Exploring Riomaggiore & Via dell’Amore | Cinque Terre Adventure to Manarola at Sunset
Today’s video is about arriving in Rio Majori in Chinqer, Italy. We fly into Pisa, take the train to Laspetsia, then change trains and board a short train to Rio Major. Once we arrive there, the easiest way to get from the train station to the main part of town is to travel through a tunnel. This tunnel takes you to the main part of town. And we walk up through town and we arrive a little bit early. We note the archway where our hotel is located, but we’re a little bit early to meet our host, Marion. So, we sit down at the bar and have a beer. This is a well-known bar. I text Marion back and tell her that we’re at the Bar Central, which is a popular bar and is recommended to visit when you’re in Rio Major. It has beautiful views and you can watch the tourists walk by as you sit up on the balcony. Once Marion shows up, she walks us through the archway and up some really cool stairs behind the buildings. Then we enter a public hallway and she takes us to our room. She opens the door and gives us a lot of instructions and we see that our room is small, clean, but plenty adequate. We clean up and then head out on the town. The first place we see is a gelato place, but we’re not ready for that yet. So, we walk around a bit, observe the tourist shops, and eventually we get to a place where it’s time to have some pizza. We walk into this beautiful shop, and the Italian boys there are making beautiful pizza. It’s super hot in the shop, but the menu is gorgeous, and we pick out some nice options. We sit down outside, eat our pizza, and then we decide it’s time to head down to the water. We walk through the town, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. There’s plenty of tourists around, but that’s just how it is here. Eventually, we decide to take a side tour. We climb up some stairs to explore the back areas of Rio Major. And it’s really fun. There’s so much walking around you can do. Eventually, we get to a place where we find a dead end. And we realize that there’s no going further. But the nice thing is that the views are incredible from this spot. Then we find our way down and we discover this incredible staircase. Now keep in mind there’s so many stairs in Rio Majiori and all over Chinqera and the stairs can be extremely steep and definitely not to code. But then we arrive at the harbor and you can see a crane out there and it’s moving some rocks which are discarded pieces of granite that were mined at the Karada Quarry nearby. It’s a beautiful site and we see a tourist boat that’s traveling into the breakwater area. Then we continue on one of the three trails that will take you back to the area of the train station. There’s the tunnel, you can walk along the coast, and you can also hike up and over the hill. All these options are beautiful, but it was nice to discover this new trail that took us back to the train station. From there, we hiked up high with the old castle up at the summit. The views of the town from there were incredible. The castle itself is relatively modest, but you can walk in and the entry fee is only €2. And that’s appropriate because there’s not that much to see here, but there’s a nice little museum inside. And then outside there’s a nice balcony. From there, you can get a view of the ocean. And there’s also a nice view of the clock tower, but you’re going to need to lean over the edge to be able to see it. And also, the view of the town is pretty spectacular from this location. Then we walk down from the tower down below the clock tower. And the next thing we discover is a beautiful cathedral that’s a little bit up on the hill. And we walk inside and check out the cathedral. It’s absolutely gorgeous and quite old. Then we continue exploring and walking through some of the small streets. And you can see the post office there, which is pretty cool. It’s closed now, even though it’s the middle of the day on the weekday, so I’m not sure what the hours are. But we continue and walk through some ancient gates. And this takes us back to the main drag in the town. And you can see a side trail going up the stairs there. And then in town, you can see this small ambulance. A lot of times the vehicles in Italy are very small, but this is a newer church. Definitely not as dramatic as the other one, but still worth checking out. And this one is right on the main drag. As we walk in, we can see all the candles lit. And it’s a beautiful church and just not as elaborate and old as the other one. This one says AD 1921. Presumably that’s the construction date. You can’t drive through the town, but we frequently saw a bus traveling through there having to negotiate his way through all the tourists. It was pretty interesting to watch him drive. I stepped into a bar and saw these old bills there. Next, we head to the Via de Laore. It was originally created in the 1920s as a service route. The path was originally created as a service route for railway workers at the start of the 20th century in the 1920s. The route was needed for modernization of the Genanoa Laspetsia railway line to safely transport explosives for the construction of the tunnels. The trail became a secluded meeting spot for young lovers from the previously isolated villages of Rio Majiori and Monola. Before the railway, a deep gorge separated the two communities. An intermarriage was rare. The new path changed the area’s social dynamic and became known as the path of love. Later it was developed as a tourist attraction and then was destroyed by a landslide in 2012. It took 12 years for it to reopen and many euros. But in 2024 it reopened as a Via de Alamore again. The reopening drew international attention to the newly restored 900 meter long trail. There has been some controversy about the trail, but the one thing you should keep in mind is that there is a charge to travel the trail and tickets can be purchased at the nearby train station. We traveled the entire trail to Monola and then we turned around and came back and by the time we came back it was sunset so it’s a beautiful time to observe the ocean in the town of Rio Majior. At night they turned lights on. In the evening is a wonderful time to walk this trail. I hope you enjoyed this short introduction video about Kingera and the southernmost town of Rio Majiori. Don’t forget to like and subscribe and until next time, thanks for watching.
Join us on a breathtaking journey through Riomaggiore, one of the five iconic villages of Cinque Terre, Italy. We arrive by train and are warmly greeted by our lovely hostess, Marion, who helps us find our charming hotel hidden in the colorful cliffside streets.
After settling in, we:
🍕 Grab delicious takeaway pizza
🚶♂️ Wander through the village’s narrow alleyways
⚓ Walk to the marina and along the rugged coastline back to the train station
🏰 Hike up to the historic castle overlooking Riomaggiore for spectacular views
❤️ Travel the world-famous Via dell’Amore to the picturesque village of Manarola
🌅 End the day back in Riomaggiore, just in time for a magical Mediterranean sunset
Whether you’re planning a trip to Cinque Terre or just dreaming of Italy, this video is the perfect escape filled with coastal views, history, food, and romance. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow along for more travel adventures!