Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy The area that is Liguria today was inhabited already in the Bronze Age as proven by findings of bones and tools. This strategic coastline played an important role in the Roman Empire. Then in the 9th century, the Saracens occupied the region and demolished the small villages around here. Local people ran away to the hills. In the 11th century, the Tuscan Obverting family ruled the area after ousting the Saracens. The local tribes moved back down to the sea and raised their first houses. During those days, the new inhabitants started a heroic work that we still admire today. They turned the natural forests and rough, steep slopes into cultivated terraces, built dry stone walls and planted vine. The villages were often under attack by pirates so guards kept an eye on the sea from many watchtowers. In the meantime, commerce on the sea started. In the 12th century, the region became part of the Repub...
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