Hey guys,

today I would like to introduce you to a new beautiful village of the five villages of the Cinque Terre. In my last posts I already told you something about Vernazza, Manarola and Monterosso. I visited all five villages during my vacation in Italy this summer. Our accommodation was in Vernazza and from there we took the train to the other four villages. This worked out amazingly well, the villages are all just one stop next to each other and a ride to the nearest village took about ten minutes.

"Tower houses" in Riomaggiore with structure from the Middle Ages

Today we will talk about Riomaggiore. Riomaggiore is the easternmost village of the Cinque Terre. To this village we had the longest journey from Vernazza, about half an hour. However, since we visited all five villages in one day (which is actually doable), it didn't feel like half an hour. Before Riomaggiore, just behind Vernazza, there are Corniglia and Manarola. Riomaggiore, like Monterosso, but for a different reason, has set itself apart from the other villages of the Cinque Terre. This is because the houses have a different structure. Many are so-called "tower houses", they all have about 3-4 floors. In them you can still recognize the house structures from the Middle Ages. The houses in Riomaggiore are also close to each other. Just like in Vernazza, Manarola and Monterosso, the houses are very colorful and painted in the typical Ligurian colors.

Houses that seem to be crushing each other

The main road to Riomaggiore leads up a slope.
You can see that from the harbor: Here you can see the towering houses that almost seem to be crushing each other. I was very impressed by the architecture. If you continue down the street, you will find a small bay with coarse gravel. It's better to sunbathe in Monterosso, and if you don't mind rocks, then in Manarola;)
As in every village of the five villages, the cafes and restaurants are along the main road.
By the standards of the other villages of the Cinque Terre, the main road in Riomaggiore is quite wide. Like most of the other villages, it leads through the town to the sea.
As in the other villages, the daily life of the locals takes place mainly along the uphill road.
A small tip (of which I knew nothing before my trip to Cinque-Terre itself: In Riomaggiore there are relatively many private accommodations where you can stay. Therefore, the costs here tend to be quite a bit lower than in the other four villages.

"A Pié de Ma" with a great view

What I can definitely recommend to you for your visit to Riomaggiore: The bar "A Pié de Ma". The bar is worth a visit for the view alone. On the very last picture you can see the bar on the top right, built directly on the big rock. I took the photo of the restaurant on the rock directly from the train station in Riomaggiore. Already from here you can see the people sitting in the bar.

At first glance, it looks like you have to walk a very long way up (admittedly, when I saw the bar up there, I felt very much reminded of our climb at Corniglia). There we had to walk up many steps to even get to the village. But that is not the case in Riomaggiore. From the train station you turn left and then walk up a few steps. You are already in front of the bar. As you can see in the pictures, we looked for a table right on the edge and at the great view. In addition, there was a Pina Colada (they had none on the map, but have made us a similar cocktail.

Three parts of the village connected by tunnels

If you come to the Cinque Terre from La Spezia, Riomaggiore is the first town you come across. The village can be divided geographically into three parts: Once the train station. From here begin the many paths for hiking to Manarola. Then there is the center of the village. From here you can walk to the church of Montenero and Portovenere. And third, there is the fishing district. All three parts are connected by underground tunnels, as there are more often in the villages of the Cinque Terre.
If you're spending a little more time in Riomaggiore than we did (we were only here for a few hours), the Castle of Riomaggiore and the Panoramic Square and Church of San Giovanni Battista are definitely the right choices as places to go. Both are said to be very beautiful. If I come here again and have more time, I will certainly check out both.

Also very beautiful is said to be the beach of Riomaggiore, which the village also has to offer. The beach is located a few meters behind the port. It is very small and there are a lot of big stones, but the view compensates for that: here you can admire the sea directly in front of towering cliffs. They are covered with green bushes.

How did you like Riomaggiore from my stories? Or have you been to Riomaggiore before? Feel free to write me a comment and give me some feedback. See you next time!