-terre-015/itinerari.php
https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/man_dettaglio_man.php?id=2685
