Via dell’Amore, Cinque Terre’s iconic footpath that traverses the Ligurian coastline, is finally opened for lovers and visitors following a 12-year and 23 million euro (US$26.5 million) renovation.
The craggy “Lover’s Lane” or “Path of Love” has been one of Italy’s most trekked destinations since it was first carved out in the early 1930s. A 2012 landslide closed the path, allowing an intensive restoration project and leaving visitors out of love for more than a decade until a 555-foot stretch of the trail reopened for a few weeks in August 2023 as a proverbial test run. But as of August 9, 2024, the entire 2,950-foot stretch of the newly restored Via dell’Amore has returned with a few updates—and some restrictions.
Say goodbye to scribbling on the walls; this iconic path will now be a pristine canvas, off-limits to graffiti. And say hello to timed entries, limited visitor numbers, and prebooked reservations—measures designed to promote sustainable tourism throughout Cinque Terre, the iconic stretch of rugged coastline along the Italian Riviera, encompassing the picturesque seaside towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso.
How to visit the reopened Via dell’Amore in Cinque Terre
Set your alarms and open your computers. Visitors must prebook time slots in 15-minute intervals. Within the first week of opening, more than 10,000 reservations were booked, according to findings announced by the Commune of Riomaggiore, the town where the journey begins. Operating as a one-way route during the high season, from Riomaggiore to Manarola, visitors are limited to 30 minutes and capped at 400 people per hour. Guides will be located along the route to answer visitors’ questions about the path and provide information about the Cinque Terre area and its communities.
During high season (April 1 to October 31), the path is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m.), while in low season (November 1 to March 31), access is from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.). Residents of Riomaggiore, Vernazza, and Monterosso can enjoy free, reservation-free access from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with additional accommodations for La Spezia residents.
Tickets for the Via dell’Amore can be purchased online, exclusively through the purchase of the Cinque Terre Card Via dell’Amore, or for an additional fee of 10 euros, applied access can be added to any Cinque Terre Card already purchased. Cinque Terre cards can be purchased for access to various treks and train routes. For tourists with the resident tourist card (Guest Card) and staying in the facilities with the CETS Environmental Quality Mark (European Charter for Sustainable Tourism) the fee is 8 euros.
“We’re returning the Via dell’Amore in all its beauty, uniqueness, and in total safety to residents, Ligurians, and tourists from all over the world,” Giacomo Raul Giampedrone, Liguria Region councilor, said at a July 9 press conference announcing the opening.
Safety and preservation were top of mind during the restoration efforts for the Via dell’Amore.
Massimo Parisi/Shutterstock
The new Via dell’Amore—what visitors can expect
The newly reopened stretch of Via dell’Amore is a completely restored Lover’s Lane and coastal cliffside where environmental integration, safety, and preservation are top priorities. Beginning in January 2021, specialized rock workers were flown in via helicopters to block the rocks above and below the route with steel mesh for nearly 28,000 square feet of rockfall barriers. An artificial tunnel that provides subterranean support for the path has been extended, and down below is a 574-foot breakwater to prevent erosion from high seas.
Along the cliffs, more than 8,800 plants have been reintroduced to reinforce the natural landscape, and the new Via dell’Amore has pigmented concrete designed to be visually and architecturally compatible with the natural environment—the colors and design blend in with the rocks. A geotechnical monitoring system that keeps track of rock movement has been installed to provide advance warning for any critical situations that could lead to landslides.
Alessandro Pecunia, interim president of the Liguria Region, views the newly opened Via dell’Amore as an “open-air museum,” which will eventually include site-specific artwork. Meanwhile, today’s visitors can experience on-site storytelling with guides as well as interactive panels about podcasts revealing the tales of the trail, its history, nature, geology and community. Riomaggiore mayor Fabrizia Pecunia described it as “an opportunity to propose a radical change: to transform the path into the model of a conscious tourism, for the community and tourists to protect the fragile territory and the identity of the Cinque Terre.”
The popularity—and necessary preservation—of Italy’s Cinque Terre region
At 100 feet above sea level, the Via dell’Amore is part of the longer CAI Number 2 hiking route known as the Sentiero Azzurro (blue path), a 12.5-mile walking trail that connects all five villages and traverses the entire Cinque Terre region from Riomaggiore to Monterosso.
Via dell’Amore was never intended to be the poster child for trekking, trysts, and Instagram selfies. Dating back to the 11th century, the cliffside villages along the trail were originally only accessible by sea and then eventually by meandering and arduous footpaths. The Via dell’Amore did not exist until the 1930s, when it was carved out as part of the new railway that efficiently connected the towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Riomaggiore, and Manarola.
Even before Rick Steves put Cinque Terre on his must-visit destination map in the late 1970s, the string of small villages along Italy’s western coast attracted travelers who trekked the footpaths connecting the towns to enjoy sweeping sea views and memorable hikes. Considered the easiest of Cinque Terre’s more than 48 trails and hikes, the Via dell’Amore was also picture perfect, winding along pastel-colored buildings and featuring scenic views. In the 1950s, vacationing journalist Paolo Monelli spied a rock with the words Via dell’Amore and immortalized the path as “Via dell’Amore” effectively guaranteeing its allure with visitors. In 1997, Cinque Terre, along with neighbor Portovenere, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
But there is more to Cinque Terre than the views. In the years before the path was closed, more than 870,000 people visited Via dell’Amore annually, a hefty amount compared to the 4,000 residents who make up the five villages’ combined population. On average, more than 2.4 million people visit Cinque Terre per year. Given the onslaught of visitors and growing concerns about the effects of overtourism, it’s no surprise that the reopening of the Via dell’Amore limits the number of visitors. In fact, the trail’s reopening is part of a larger trial program aimed to inspire sustainable tourism throughout the entire Cinque Terre territory.
For instance, Cinque Terre has been promoting beach cleanups, professionally guided responsible hikes, wine tourism, and local artisan exhibitions to get visitors off the well-trod Sentiero Azzurro and deeper into the region with a focus on cultural heritage and environmental preservation. Luring visitors off the more popular treks and diffusing tourism throughout the villages through various cultural activities supports the local communities, reduces erosion from foot traffic, and contributes to funding preservation projects of those very cliffs and footpaths that everyone wants to visit.
For those who want to embrace the area’s natural wonders, the Cinque Terre National Park offers a Cinque Terre Card, a day pass that provides access to the park’s more than 70 nature trails, as well as its historic towns and sanctuaries. It also offers guided tours that include a “plogging” hike—plogging is a new clean-up and exercise trend where one jogs while cleaning up litter.
Each village encourages visitors to dive deeper into the territory with alternative experiences like trekking vineyards to learn about the nearly vertical conditions, exploring the area’s castles, visiting local art studios, and kayaking the coastline. Finally, the best way to help reduce overcrowding of Cinque Terre is to visit in the off season. The UNESCO site—its trails and towns—is open all year, so consider hiking during November through February.
“The beauty of our area is the balance of man and nature,” says resident Christine Mitchell-De Fina, comanager of the restaurant La Cantina di Miky. “The fragility of these villages is something we can share by showcasing how our wine is made, what our artists are doing, and alternative trails.”
