Manarola at sunset

Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. Mostly all of the houses are bright and colourful.

Manarola at night

Manarola is a town filled with boats, at least on the lower part of it. Covered boats of all kinds line the main street, but it is hard to say when they had last been out. There are many lovely places to eat and drink in Manarola.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is the southern-most of the 5 Terre. During the day you can hear bell towers chiming and at night the frogs are in frenetic chatter as small boats go night fishing for anchovies and other fish using lights to attract the fish.

Vernazza

Vernazza is the next to northernmost town and perhaps most picturesque of the five towns of Cinque Terre in Italy. Colourful, antique homes cling to impossible cliffs. A lovely small harbour nestles under the shadows of an ancient castle and a dramatic seaside church.

Manarola

Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.

Manarola in sunset

In recent years, Manarola and its neighboring towns have become popular tourist destinations, particularly in the summer months. Tourist attractions in the region include a famous walking trail between Manarola and Riomaggiore (called Via dell'Amore, "Love's Trail") and hiking trails in the hills and vineyards above the town.

Manarola

Manarola at night.

Manarola

Manarola at night.

Manarola

Besides enjoying the beauty of this small town, hiking the trails to the other towns is definitely worth a day or two in the area.

Manarola

The tiny harbour at Manarola features a boat ramp, picturesque buildings tripping down the ravine and the town's swimming hole. Although there is no real beach here. A ladder up the rocks and a shower are provided for those who love a little adventuresome swimming.

Manarola

Manarola has a nice little swimming area. It’s a little cement pier next to some big rocks that you can wade out from, into the blue blue waters. It gets deep fast, so it's possible to dive off the end of the pier. Plenty of caves and coastline to explore, and underwater rocks.

Manarola

Heavy sea at Manarola.

Love's Trail - Via dell'Amore

The Cinque Terre towns were extremely isolated until the last century. Villagers rarely married anyone from outside their town. After the blasting of the second train line in the 1920s, a trail was made between the first two towns: Riomaggiore and Manarola.

Love's Trail - Via dell'Amore

After World War II, the trail was reopened, and became established as a lovers’ meeting point for boys and girls from the two towns. A journalist, who noticed all the amorous graffiti along the path, coined the trail’s now-established name, Via dell’Amore: “Pathway of Love.”

Love's Trail - Via dell'Amore

This new lane changed the social dynamics between the two villages, and made life much more fun and interesting for courting couples. Today, many tourists are put off by the cluttered graffiti that lines the trail. But it’s all part of the history of the Cinque Terre’s little lovers’ lane.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore, the first village of the Cinque Terre. The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town's vineyards.

Riomaggiore main street

Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo and numerous restaurants, bars & shops can be found on this street.

Vernazza harbour

Vernazza has the only proper harbour in the Cinque Terre and is a charming, small fishing village. Vernazza was founded about 1000 A.D. and was ruled by the Republic of Genoa starting in 1276. Vernazza's medieval castle, Belforte, was built in the mid-1500's, primarily to protect the village from pirates.

Vernazza

Vernazza's historic wealth is evidenced by the elegant style of its houses and streets, which are decorated with tower forms, open galleries, refined arcades and elaborate doorways. The Village is surrounded by very steeply-terraced Olive groves which are said to produce among the finest Olive oil in the country.

Vernazza

The Blue Trail from Corniglia to Vernazza, the next town to the north, is a dirt path that starts off in an olive grove above the town. It keeps climbing and things get a bit sweaty and steep in some places, with many stone steps and a few switchbacks. Nothing too strenuous though. The trail along the sea affords great backwards views of both Corniglia and Manarola.

Vernazza

You can spend the evening having wine along the main street below the train station, lounging on a quiet bench above the town beside hotel Gianni overlooking the sea, or by the sea, watching the mountainous coastline zigzag in and out, hiding Monterosso.