Via Dell’Amore – Visit the first section!

Starting July 1, you can visit the first section of the Via dell’Amore: find out how!

The first section of the Via dell’Amore, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is open until September 30. Preview the most romantic promenade in the world, set in the beautiful landscape of Cinque Terre!

Access/Gate: Riomaggiore Station

To gain access purchase your ticket:
* online reservation required
* Visits bookable in the two opening time 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
* purchased online ONLY

ENTRANCE Via dell’Amore + Riomaggiore Castle: € 5.00

  • Entrance and guided tour of the first section of the Via dell’Amore
  • Entrance to Riomaggiore Castle
  • Downloadable audio content with the ticket

Free of charge: children up to 3 years old and people with disabilities
Free access to residents of the Municipality of Riomaggiore/former residents/holders of second homes and their households.

Frequently asked questions: click here

The Recovery Project

Work began in January 2022 on the rehabilitation of the Via Dell’Amore, one of the most romantic walks in the world.

After nearly 12 years of closure, the countdown has begun to fully reopen this scenic mile-long waterfront road in mid-2024.
The massive restoration work is funded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Culture, and the Region of Liguria.

The intervention includes the installation of nets, anchors, nailing and rockfall barriers, the consolidation of the existing rockfall tunnel and the creation of its extension towards Riomaggiore. Also planned is the upgrading of the entire pathway with resurfacing, installation of new railings and renewed street furniture. The contract also includes the construction of consolidation works immediately below the pedestrian walkway.

“The Via dell’Amore has great value for the residents of Riomaggiore and Manarola,” said Riomaggiore Mayor Fabrizia Pecunia, “because it was born out of people’s desire to unite our Villages and the two communities. To finally see the workers at work is a great thrill and repays me for the work done over the years. From the search for funds to the various stages of the project, it has been a complex journey carried out in perfect synergy among the institutions involved. A virtuous model that I hope can be replicated for the other important and strategic interventions that affect us. I thank everyone who worked with us and believed in the value of keeping the road public. We will follow all interventions very closely, but as of today we see the reopening really getting closer.”

To follow the progress of the work live, the Riomaggiore Municipality has created a live straming:
https://www.comune.riomaggiore.sp.it/streaming-via-dellamore/

Cover Photo Micheal Pasini©

St. John the Baptist – Riomaggiore

June 24 marks the patronal feast of St. John the Baptist in Riomaggiore.
The church dedicated to the saint was founded in Nov. 8, 1340.
Traditionally, a procession is scheduled at 9 p.m. along the streets of the village, and activities organized by the parish take place during the day.

What you can see in the parish church of St. John the Baptist:
  • ROSE WINDOW: The work is located on the main facade and, as the epigraph kept in the building’s bell tower mentions, dates back to 1471. Collapsed along with the facade around 1870, it was relocated to its current location in the early 1960s
  • MERIDIONAL FLOOR PORTALS: dating back to the period of construction of the religious building (founded Nov. 8, 1340), the portals depict zoomorphic and anthropomorphic characters. In particular on the left portal we find two scenes: the first is a dragon chasing a deer, the second a procession of animals (a wolf, a fox, a raven and a rooster surmounted by a stylized sun). This second scene suggests a depiction of a tale from the Roman de Reinard (Reinard the fox).
  • PULPITUS: The pulpit is adorned with a low relief depicting St. Martin with St. Joseph and St. Anne on either side, dating from 1530 (as inscribed). Popular traction has it that the work depicts St. Joachim and came from the Church of San Martino Vecchio in the Vallata di Biassa, which was abandoned in the 16th century. Instead, a notarial deed from the first half of the 1600s attests to the work as being part of the decorations of an existing altar in the church of St. John the Baptist and confirms that, the saint depicted, is St. Joseph.
  • PREDICATION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST: The painting, displayed in the left aisle, is locally attributed to Domenico Fiasella
  • SACRESTIA PORTAL: On the left side of the altar is the finely crafted portal leading to the sacristy, topped by a bas-relief depicting the Madonna, St. John the Baptist and St. Francis. The bas-relief, dated to the 15th century, is reminiscent of the triptych displayed on the altar of the Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta.
Church of St. John the Baptist
Interior
Altar
Rosette
Left portal of the southern facade
Right portal of the southern facade
Pulpit
Pulpit detail
Preaching of St. John the Baptist
Sacristy Portal
Detail of the Sacristy portal triptych

Walking in summer

Holistic trekking in the Cinque Terre

Some tips for how to best approach yourCinque Terre trek.

1) CHOOSE THE ROUTE SUITABLE FOR YOU AND CHECK THE WEATHER.
2) WEAR SUITABLE CLOTHES AND REMEMBER THAT HIKING SHOES ARE MANDATORY!
3) DON’T FORGET: HAT, SUNSCREEN AND A CHANGE OF CLOTHES
4) CARRY PLENTY OF WATER WITH YOU: DRINK IN SMALL SIPS AND OFTEN. ALONG THE WAY YOU WILL NOT FIND MANY FOUNTAINS.
5) STOP AND REST FOR THE NECESSARY TIME AND REPLENISH MINERALS
6) KEEP RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR: EX. DON’T LIGHT FIRES
7) IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL 112, stay connected and DO NOT MOVE

Remember that with very high temperatures, it is advisable to walk at times suitable for the route. Try to avoid the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. time slot.

