Two popular tourist towns and World Heritage Site on the Italian coast - Vernazza and Monterosso - have been demolished by flash flooding and mudslides late October.
Like many picturesque tourist towns, they gain their popularity from being remote and cut-off from the hustle and bustle of larger towns. Now the very quality which made them so beloved has hindered efforts for supplies, water and assistance to reach the towns which have been destroyed with flooding, torrential rains and mud over the last week. Roads are blocked, the train line has been covered in debris and mud reaches up to a foot from the ceiling on street level establishments. A colleague of mine has been living in Monterosso running one of the restaurants and B&Bs and has been describing the utter devastation and hard-work of the townsfolk to try to save their town. I haven't seen much coverage of it in the English-speaking press, so thought I'd pass the news along to those who might have been planning, or reminiscing about, a trip to the Italian Riviera.
Images from the Ligurian Coast Reply to this That is so sad! One warm, sunny November day, I took the train from Genoa to the farthest of the towns and spent the day walking along the cliffs and weaving through the five ever-so-sweet towns. I do hope they get the help they deserve--they are such treasures. Thanks for letting us know, Tara
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