Riomaggiore is the southernmost of the five Cinque Terre villages, the first one reached from La Spezia by train (3 minutes on the Cinque Terre regional train), and therefore the gateway that most visitors enter first. The name: "Rio Maggiore", the greater stream, the reference to the Rivus Major (the main stream) that flows through the village valley into the sea, covered over in the medieval period but still running beneath the main street (Via Colombo) and emerging at the harbor. The village structure follows this valley: the main street runs steeply from the train station down to the harbor, with the medieval tower-houses built directly against the valley sides on both banks of the covered stream, the pastel-painted facades in the specific Cinque Terre color range (ochre, rust, pale yellow, gray-blue) that the sea light and the dense proximity of the buildings produce as their specific visual signature.
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Riomaggiore: What to See and Do
The Via dell'Amore
The Via dell'Amore (the Path of Love, the coastal path that connects Riomaggiore to Manarola along the cliff face, approximately 1.1km, 20-30 minutes) is the most famous section of the Cinque Terre coastal trail and the one most frequently inaccessible: the path was built in 1922 (originally for maintenance access to the railway tunnel between the two villages) and has suffered multiple landslide-related closures, the most significant being the 2012 landslide that closed it completely and whose repairs were completed in stages through 2024-2025. Current status: verify at parconazionale5terre.it before planning, the path has reopened in section, with timed entry and a ticket (approximately €5) required to manage visitor numbers. When open, the Via dell'Amore is the most accessible and most dramatically positioned section of the Cinque Terre coastal trail: the path is essentially flat, the cliff drops directly to the sea below, and the views back to Riomaggiore and forward to Manarola are the canonical Cinque Terre cliff-path experience.
The Castle and the Harbor
The Castello di Riomaggiore (the 14th-century castle on the rocky promontory above the village, reachable by stairs from the main street) is used for cultural events and exhibitions in season. The exterior terraces provide the elevated view over the harbor and the village rooflines. The Riomaggiore harbor (the small basin below the main street, where the fishing boats are hauled up on the slipway and the seasonal swimmers access the water from the rocks) is the social center of the village in the evening, the aperitivo (pre-dinner drink with snacks) at the harbor-edge bars and the specific Riomaggiore tradition of watching the sunset from the harbor rocks are the most specifically local evening activities.
Q&A: Riomaggiore
Should I start my Cinque Terre visit at Riomaggiore or Monterosso?
Starting at Riomaggiore (the southern end) and walking or taking the train north produces the specific sequence that builds from the smaller, steeper, more dramatically positioned villages toward the larger, more resort-oriented Monterosso. Starting at Monterosso and working south produces the reverse, the resort atmosphere first, the drama later. The Riomaggiore-to-Monterosso direction is generally preferred for the specific experience of the Cinque Terre: the southern villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia) have the most specifically Ligurian fishing community character, and entering from the south places this character first in the sequence.
