In
Italian, a trail is called a Sentiero. The one that connects the
five villages of the Cinque Terre is the famous Sentiero no. 2 or
Sentiero Azzuro. The five towns are unique and afford fabulous
views from land and sea. From the sea, the towns resemble a
sparkling necklace decorating the interesting Italian coast.
Since the thirties, the portion of the trail connecting
Riomaggiore and Manarola (the southern- most section of the
Sentiero Azzuro) has been called the Via del’Amore or The
Lover’s Road. It certainly is particularly beautiful with
romantic views.
The 11 kilometer long trail takes about 5 hours to walk if not
much time is spent enjoying the scenery. There is a total
elevation difference of 500 meters between the highest and lowest
points of the trail, and many parts are stony paths with steep
stairs. But the Via dell-Amore section takes only about 20 minutes
traverse leaving lots of time to enjoy its beauty and drama and
perhaps a bit of romance.
