Cinque Terre, Italy: Manarola

They say that Manarola is the oldest village among the 5 Terres. I don’t doubt it as it is near as authentic as my fave, Riomaggiore.

Very, very pretty Manarola – a picturesque foto of the village set on the rock cliffs. This is taken from the curve of the walking trail going to Corniglia.

The walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola through Via dell’Amore was a good 20 minutes or half an hour of slow unhurried strides whilst casting glances and appreciating the cactuses sprouting from the cliffs, the beautiful flowers adorning the trails, and drawing in leisurely the fresh sea breeze and beauty of Liguria.

Midway through Via dell’Amore is a bar restaurant appended on the rock stone. It’s quite cool actually as it looks like it just sprung out of nowhere. A great place for a stopover, although too short for a walk (about 10-15 minutes from Riomaggiore and Manarola), but the bar offers great views of the Italian Riviera di Levanto.

Reaching Manarola was an ‘easy peasy’ walk says Blondine, my obviously blonde Dutch girl friend. A few days later, I found out that she has a much better condition than me. Waaaay better, she makes me feel old, but then again, I am quite older so I guess, I have a very valid excuse =)

So what shall I say about Manarola?

Manarola has a calm and timeless ambience that soothes the senses. We sat down by the cemented sit-on ledge that looks to the towering pastel colored aged houses built on the cliffs and defending the village from the strong waves of the sea. Below we could see people sunbathing on the rocks and enjoying the occasional sea water splatter.

Aside from fishing, the village is also widely known for its local wine called, Sciacchetrà.

The fotos of the short paved hike passing by a bar cafe restaurant clinging on the cliffs:

And finally, here are fotos of Manarola:

Further ahead, the walking trails curved as it lead to the third village of Cinque Terre, Corniglia.

From a distance, we could see the terraced vineyards that decorate the green coastal cliffs of National Park Cinque Terre. We were resolved and excited to finish the trail in Corniglia before we retire for the day and dream of yet another delectable Italian sea food dinner. Yummy.

Next on the entry list is Corniglia, the only village without a haven (marina).

Travel Period: May 2008
Destination: Cinque Terre (Liguria), Italy

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