The Palmaria Island, along with the Tino and Tinetto islands, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre, was designated by UNESCO in 1997 as a World Heritage Site.
Palmaria, which is separated from Portovenere by a narrow arm of sea, is the only inhabited island in the archipelago.
The peculiarity of this land is the presence of innumerable natural caves: among the most renown ones there are the Grotta Vulcanica and the Grotta Azzurra.
The Grotta Vulcanica owes its name to the origin of its rocks that look like flowing lava. The Grotta Azzurra is just as picturesque; its light-blue waters reflect on the rocky walls. The entrance to the cave is allowed only to small boats.
Over the course of its history, the island has hosted many digging of portoro, a back quality of marble with yellowish veins. Today, the most stunning excavation is around 150 meters from the sea.
