Manarola and the Walk of Love
Our Mediterranean Cruise was off to a rocky start since we were not able to stop at the Monte Carlo port due to high seas so we sailed on to Livorno, our Tuscany port. We had booked an excursion through the cruise line to the Cinque Terre since both Jim and I had been to Florence already. We couldn’t have made a better decision! The Cinque Terre was magical.
The term Cinque Terre (literally, the” Five Lands”) refers to the area of the five villages along a rugged strip of the Italian Riviera, in the coastal area of Liguria north of Livorno and is sandwiched between the foot of the alps and the Ligurian sea. These fortified villages are among the most beautiful in Italy and looking at them you can imagine their long history of invasion from the sea since their earliest days in 1050 when Vernazza was called Castrum Vernatio. Despite periodic pirate invasions, they continued to thrive in these precariously perched towns and cultivated grapevines and olive trees and fished from the sea for centuries. The only marauders in today’s Cinque Terre are the hoards of tourists who arrive every summer.
The term Cinque Terre (literally, the” Five Lands”) refers to the area of the five villages along a rugged strip of the Italian Riviera, in the coastal area of Liguria north of Livorno and is sandwiched between the foot of the alps and the Ligurian sea. These fortified villages are among the most beautiful in Italy and looking at them you can imagine their long history of invasion from the sea since their earliest days in 1050 when Vernazza was called Castrum Vernatio. Despite periodic pirate invasions, they continued to thrive in these precariously perched towns and cultivated grapevines and olive trees and fished from the sea for centuries. The only marauders in today’s Cinque Terre are the hoards of tourists who arrive every summer.
When our bus arrived at the parking lot in Manorola, the mists were just clearing from the rows of grapevines draped across steep slopes. We gazed around us at hills boasting a dozen different shades of green, and I marveled over the mini-rail-tractors with flatbeds attached. They were perched on what looked like single railroad tracks and are used by the vintners to climb the precarious incline to pick and transport the grapes. Our Italian guide gathered our attention and herded us behind her with the first of many shouts of “Andiamo!” (Let’s Go!).
Leading us with an umbrella rather than a sign pointing high above her head (wise because there was a threat of rain), she lead our group down through narrow winding lanes lined with flower boxes filled with red and pink Geraniums and tiny courtyard gardens with clusters of pots overflowing with color. We meandered downward threading our way through the fishing boats crowding the narrow lanes, to finally reach a small piazza where the Mediterranean spread out before us.
Usually a vibrant blue, on that day the sea was slate gray and the rolling, foaming sea crashed its waves against jagged rocks. To the right and left of us dark grey cliffs were topped with soft green waves of vines or clusters of scrub, which grew almost to the very edge of the cliff as if about to slide off into the water. Aged pastel stucco apartments glowed whenever caught by the sun peeking from behind a cloud, and they clung to the cliffs seeming to defy gravity and the pull of the sea.
Within all this vertical beauty was the prize we were looking for; “The Walk of Love”. This path appeared cut into the side of the stony cliffs winding toward the village of Riomaggiore. While the sea views during the walk were magnificent, the up-close views were also intriguing, filled with succulent cactus and spiny pines and junipers sometimes laced with tiny flowers or fragrant honeysuckle.
The walkway itself was dotted with groups of locks (yes I mean pad-locks!). These symbolize everlasting love and could be seen grouped with others or alone, some hanging from the ceiling by chicken wire, on the fence rails and just about any other attachable surface. Many of them were accompanied by ribbons, tags or graffiti on the cliff wall. You are supposed to bring a lock with you when you visit to ensure a long and loving relationship with your partner. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that before our visit, so we took advantage of the next best thing, the “Love Chair”. Supposedly if you sit together in the iron chair (the back of which is an entwined couple), it will accomplish the same thing. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
Of the three towns of the Cinque Terre that we visited, Riomaggiore was the most quiet. We did enjoy exploring the tiny stores selling colorful pottery, produce, local wine and dried pasta that lined the steep lanes. Since we had only very limited time, I’m sure we missed out on many of the treasures Riomagiore had to offer, but our guide pressed us onward back up the hill to the railroad station for the next phase of our tour.
Andiamo! On to Vernazza! Just a note! Don’t use the toilet at the station unless it is an emergency. The nasty hole in the ground is not too clean after so many uses, and unless you have pretty good calf muscles and great aim, you’ll be in trouble. Be sure to stop in for a coffee or snack at a café or restaurant in order to use the facilities there! Not only will your experience be so much more pleasant, but you probably will find a souvenir or tasty item or fantastic coffee you could have otherwise missed!
Andiamo! On to Vernazza! Just a note! Don’t use the toilet at the station unless it is an emergency. The nasty hole in the ground is not too clean after so many uses, and unless you have pretty good calf muscles and great aim, you’ll be in trouble. Be sure to stop in for a coffee or snack at a café or restaurant in order to use the facilities there! Not only will your experience be so much more pleasant, but you probably will find a souvenir or tasty item or fantastic coffee you could have otherwise missed!
A Musical Photo Montage!