Steep rise of Italy's Cinque Terre

Steep rise of Italy's Cinque Terre
By Christian Fraser

BBC News, Italy

The Cinque Terre, on the coast between Genoa and La Spezia, is one of Italy's most scenic stretches of coastline and its fortunes have been transformed since the area was accorded National Park status.

座落在Genoa及La Spezia沿岸間的Cinque Terre, 她綿延的海岸線是義大利最秀麗的幾個景觀之一. 自從升格為國家公園後, 她也變富有了.

The slopes of the Cinque Terre rise in such dizzying fashion, that in Riomaggiore you can take a lift up to the second level of town.

由於Cinque Terre 的坡度極為陡峭, 所以你可以在Riomaggiore搭電梯(在車站旁)直達這個城鎮的更上層.

Some of the vineyards around the region are on hillsides so steep and so close to the sea, that the grapes have to be harvested by boat.

有些栽植於山坡邊上的葡萄園由於地勢過於陡峭以及鄰海, 以致必須靠船隻來採收葡萄.

Since Roman times the farmers here have been conjuring small miracles from these slopes.

從羅馬帝國的時代, 農民們就已經在這片山坡上製造出小小的奇蹟.

Their sweet dessert wine was so popular that amphorae bearing their insignia were found during excavations in Pompeii, hundreds of miles to the south.

他們的飯後甜酒十分受歡迎, 甚至在南方幾百哩外的龐貝城, 我們到現在仍可發掘出標有他們記號的雙耳陶瓶.

Yet this has always been one of the poorest regions in Italy.

而這裡卻一直以來都是義大利幾個最窮的區域之一.

There is still only a single road that connects the five villages of the Cinque Terre - and access is largely by boat or by train. But the last few years have seen the local economy booming.

只有一條道路連結著Cinque Terre的五個村莊. 而且進出大部份還是得搭船或者火車. 不過,近年來,本地的經濟有顯著的成長.

Dream lifestyle

In fact so successful is it becoming, that in recent years the residents of Riomaggiore and the other hamlets strung out along the Ligurian coast have been enjoying a lifestyle their predecessors could only have dreamed of.

近年來Cinque Terre有如此的成就,讓Riomaggiore及其他沿著Ligurian岸邊小村莊的居民們享有的是他們的先人作夢都沒想過的好生活.

Courtesy of the National Park, they now receive free natural medicine, massage treatments and health screenings.

出於國家公園的好意, 他們享有免費天然的醫療, 按摩及健康檢查.

There is a free shopping service for elderly residents and subsidised child care for working parents. Cars are banned - replaced by electric buses.

他們的年長者享有免費的購物服務, 在工作的家長們有托育照顧的福利. 在這裡,禁止車輛進入並以電車取代.

It has become a farming utopia; a place where tourists and others from outside are in the front line of conservation.

這裡儼然就是一個務農者的烏托邦;一個遊客與其他外地人都會站在最前線守護它的地方.

The driving force behind these changes is Franco Bonanini, the former mayor, and now head of the National Park.

這些轉變的驅動力來自前市長Franco Bonanini, 現為國家公園首長.

Generations of his family have farmed this land, but like most people in Riomaggiore, Franco grew up in poverty.

他們一家世世代代都在這片土地上耕作, 但也如同大部份Riomaggiore的居民, Franco 自貧窮中長大.

"When I was little," he told me, "the worst two weeks of the year were when the wine speculators arrived. It was always a painful process," he said.

"當我還是小孩子," 他告訴我,"一年中最糟的兩個星期是投機的酒商來到時, 整個過程總是痛苦的"

"The merchants would taste my father's wine and spit it out in disgust. They would tell him the wine was no good. And then they'd carry it off at half price. It was the saddest night of the year!"

"商人會試喝我父親釀的酒, 然後厭惡的把它吐掉. 他們會告訴他這個酒不夠好. 然後再以半價買走. 這是一整年中最令人感到悲傷的夜晚."

So when the Cinque Terre achieved its National Park status and the first property speculators arrived, Franco and his team swore that this time, the Cinque Terre would not be cheated.

所以當Cinque Terre成功升格為國家公園的同時也來了第一批投機的房地產商人,Franco和他的團隊則誓言決不使Cinque Terre被哄騙.

The Park began to buy up the cottages in the villages as they became available.

於是公園處開始買進村莊裡空下來的農舍.

Prospective buyers have to cultivate at least 3,000 square metres of vines, fruit trees or vegetables before they are allowed to settle.

