Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is the first village out of five that make up the Cinque Terre National Park that tourists will come across when coming north from La Spezia in Northern Italy.

The walk between Riomaggiore and Manarola (another village of Cinque Terre) is called “Via dell’Amore” (Love Walk) and there is a famous bench along the way which lovers are supposed to attach padlocks too as a sign of their eternal love for each other. Italian legend says that eternal love is secure once a padlock has been locked and the key is supposed to be thrown away. Nowadays with the rising divorce rate rumour has it that at least one of the partners usually keeps a spare key in case they want to escape from the relationship. There is also some great graffiti which one should look out for when walking along the “Via dell’Amore”.

There are quite a lot of stairs to climb when visiting Riomaggiore and at the highest part of the town one will find the Parish church of San Giovanni Battista which was built in 1340. Walking along this road one will come across the 16th century oratory “del Disciplinati” which is very interesting for the paintings in its interior.

Riomaggiore is a beautiful village with a beautiful harbour. It is lined with colorful houses, shops, cafes, restaurants and bars where tourists can enjoy sipping the local wine and it is a wonderful place to stay for a
relaxing break with great hiking opportunities and absolutely stunning views.

Riomaggiore also has a public, but secret beach that is around the rocks at the shoreline. Cool tip: Swim about 20 yards and there is a large rock that is right under the surface. Stand on it and it looks like you are walking on water.

The road in Riomaggiore is very very steep. Every few hours there is a shuttle service that will take people up the hill and back down, but it only carries a few people.