Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola & Corniglia, 26th September 2019

Riomaggiore

The next day we took the train to Riomaggiore, the easternmost village of the Cinque Terre. After an espresso, we walked to the harbor. Here you can see the so-called tower houses in all possible shades. In Riomaggiore, the famous Via dell'Amore also begins, a footpath with breathtaking panoramic views that has been carved into the cliff and connects the village with Manarola. Unfortunately, the path was closed today, so we took the train back to Manarola.

Manarola

In the narrow valley of Manarola, the locals have cleverly used every meter to place the houses in absurd nesting patterns above and beside each other. Stair lanes lead up the slopes from the main street on the left and right.

Traditionally, the people of Manarola lived from fishing. But the steep coast does not provide space for storing the fishing boats. So they are pulled up from the water to a height of over 15 m on the cliffs using a cable winch. The boats are parked in the middle of the only street, Via Birolli.

Corniglia

Corniglia is the only village of the Cinque Terre that is not directly by the sea, but sits on a rock 100 m above sea level. From the train station, you either have to climb many stairs (377 steps) or take a bus up to the village... Nowhere else in the other villages can you enjoy such a view over the sea.

Levanto

Back in Levanto, we enjoyed a fine dinner in a small restaurant in a side street and then strolled through the alleys. Simply wonderful!