Manarola

This morning we set out to see the only Cinque Terre town we hadn't seen yet, Manarola. After checking out and putting our luggage in the car, we set out on the path to Manarola.


Brandon enjoys some crackers for breakfast.


One last look at the view from out room.

The walking path to Manarola is fairly level and well paved. In many places, it hangs out over the sea.

Manarola is attached to its train station by a 200 yard tunnel. During WWII air raids, villagers would take refuge in these tunnels, often sleeping in them. The town fills a ravine, and like a couple of the other towns, its river runs down the center but is covered by the main street.


Train station in Riomaggiore


Coast path






The name of this path is Via dell'Amore. For centuries, the Cinque Terre towns were very isolated. Villagers rarely married outside of their community. In the 1920, the first trail was built, between Riomaggiore and Manarola. After WWII the path became a meeting point for boys and girls from the two towns. Closing a lock together at a romantic destination has become a craze for young lovers in Italy.

We walked down the main street to the harbor, then worked our way back up to the top of the street. The Parish of St Lawrence sits at the top of the town. It dates back to 1338.


The main street down to the harbor.


One last sea view.


The bell tower at the top of Manarola.

From the church we followed a Rick Steve's walking tour that took us up through the vineyards and out to the point just north of town. Unfortunately, this is where my camera battery decided to die.

My camera doesn't seem to give me any notice. The battery charge goes from full to empty without any in between. So, be sure to check out Katrina's pictures when she posts them. This was a beautiful hike on a gorgeous day. Manarola ended up being our favorite town of the Cinque Terre.

After stopping in town for some focaccia, we walked back to our car in Rimaggiore and headed home.

Cinque Terre is a fantastic region of Italy. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting this amazing country. We had a great time. We ate a lot of great food, especially focaccia. Katrina took a lot of great and colorful photographs.

Our next trip is in two weeks. On the evening of the 28th we fly to Barcelona, Spain for 5 days. Its a holiday weekend, so Brandon and Katrina have extra days off of work and school.