Cinque Terre and the Via dell'Amore

We take the train at La Spezia heading for Riomaggiore. The first stretch of the Via dell'Amore, from Riomaggiore to Manarola, is perfectly walkable, a paved path under the rock, unbelievably crowded already at 10 in the morning. We proceed along the path that at times climbs, at times descends towards the sea, among breathtaking views, whereas the train runs almost always in tunnels. We reach Corniglia and discover that the stretch towards Vernazza has just reopened after a landslide. Making it as far as Monterosso is impossible, both for lack of time and for the uncertainty of the path being fully passable. So we continue only as far as Vernazza, where we arrive around lunchtime. We make the return by boat heading for Porto Venere. Pleasant to observe the coast from the sea, the vines grown on the terraces, the houses that appear in the middle of nowhere, the rocks that change colour.

A lovely experience, we would recommend a stop longer than a single day. We stayed overnight at Marina di Pietrasanta, at the Hotel Oceano, on the seafront.