Cinque Terre: Via Dell' Amore (cont)

5. Riomaggiorre

Since we didn't hike between any of the towns, we decided to do the easiest  trail,  the Via Dell'Amore (Lover's Walk) from Manarola to Riomaggiorre. The paved path high on the slopes of the cliffs was easy  to walk and took a hurried 20 minutes. We had to hurry because the last train out of CT was at 8:30 pm. We also had to get to Pisa before the trains stop running. As such, we didn't have the chance to see the town which I was told is beautiful from the hill top.

Last look at Manarola, and I was very reluctant to leave. The sun was setting, the weather was  cooler and the whole place felt lovely and away from the rest of the world.

We passed a restaurant half way on the walk.

So romantic, watching the sun set while they ate. Honeymooners, get there!

Lovers' locks all over the fences. Cheesy, like Verona's Romeo & Juliet wall, but does remind you that this IS Lovers' Walk.

"Hey, that's my lock!"

 

Caught this shot just when a train was passing out of the tunnel.

Riomaggiore in the distance

The gate at the end of the walk, looking back towards Manarola.

 

The walk abruptly ended here where this guy was making a pizza. This IS Italy, I was reminded. We ran downhill to the station:

And that's all we saw of Riomaggiore!

I wish we had more time in CT. If I were to do it again, I'd stay a night at Manarola and I'd take a boat ride from at least one island to the next (6 euros only) because when you approach the islands by sea, they are at their most dramatic and beautiful (see the small pics I grabbed from the link).  CT is not as refined or developed as say, Portofino (only 23 km from Genoa, we missed it!) or the Amalfi Coast but it has small town charm and remains unspoilt although there were more tourists than I expected. If you are in the region, CT is definitely worth a vist especially if you love hiking, the sun and sea. I'm dreaming of Santorini next.