Isn't this exactly what you'd imagine an Italian seas-side town to look like?
One Thing to do in Riomaggiore: Take a walk!
Riomaggiore from the start of the Via dell'Amore.
The paths connecting the towns of Cinque Terre are one of the biggest tourist attractions; the views are just amazing. The "hike" from Riomaggiore to Manarola is the easiest; you're basically walking about a mile on mostly flat sidewalks. The first start of the walk is under archways, called the Via dell'Amore (Walk of Loooooo-ooo-ooove), which the good people of Italy cheesed up with some kissing statues.
Formaggio, no?
However, if you hike in the other direction from Riomaggiore, down the coast, you'll find a guard tower. This hike was uphill and had some kind of treacherous ledges, which freaked me out in a good way. We spent some time walking up this side and then rewarded ourselves with gelato, of course.
Death-defying!
Of course, walking through town is lovely as well. There's castles and churches and some really steep hills. I don't know how the little old ladies do it. I was definitely huffing and puffing, which was wholly unrelated to the pounds of pasta I'd eaten the night before, I have no doubt.
I struggled with what I would deem my One Thing for Riomaggiore. I thought I'd direct you all to the best pizza I've ever had - a simple slathering of tomato sauce, basil and mozzeralla on a thick foccacia - from a little deli-type thing (it wasn't a restaurant, there weren't any tables or anything) on a hilly street. But, after I'd relooked over my photos from the trip, I realized that it'd be kinda silly to come out and say the pizza was better than the views. I mean, it was the best pizza ever in the history of man, but the views were even more amazing. So if you have time for two things - get a slice.
Have you been? Did you find the magical pizza?
I've been! It's an unforgettable experience. During my 3-month stay in Italy, my friends and I took a trip to Cinque Terre and hiked through all five towns. I remember being on the dock you have in your first picture picking out seaglass to take home. We stayed with an eccentric painter in one of those little houses along the hillside and spent our nights talking to that crazy Italian about art. The hikes were exhausting (I have asthma), but the BEST views are in between the towns, which you can only see if you're hiking! I didn't have the pizza you're talking about, but I had oodles of delicious pizza while in Italy. I still hold a special place in my heart for the "pizza church" in Verona. It was an old church converted into a pizzeria. I wish I would get a chance to go back this year, but we're "settling" for a beer tour this fall in Germany. Thank you for posting these pictures... on a random Thursday morning while sitting at my office, it's nice to remember my own trip!
ReplyDeleteLooks freaking fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteHello and thanks for this post, just want to invite you and your readers to our site about the cinque terre ( in my signature ) and to the blog where
ReplyDeleteyou can find Video of the Cinque Terre plus post in english with touristic information for the 5 Terre