The village of Manarola in the Cinque Terre (Liguria, Italy)

Manarola is one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre in Liguria (north-west Italy). Fewer tourists come to Manarola than to the other villages. Wrongly so. From our point of view, Manarola is at least as beautiful as the other four villages.

Orientation Manarola

As in all the villages of the Cinque Terre, it is best to arrive by train. Cars are not allowed in the village. The train station is about 100 metres from the village behind a mountain. But don’t worry, you don’t have to walk over the mountain. There is a tunnel for pedestrians through the mountain. It takes 2-3 minutes to walk from the station to the village.

Coming from La Spezia, Manarola is the second of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. The neighbouring village in the direction of La Spezia is Riomaggiore, and Corniglia in the other direction.

Our tip: Day trips Cinque Terre

There are bus excursions to Cinque Terre from many towns in the surrounding area. Here are a few good offers that have been praised and rated highly by our clients:

>>> Very good tour by bus from Florence to Cinque Terre: Click Here

>>> Very good daily tour by bus from Pisa to Cinque Terre: Click Here

>>> Great bus tour from the city of Milan to Cinque Terre: Click Here

>>> Very good tour by bus from nearby La Spazia to Cinque Terre: Click Here

The village of Manarola

If you come through the tunnel from the station you will find a small square in the middle of the village. Go down a few steps and you are in the picturesque main street. Here are some nice restaurants and shops.

Manarola does not have a real harbour. Nevertheless, there used to be numerous fishermen. After using the boats, they are pulled out of the water with winches or a hoist, even today.

Manarola is built on a rock. There is little space between the sea and the rock. Every square metre is used, some houses were also built up the rock.

A great village that should not be missed. It is considered the oldest of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. The village is more than 850 years old.

Manarola is also famous in Italy for a great Christmas cot (8 December to mid-January). According to some statistics, it is the largest nativity scene in the world.

It is also a village of painters. Some famous artists have lived in Manarola for some time and have settled here completely.

Trains run at least every 30 minutes from Manarola to all the other villages of the Cinque Terre, as well as to the very nearby big city of La Spezia.

The path of love

Many visitors to the Cinque Terre don’t do it all by train, but walk between two or more villages. The distances are short, usually only 1 to 3 kilometres. The paths, however, vary in difficulty.

Rather easy and short is the walk between Manarola and Riomaggiore. The path is called the “path of love”. It is only about 1.5 kilometres. However, it goes up more than 200 metres (about 600 steps) and then back down again. The hiking trail is well developed. It is very well known. Hundreds of tourists walk this path every day. There are great views. The name of the Web of Love is “Via dell’Amore” in Italian, “Lovers Walk” in English.

Caution: Until 2022, the Way of Love is closed for renovation after a storm. There is an alternative path between the two villages, but it is longer and more difficult.