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

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:

Mar. 22, 2024World Water Day
The buffet is open
Feb. 17, 2025Coll dAres, Catalan Pyrenees
Reddy for winter
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, USA
Feb. 5, 2024Monarch butterflies, Goleta, California
Nature’s blue wonder
Mar. 18, 2025Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, United States
Jun. 19, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Jun. 2, 2024Annas hummingbird
Feb. 29, 2024Leap Day
Mar. 13, 2026Church of Notre Dame de Bon-Port, Les Sables-dOlonne, France
Time to make an impression
Jan. 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
The healing powers of wastewater
Oct. 31, 2025Happy Halloween!
Oct. 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States
What are these ancient animals?
Roll out the red carpet
Aug. 17, 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
When ice imitates art
Nov. 7, 2023Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
Oct. 26, 2023Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
Dec. 14, 2024Christmas Bird Count turns 125
Dec. 4, 2023Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Oct. 2, 2023World Architecture Day
Jan. 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Jul. 20, 2025Moon Day
Oct. 18, 2025International Archaeology Day
Aug. 4, 2025Great grey owls in their nest, Finland