Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy Nov. 14, 2024

Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy

Known for its pastel houses cascading down to the Mediterranean Sea, Manarola, seen in today"s image, looks like a place straight out of a fairytale. Perched on the rugged cliffs of Italy"s Ligurian coast, it"s one of the five villages that make up Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name "Manarola" might have evolved from the Latin "Magna rota," which became "Magna roea" in the local dialect. It means "large wheel," a nod to the village"s historical mill wheel. Believed to be the oldest village in the Cinque Terre, dating to 1338, Manarola"s history is rooted in fishing and winemaking. Sciacchetrà, a dessert wine unique to this area, has long been immortalised in the verses of Italian poets.

© John_Silver/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

High above the Aegean Sea
Nov. 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Nov. 14, 2025Manatee

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr. 17, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
On the open ocean road
Aug. 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
Stealthy pollinators
Santa slalom
Feb. 8, 2026Corfu at night, Greece
‘Only one Earth’
Nov. 13, 2025Distillery Winter Village
Dad on duty
A cuddling pair of Taiwan yuhina
Home of the ‘world’s worst smelling food?’
Postcard from Italy
Hot enough to howl
Jan. 8, 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
Jul. 16, 2025Temple of Philae, Aswan, Egypt
Big Bends birthday bash
Jul. 17, 2025Lavender fields in Plateau de Valensole, France
Mar. 6, 2026The Wave, Vejle, Denmark
Apr. 14, 2025Atlantic spotted dolphins
Past below, future ahead
Aug. 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
One rare streak
Nov. 6, 2023Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
A window to the Pacific
Mar. 19, 2024Spring equinox
Aug. 17, 2025International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
Mar. 23, 2026World Meteorological Day
Feb. 25, 2025Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
A book lover’s paradise
Stretching to the sky