Riomaggiore (Manarola)
Location
Riomaggiore is the first village of the Cinque Terre coming from La Spezia.
Motorway Exit: Motorway A12, Exit La Spezia (34 km from Riomaggiore).
Train Station: Riomaggiore (info: www.trenitalia.com )
Buses: www.atclaspezia.it
Ferries: in the spring and summer months, ferries and boat tours depart daily from Riomaggiore to the gulf towns, the Cinque Terre, the Riviera, Portofino and Genoa, sea and weather conditions permitting (info: www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it )
Airports: Pisa Airport, 100 km from Riomaggiore (info: www.aereoportodipisa.com) and Genova Airport, 130 km from Riomaggiore (info: www.airport.genova.it)
What to see and do
The first thing you see when arriving by sea, is a row of typical pastel coloured Ligurian houses overlooking the rocks. The village is famous, because the Via dell’Amore (Lovers’Lane) starts here. The Via dell’Amore is a footpath along the rocky seacoast. It was originally built to connect Riomaggiore with Manarola.
The landscape surrounding Riomaggiore is breathtaking. There are over 7,000 km of dry stone terraces, muretti a secco, covered with vineyards. These skilfully made terraces were built by hard working farmers.
A walk along the footpaths, through the Mediterranean vegetation is unforgettable.
Riomaggiore is the seat of the National Park of the Cinque Terre, Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre; (info: www.parconazionale5terre.it). The park was established in order to preserve the unique, but fragile territory of the Cinque Terre. It is a UNESCO World Heritage.
The seacoast is part of the Area Marina Protetta, a protected marine wildlife area. Scuba diving is permitted.
Manarola (Riomaggiore)
Location
Manarola is one of the villages of the Cinque Terre. It is a small village and is under the municipality of Riomaggiore.
Motorway Exit: Motorway A12; Exit La Spezia (27 km from Manarola).
Train Station: Manarola (info: www.trenitalia.com )
Buses: www.atclaspezia.it
Ferries: during spring and summer months, ferries and boat tours depart daily from Manarola going to the gulf towns, the other Cinque Terre, the Riviera, Portofino and Genoa, weather and sea conditions permitting ( info: www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it )
What to see and do
Manarola is connected to Riomaggiore by the famous Via dell’Amore (Lovers’ Lane). The Via dell’Amore is a footpath carved into the rocks above the sea.
Manarola is similar to the other villages of the Cinque Terre. It is made of typical pastel coloured linking Ligurian houses, which were built along a central stream. The village is all ups and downs, with steep narrow alleys (carrugi), leading to the sea.
Manarola is a member of the prestigious club, the Borghi più belli d’Italia (the most beautiful villages in Italy).
Manarola is surrounded by seven thousand kilometres of man made dry stone terraces (muretti a secco) rising from the sea. These terraces contain vineyards in which the famous Cinque Terre white wine, Schiacchetrà, is produced. The Cinque Terre, because of their unique landscape, have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage.
The Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre (the Cinque Terre National Park), was established to protect the rare flora and fauna of the area. The park also maintains the many footpaths which connect the five villages to the Vara Valley and the Gulf of La Spezia. The Via dei Santuari (the Sanctuary Way) can be reached from these footpaths.
A marine reserve (Area Marina Protetta) can also be found in the Cinque Terre. It offers the possibility to scuba dive in the surrounding waters (www.parconazionale5terre.it).
