The Cinque Terre National Park is a protected natura area that became a national park in 1999 and lies in Liguria, in the province of La Spezia. The park comprises the three boroughs of the Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso) as well as part of the boroughs of Levanto (Punta Mesco) and La Spezia (Campiglia Tramonti). The park can be divided into two parts: the coastal area, the actual park and the sea area, the  marine park protected area. The characteristic stretch of coastline of the Cinque Terre with mountains sloping steeply down to the sea creating a coast which is unique in it's kind. The Cinque Terre National Park is the only authority in Italy with the purpose of protecting a man-made environment and requires, among other things, the safeguarding of the system of dry stone walls that support the cultivated terraces high above the sea.