期望的買家必須先在這裡耕種至少3000平方公呎的葡萄樹,果樹或者蔬菜才可准許住下來.

Defies gravity

British expat Paula Pecunia has been living in the Cinque Terre for 31 years with husband Mauro. They live in the house in which he was born.

英國旅居的Paula Pecunia和她的先生已經在Cinque Terre住了31年. 他們住在他先生出生時所在的房子.

They farm their land, coaxing vines, lemons, olives and basil out of a plot that defies gravity. It towers over the sea on such a steep gradient, I wonder how anything grows.

他們耕地,從挑戰萬有引力的一小片土地上,耐心的栽種出葡萄樹,檸檬,橄欖及羅勒. 它以陡峭的坡度屹立在海面上, 我很納悶這些是如何生長的.

"Over the years I have done it all," she says.

"幾年的時間, 我已將把這些都做完了",她說.

"Stamped the grapes, plucked the basil and carried these heavy baskets down the slopes."

"把葡萄搗碎,摘取羅勒,以及把這些沉重的籃子搬下坡去"

"People who come here," she says, "may come with a dream of the good life, but they quickly realise how much hard work is involved."

"人們到這裡來," 她說, "期盼著夢想中的完美生活, 但是他們很快就了解到, 還有許多繁重的工作要處理."

"The rules for new buyers are essential," she says.

"這些規定對新的買主是必要的," 她說.

"Without the land you have no home. This is not natural farmland. It has been chiselled from the cliffs and if it was left, it would quickly disappear."

"沒有土地就沒有家. 這不是片適於耕作的農地. 她是自峭壁鑿出的, 一旦被棄置, 這一切很快都會消失."

The farms of the Cinque Terre are propped up by hundreds of miles of dry stone walls.

Cinque Terre的農地是由幾百哩乾燥的石砌牆所支撐著.

The locals boast that the work that has gone into maintaining this steep terracing is comparable to the building of the Great Wall of China.

當地的人對維護這些陡峭臺地的工作很自豪, 並且拿來與中國的萬里長城相比.

Those farms abandoned in the 1980s have either collapsed down the hillside or disappeared under the wild alpine vegetation. But now some of them are being reclaimed and repaired by outsiders.

1980年代所棄置的農地不是倒塌在山坡下,就是被覆蓋在高山的野生植物下消失無蹤. 但是部份已被外來客重新開墾與修復.

I met students from Australia and Germany who, in return for free lodging and food, are rebuilding hillsides.

我遇到幾個來自澳洲及德國的學生, 他們正在山坡上進行重建以換取免費的食宿.

Lucrative sideline

With their help, the co-operative farmers are growing basil, garlic and pine nuts for a local factory which makes pesto sauce for pasta.

在他們的幫助下, 合作社的農民為當地一間工廠種植羅勒,大蒜及松子, 這些都是用來製作義大利麵的香蒜醬.

And they have all sorts of wild herbs to work with including saffron, still by weight the most expensive spice in the world. And in time, with a bit of encouragement, this could provide a further lucrative sideline for the ambitious Cinque Terre.

他們還栽種了各種野生草本植物,包括仍被視為世上最昂貴香料的番紅花.同時也為具有雄心壯志的Cinque Terre提供了一個賺錢的副業.

The money from this organic produce, and from the visitors who pay to walk the coastal paths, means there is now virtually no unemployment and for the residents of these five small communities, no end of opportunity.

從有機產品賺來的錢,以及觀光客為了要在沿岸小徑上散步所付的錢, 意味著Cinque Terre幾乎為零的失業率,並且為這五個小社區的居民帶來了無窮盡的商機.

As I sailed away from the harbour of Riomaggiore, looking back at those impossible steep terraces behind me, I marvelled at what Franco and his team have achieved in such a short space of time.

正當我逐漸駛離Riomaggiore的港口時,回頭望了一下身後的陡峭臺地, 我驚歎Franco和他的團隊能在這麼短的時間完成目標.

Yet this is a land that also stands testament to the iron will of his predecessors, the farmers back through the generations.

然而,同樣也是這片土地,見證了他的先人們,幾個世代以前的農民們剛強的意志.

And I am guessing, that if they were here today, they would be well satisfied that so many people have come from so far to help protect the place which they once worked so hard to cultivate.

我猜想,如果今天他們還活著的話, 想必他們一定會很高興有這麼多來自遠方的人守護著他們曾經辛勤耕作的地方.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6234553.stm
Published: 2007/01/06 12:02:28 GMT