Riomaggiore
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Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore

Steep Cinque Terre fishing village, where colourful houses climb above a narrow Ligurian harbour.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost of the Cinque Terre villages, clustered in a narrow valley where the Rivus Major stream once ran down to the sea. The village stacks up both sides of the gorge in colourful towers — buildings lean against each other across the stepped lanes, with the sea visible at the bottom. It is connected to Manarola to the north by the Via dell'Amore, a cliffside path that was closed for years following landslide damage and reopened in 2024.

The harbour is small, tucked between rocks, and used by local fishing boats. The hillsides around the village are terraced with vineyards that produce Sciacchetrà, a sweet local passito wine.

Riomaggiore receives large day-tripper numbers in summer, as do all the Cinque Terre villages. The atmosphere is much more pleasant early in the morning or in the shoulder seasons.

Local tip

Riomaggiore is the first of the five Cinque Terre villages — buy a Cinque Terre Card for the trains and trails that link them. Cars are banned in the villages, so park above or come by train. The cliffside hiking trails are stunning but sometimes closed by landslides, so check before you set out. Grab a paper cone of fried seafood to go.

Guide

Eating Out

Cinque Terre food is rooted in what the sea and hillside provide: fresh anchovies and other fish, pesto made with local basil, farinata (chickpea flatbread), trofie pasta, and the local Sciacchetrà wine. Via Colombo has the highest concentration of places to eat. Prices in the tourist season are higher than elsewhere in Liguria, and quality is uneven — the places with harbour views tend to charge accordingly.

Guide

Things to Do

Riomaggiore is small — you can walk from one end to the other in ten minutes — but its setting makes a powerful impression. The stepped lanes of the old town, the stacked coloured houses, the fishing harbour tucked between rocks, and the vineyards terracing up every available slope reward unhurried exploration.

cinque terre