Trekking: avoid the hottest hours

The extraordinary heat of this Italian summer 2022 does not seem to want to subside, which is why Cinque Terre Park is launching an appeal aimed at everyone who wants to walk our wonderful trails.

To avoid heat stroke, we recommend that you walk early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Thus avoiding the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. time slot.

Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Feast of St. Bernard at the oratory in the Lemmen locality.

HISTORY OF LEMMEN
Lemmen was one of the first hillside settlements that,together with the villages of Casen, Montenero, Casinagora and Sericò, gave rise to the present village of Riomaggiore. We find records of these settlements as early as 1251. Gradually these skilled vineyard growers began to move closer to the sea in order to facilitate the wine trade, thus giving rise to Riomaggiore.
To learn more, visit the Riomaggiore Municipality Documents and History page.

HOW TO GET TO LEMMEN
The Oratory of St. Bernard is located along the section of the SVA trail that connects Riomaggiore with Telegraph Hill, and from Lemmen there is an impressive panorama.
From Riomaggiore, the ascent is about 1h45 minutes’ walk with a hiking-type difficulty

Feast of St. Roch

Feast of the Oratory of San Rocco in Riomaggiore.

Program will follow

ORATORY HISTORY:
You will find the oratory of san rocco at the entrance to riomaggiore castle square. The small building was built in 1480 following a plague that raged over the village at that time. Of note is the lintel of the entrance door depicting St. Roch, showing signs of the plague, and St. Sebastian pierced. This oratory originally housed the triptych, now on display in the parish church of St. John the Baptist, depicting The Virgin and Child between St. Roch and St. Sebastian.

Rimazû Folk Festival

The festival dedicated to dialect songs returns to Riomaggiore!

From August 19 to 21, appointment in the Cinque Terre village with the third edition of the Rimazû Folk Festival – Sounds and Voices between Liguria and the Mediterranean.

PROGRAM

  • FRIDAY, AUGUST 19
    9 p. m. in the enchanting setting of the terrace of Riomaggiore Castle with the Padua Guitar Quartet, which will present a program specially designed for the festival, entitled “¡Cómo resuena la mar esta noche!” Music and dance around the Mediterranean.
  • SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 – TWO DATES
    11 A. M. – The festival will move into the streets and among the people with Sciaàtu ‘nti carugi, traveling stornelli through the most picturesque corners of the village and stopping in the cellars of Riomaggiore winemakers specially opened for the occasion. The start is in front of the Loggia di Banchi in central Via Colombo, and during the morning there will be live links with Radio Skylab Varazze by Stefano Pastorino and Donatella Durando, who will also be the official presenter of all events.
    9 P.M. – The traditional concert featuring the best of Ligurian dialect song in Piazza del Vignaiolo. Doing the honors will be the Riomaggiorese band Grandi & fanti, who wanted to gather around them the many friends who will take the stage: Andrea Facco, Attilio Valeri, Audiovirale, Gnachi & fürbe, Mandillä, Maz Vilander & Makadam Zena, Renzo Graglia, u Cantautupittu, u Carbun & de Januaicans. Once again this year, the piece that is deemed most capable of embodying the spirit of the festival will be awarded a special prize given by the artistic direction.
  • SUNDAY, AUGUST 21
    9 p. m. – Piazza del Vignaiolo, the festival will close with Dezandia de ŝtria!, a concert by Grandi & fanti, who will be accompanied on stage by Genoese rapper Mike fc. The hosts will present to their audience the new song Lamacrexa, winner of the Elmo Bazzano award for scenic impact and consistency in the relationship between lyrics and music at the last Ligurian Language Song Festival. Through a special commemorative T-shirt, moreover, the ten-year anniversary of Vega vughina, the first piece specially written for the band and a true manifesto of its poetics, will be commemorated.
Press Release-Rimazû-Folk-Festival-2022Download

Feast Of The Assumption

Feast of the Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta in Riomaggiore (loc. Compagnia).
Program will follow

WHAT TO SEE IN THE ORATORY (16th cent.):
Triptych: depicting the Madonna and Child between St. John the Baptist and St. Francis, the triptych is placed on the altar and is a work of notele value dating back to the 16th century. The author is not known
Statue of the Madonne delle Catene: The wooden statue depicting the Virgin and Child is dated to the early 14th century and is one of the oldest existing wooden sculptures in the province of La Spezia. The chains represent prisoners who were victims of raids by Muslim pirates, of which the Cinque Terre coast was also the scene.

San Lorenzo – Manarola

Patronal festival of San Lorenzo in Manarola on August 10. Here is the schedule of events.

9 p.m. – Procession through the streets of the town with the effigy of the saint.
AUGUST 10 and 11 – Ingenuity Market in Capellini Square from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What you can see in the parish church of San lorenzo:
Rosette: the sculpture that graces the main facade of the Church, is embellished with twelve colinnas with forged capitals. At the top of the crown you will be able to make out human and lion heads. The work was carried out in 1375, as the plaque below the rose window reports.
Marble Tabernacle: In the right aisle, toward the apse, you will find a small tabernacle intended to house the holy oil. At the top you will see a bas-relief depicting the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. This lunette, until not long ago, graced the entrance of the church but, due to obvious deterioration, was moved.
Triptychs: on the High Altar you can admire a fine triptych depicting the Madonna and Child between St. Matthew, St. John the Baptist, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St. Lawrence. While in the left aisle is a wooden triptych with St. Lawrence between St. Anthony Abbot and St. Bernard. Both works are dated to the early 1500s and are attributed to the Master of the Cinque Terre.