Tours in Riomaggiore

Walk down to the little harbour in Riomaggiore and you will see the boats hauled up on the slipway, right in the middle of the village. Tall, narrow houses in faded pinks and ochres stack up the sides of a steep gorge, and the main street runs down to the water like a gutter for people. Go early, before the day-trippers arrive, and you will hear shutters opening and someone shouting a greeting across the lane.

This is the first village on the Cinque Terre coast if you arrive from the south, and it feels the most like a working harbour town. The Via dell'Amore starts here, the cliff-edge path that links Riomaggiore with Manarola, and the old trails climb from the back of the village through terraced vineyards. Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso follow along the coast, each with its own colour and its own mood. Locals will tell you to try the anchovies, the focaccia and the sweet Sciacchetrà wine, ideally with something salty on the side.

Most people see all this from the trail or the train window. The view that stays with you is from the water. From a boat the villages look like they were poured down the cliffs, and you understand how little flat ground there is. You can slip into the sea off the rocks near Le Rosse, with the cliffs behind you, then drift past Manarola and Monterosso and look back towards Portovenere and the Gulf of Poets. Take a towel and sun cream, and let the sea decide the exact route.

If there is a church, castle or trail you want to see properly, ask. A local guide can build a day around it, and Riomaggiore is a good base for that.