Riomaggiore, a seafaring town located in the eastern side of the Cinque Terre, is the first town you can visit coming from La Spezia.
The first thing you see when arriving by sea, is a row of typical pastel-coloured Ligurian houses overlooking the rocks. The village is especially famous because the Via dell’Amore (Lovers’ Lane) starts here. The Via dell’Amore is a footpath originally built to connect Riomaggiore with Manarola, stretching along the rocky seacoast.
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 also the seat of the National Park of the Cinque Terre, established to preserve the unique but fragile territory of the Cinque Terre, that was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage.
In spring and summer, ferries and boat tours depart daily going between the towns of the Gulf of La Spezia, the Cinque Terre, the Riviera and Portofino, weather and sea conditions permitting (info:www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it).
Highway A12, 34 km. far from the tollgate of La SpeziaTrain station:
Riomaggiore (info: www.trenitalia.com)