Via dell’ Amore

The Southernmost town of the Cinque Terre is Riomaggiore and it was there that we disembarked from the train to take one of the most romantic walks in Italy. The Via dell’ Amore (or Road of Love) goes between Riomaggiore and the next town North, Manarola.

Sadly, some of the coastal path between the other towns: Corniglia, Vernazza & Monterosso al Mare is quite dilapidated and is often closed for repairs. This was the case when we were there in November 2010 but as visitors pay to walk along the Via dell’ Amore is is almost never closed. We were so glad that this is the case as a simple short walk can ( and should) take a very long time. With opportunities for photos or video aplenty the winding path leads you around the Ligurian coastline lined with cacti and all manner of plants and trees.

As you progress along the Via dell Amore, you will come across various arrangements of padlocks. This is a tradition that we have seen in Florence, particularly on the Ponte Vecchio, where lovers can unite themselves for all time by writing on a lock and attaching it to the bridge/fence/bench and throwing the key into the water or keeping a copy each depending on where they are in the optimism – pessimism scale (one assumes that combination locks are not too common.)

Another interesting feature is the covered gallery that you can see in the photo below. Its stone surface looks to be a natural part of the landscape: it totally belongs there. This architectural feature and the actual path itself are a credit to those who designed and maintain it so that we can all enjoy a stroll along the road of love.

The Southernmost town of the Cinque Terre is Riomaggiore and it was there that we disembarked from the train to take one of the most romantic walks in Italy. The Via dell' Amore (or Road of Love) goes between Riomaggiore and the next town North, Manarola.