Via Dell'Amore in Riomaggiore

We stop for lunch in the harbor at Riomaggiore, picking up two focacce, one with olives and one with tomato, and sitting on the wall outside the shop to dine.

Decending to the harbor

Dining view

We have purchased timed-entry tickets to Via dell'Amore, the 900 meter (0.56 mile) path along the cliff  between Riomaggiore and Manarola, excavated through and winding along the hard rock face overhanging the sea.  The Via dell'Amore path dates from the beginning of the 20th century, during the modernization of the Genoa-La Spezia railway line, when the footpath was created for the railroad workers to move between Riomaggiore and Manarola for construction of the tunnel between the villages.  A legend holds that this footpath also became a meeting place for lovers from the two villages.

The path reopened last year after being closed by a landslide on September 24, 2012, with the destruction later compounded by wave damage in 2018.  We enter and walk the path between the villages.

Starting along the path

Views of the water

Monterosso in the distance

Continuing along the path

Great sea water

Picture of the path at night

Displays of the story and history of the path

We continue along the cliff to Manarola, from which we had taken the train to Riomaggiore before lunch.

Continuing along the path

Exiting at the Manarola train station

We first walked Via dell'Amore about thirteen years ago and left our padlock (along with many others) on the chain link fencing covering the rocks at that time.  Now our lock is probably on the bottom of the Mediterranean, but at least we get to walk the path again!

Corniglia to Manarola

Another favorite hike in Cinque Terre is Corniglia to Manarola, taking the train two stops (7 minutes) south from Monterosso, walking along the tracks to the steps up to town, and climbing the 382 steps up to the street.

Along the tracks and up the steps

At the top, we proceed up a side street off of which the path heads up from the town.

Starting up the trail

Corniglia rapidly grows smaller in the distance as we climb for a while.

Corniglia and Monterosso in the distance

Heading up

Corniglia, Monterosso in the far distance

Soon the path levels off and we continue along the ridge, with a few ups and downs to keep our attention.

Continuing along the ridge

Manarola starting to appear

A few more elevation changes

Further along the ridge

We round a corner, emerge from the forest, and follow the path through hillsides covered with vines for the fabulous local wines of the region.  Manarola is now in view and we continue through the vineyards toward our destination.

Path through the vineyards

Hillsides covered with vines

It's early in the season and the grapes are just emerging on the vines.  We'll be back in a few months when they are ready for picking, but now they're small and green.

Young grapes

Although our destination is getting closer, we still have to pass through Volastra on the hill above Manarola and we stop to peek into the chapel at the top of town:  Nostra Signora Della Salute.

Manarola down below

Nostra Signora Della Salute

We continue through Volastra and take the 1,200 or so steps down the hill to Manarola, enter the village, and catch a train to Riomaggiore, the next community south and the lowest of the five Cinque Terre villages.

Steps down to Manarola

Passing through Manarola

Now, it's time for lunch!