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Good news! Via dell'Amore in CT is now partially open!

Posted by (California 🦋) on

As many of you know, Via dell' Amore (pathway of love) is a very romantic pathway that connects the Cinque Terre villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola.

This famous pathway was built along the winding cliffs overhanging the sea at the beginning of the 20th Century when a footpath was needed for the railroad workers during the construction of the tunnel that connects the 2 villages.

There is a legend that this pathway became a meeting place for lovers from the two towns.

Via dell'Amore had been closed due to the landslides that unfortunately injured some Australian tourists in 2012.

After many months of work & renovations, part of Via dell' Amore was officially opened on April 3rd, 2015!

This includes the first 300 meter stretch on the Manarola side of the path.

Here is the Citta' Della Spezia's newspaper article announcing the official opening of the first stretch of Via dell'Amore (in Italian): http://www.cittadellaspezia.com/Cinque-Terre-Val-di-Vara/Attualita/Via-dell-Amore-venerdi-sara-inaugurato-179529.aspx

You may see photos of the opening ceremonies here:http://www.cittadellaspezia.com/fotogallery/Presentazione-battesimo-primo-tratto-1458_1.aspx

When my mom & I stayed in Monterosso some years ago, walking on Via dell' Amore was one of the highlights of our visit!

The scenery is just magical!

So, if any of you are traveling to the Cinque Terre, make sure you take a stroll on this lovely pathway!

Thanks Laurettebenton for posting your question earlier today as this prompted me to do some research!

Posted by
506 posts

Thanks for the update, I am a little sad because I had no idea it was closed! We are going with friends in May and they have never been to Italy. In 2008 my husband and I hiked most of the hikes, I don't think we could do the hard ones now, and our friends are older than us so I was counting on taking them on the "easy" one. We will have to check in like we did last time in Monterroso and see exactly what is open now. I know about the terrible floods they had but did not think this was effected.

Posted by
5301 posts

Judy,

When we visited CT we did not hike the trails, as my mom is elderly, but we did enjoy visiting all the villages via train.

Even though Via dell' Amore is only partially open, you & your friends will have a great time enjoying the magic of CT!

Have a great trip!

Posted by
145 posts

Yay - We'll be there in May as well! With a portion of it open, does that mean you walk that portion and then turn around and go back?

Also, can you recommend a good map of the trails so we can see what you mean? (and know where we're going, once we're there)

Thanks!

Posted by
16780 posts

Teresa, unless they have that section completely open by the time you go, yes you'll need to turn around and retrace your steps back to Manarola. What's not completely clear here is if you must purchase a Cinque Terre park pass to do this partial section as 300 meters is not very long. I would assume that you do but it's possible that they're waiving that.

Unlike the rest of the Cinque Terre hiking routes, the Via dell' Amore is a lot less 'trail' and a lot closer to a paved sidewalk.

The best map is on the park's website; click on it for a larger version:

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp?id_lingue=1

The dell' Amore - which part of the larger SVA (ex.n.2) Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail) - is the red line running along the coast from Manarola to Riomaggiore. That red line indicates that the ENTIRE route is closed but obviously that's not the case. I'm sure they'll update the map when more of the route is open.

Posted by
506 posts

There is a park office in Monterrosso that you should probably check the status of all the trails. They can answer all your questions. Also as said by other, I believe there is a bar on that trail to stop and have a drink and enjoy the views. We will be there for three nights, so time to look into other things to do.

Posted by
5301 posts

Thanks Kathy & Judy for addressing Theresa's questions.

I presume there will be a charge for walking on this stretch of Via dell'Amore. I read that the estimated renovation cost is close to 3 million Euro, so....

Here is some information about the CT card: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/cosa-sono-le-cinque-terre-cards_2.asp?id_lingue=2

Note that there is a discounted price for children under 12 & seniors over 70.

Enjoy your trip!

EDIT: Here is a list of information centers in CT: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/centri-di-accoglienza_2.asp?id_lingue=2

Posted by
506 posts

Thanks Priscilla for all these web sites to look at! I will keep an eye out to see if you post any other information.

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