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SMART TRAVELLER


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VIA DELL’AMORE, THE MOST ICONIC TRAIL IN CINQUE TERRE, IS SET TO REOPEN THIS SUMMER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE


What’s the appeal? Set some 100ft above the Ligurian Sea, the Via dell’Amore (‘Path of Love’) links the hamlets of Riomaggiore and Manarola along the rocky cliffs of Cinque Terre, a string of five seaside villages on Italy’s northwest coast. Despite the trail measuring less than a mile in length — forming part of the longer seven-and- a-half mile Blue Trail connecting all five hamlets in the surrounding Cinque Terre National Park — it’s become one of the country’s most famous walking paths. It’s easy to see why: with sweeping views of the sea, steep cliffs and colourful houses, it distills this UNESCO-listed area to its essential ingredients.


Why did it close? The via was cordoned off in 2012 following a landslide and remained inaccessible to the public for more than a decade. Last July, the 525ft stretch from Riomaggiore reopened for a three-month preview, trialling a new entry system to minimise the crowds the trail once


attracted. Previously, access came with a fee but was otherwise unrestricted; the new tickets required visitors to pre-book a slot online for €5 (£4), with 30 places available every 30 minutes, and join a guided tour. The trail is now set to fully and permanently reopen this summer, with the local government aiming to welcome the first visitors in July.


How can I visit? While the price of tickets to Via dell’Amore and exact admission details are yet to be unveiled, entry will continue to be paid for, restricted and guided. The change is part of a larger effort to encourage more responsible tourism to Cinque Terre, an area that’s home to around 4,000 people but received more than four million visitors in 2023. In the long run, the aim is to turn the path into an ‘open-air museum’, exploring topics from the story of the trail — carved in the 1920s by isolated villagers — to its €22m (£18m) restoration project. parconazionale5terre.it ANGELA LOCATELLI


Above: The colourful hamlet of Manarola in Cinque Terre


JUL/AUG 2024 21


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