Marcel Burger - Third time's the charm

Manarola, Cinque Terre, June 2025

In the northwest of Italy lies a coastal region that is UNESCO World Heritage for a great reason: "Cinque Terre is a cultural landscape of great scenic and cultural value. The layout and disposition of the small towns and the shaping of the surrounding landscape, overcoming the disadvantages of a steep, uneven terrain, encapsulate the continuous history of human settlement in this region over the past millennium." In short: freaking gorgeous villages built onto the rocks at a mesmerising coastline.

The five villages of Cinque Terre

The core of Cinque Terre exists of five villages. From south to north it are: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. But go hiking between these car-free villages and one discovers there are more communities further up hill. To get from one place to the other takes about 1 to 2 hours on foot, or 2 to 5 minutes by the very efficient local train.

Visiting Cinque Terre a bit out of the tourist season means one can enjoy amazing sunsets with film-worthy locations as a backdrop. Apart from Corniglia, which is high up on the rocks without direct access, one can take a swim in the Ligurian Sea in each village. However, Monterosso has the best beach for it.

How to reach Cinque Terre?

Being high on my wishlist, I finally made it to Cinque Terre in June 2025. It can be reached by train from Pisa International Airport in less than 1.5 hours, making it a great escape for just a few days from almost anywhere in Europe. Since the villages are the pretties at sunset, many visitors - me included - started in Monterosso al Mare, the northernmost of the 5 villages.

Monterosso al Mare

1,300 inhabitants

Parasols are ready for the beach guest at this early morning in Monterosso al Mare

Breakfast with a view in Monterosso al Mare

View at the centre of Monterosso al Mare from the hiking trail.

A tour boat moars near an old military fortification.

A rock in the ocean.

The Convent of the Capuchin Friars in Monterosso al Mare (Convento dei Frati Cappuccini)

Entrace gate to the convent

The cemetary adjacent to the convent.

Torre Aurora.

The eastern part of Monterosso al Mare

At the convent.

Statue of San Francesco d'Assisi, and dog, looking out over the Ligurian coastline.

Monterosso al Mare with the convent dominating over the town middle hill.

Hiking trail to Vernazza..

A cute stone bridge on the way.

Notice the altitude difference. Click on the photo to see the trail high up the hill on the right.

Spotted from the hiking trail from Monterosso to Vernzazza, a tourist boat passes a big rock in the Ligurian Sea.

A house high on the hill near Monterosso al Mare.

Vernazza

688 inhabitants

Vernazza, seen from the hills north of it.

Entering Vernazza from the trail coming from Monterosso al Mare.

The tower of the church Chiesa di Santa Margherita, with the Vernazza castle in the background.

The busy main street of Vernazza.

A quiet back street.

View at the church from higher up.

A florishing cactus on the trail from Vernazza to Corniglia.

If one gets uphill from the main street ...

... one finds hardly any tourist.

View from the south at Vernazza and its castle tower.

View to the north at Vernazza and - in the far distance - Monterosso al Mare.

Corniglia

195 inhabitants

First sight of Corniglia on the trail coming from Vernazza. In the distance Manarola is already visible. Corniglia has no direct sea access, and no beach. It is high up on the rocks.

Walking into Corgnilia.

An alley leading to the centre.

Inside the centre of Corgnilia.

An art gallery along the trail from Vernazza to Corniglia.

At the local church.

Steps to a viewpoint at the Oratorio dei Disciplinanti.

Anno Uno, a photo from Corniglia in 1981 by Paolo Pellion di Persano on a wall.

A tour boat heading to Riomaggiore.

Manarola

350 inhabitants

Long-distance view at Manarola from Corniglia. A tour boat is approaching the tiny harbour.

Details of the waterfront square of Manarola.

At the edge of Manarola

Small side street away from the tourists in Manarola.

Houses have been built on the round remnants of the Manarola castle.

The cliffs down in the harbour bay of Manarola.

View to the north from a playground.

The eastern part of Manarola.

The railway station of Manarola.

Sunset in Manarola.

Manarola at sunset.

Sunset view to the north

The waterfront path from Manarola to Corniglia has been destroyed by rockslides.

Manarola in the middle of the day.

Close up of the southern side of the village at sunset.

Manarola after sunset.

Via dell'Amore

The Via dell'Amore is the path of love, spanning about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) along the coast between Manarola and Riomaggiore. It all started in the 1920s when the railroad between the two villages was made. Two small paths were made to lead to a storage of dynamite that was used to blow up rocks to make way for the railroad. The connected paths made the two villages easily connected for the very first time.

Before the paths were made, there here was hardly any contact between the people of Manarola and Riomaggiore. The fishermen of both villages might meet at sea, but then again they might not see each other for years after. The villagers even spoke different dialects. The trail quickly became popular among young lovers, hence the nickname Via dell'Amore - which was later adopted as the official name.

In September 2012, four Australian tourist were injured in a landslide at the Via dell'Amore, and subsequentlhy most of the trail was closed. After much renovation and securing the rock cliffs with heavy metal mesh, the Via dell'Amore was entirely reopened in July 2024.

The northern part of the Via dell'Amore, in Manarola, starts with a covered pathway.

The northern part of the Via dell'Amore.

The southern part of the Via dell'Amore, although this part south of the railway station of Riomaggiore is officially not counted as part of the love trail.

Cliffs with spectacular wear and tear at the Via dell'Amore.

A sailing boat of the Cinque Terre coast. Seen from the Via dell'Amore trail.

A cliff jumper making his way into the Ligurian Sea.

Terrace with a view at the southern end/beginning of the paid part of the Via dell'Amore.

The "inland" hiking trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola

Apart from the Via dell'Amore there is also a free passage between Riomaggore and Manarola. This PN5T hiking trail goes straight up and straight down, but since most tourist do not choose this path, it is relatively quiet. The trail itself is a wonderful hike, with great views and small adventures. An absolute marvel - viva la vita!