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RIOMAGGIORE By:
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Where we are Riomaggiore is in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria. It ‘s the most eastern municipality of the Cinque Terre, it was named after the creek that runs through the valley, the ancient Romans called it Rivus Major. The village has two distinct parts, the historic centre which is located in the valley of the stream and the new part of the village, near the station, is built like the Genoese tower houses, making its way through the narrow passage between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine mountains, that from Mount Zatta go down towards the Vara valley on one side and to the deepest bays of the coast on the other side. The hamlets of Manarola, Volastra and Groppo are part of this municipality
How to get there By sea: It is definitely not the most comfortable way to reach the hotel, but it is without any doubt the best way to enjoy the beauties of the landscape, buying a daily ticket from one of the nearby villages or La Spezia, with departures in the morning, gives the possibility of reaching Portovenere or the villages of the Cinque terre. The Consorzio Marittimo “% Teerre Golfo dei Poeti” is the main company that handles the boat departures and trips, reaching Levanto, Bonassola, Deiva Marina, Moneglia, Portofino and also the island of Palmaria, Portovenere . During the summer, there are boats departing from and to the Cinque Terre and also Versilia. By air: The nearest airports are “Cristoforo Colombo”airport in Genoa and “Galileo Galilei” airport in Pisa, both connected
to the relevant train stations, you can reach Riomaggiore from both directions, in about an hour, with a local train or with an intercity changing at La Spezia centrale station. Also Malpensa airport in Milan, for international flights, can be a valid solution, with the obvious stop at Milano central Station heading to La Spezia. Even if this solution, requires more attention to the timetable, for many it has been the best solution, but let’s see why . By road: Comfortable and equipped for our needs, the car helps us in the journey to reach La Spezia, but we must say that during our stay in Riomaggiore, is not a valid help. The coastline with its narrow bends is not ideal for families with children, the parkings in the village are few and with fee, they are all outside the centre, that is forbidden or restriced to residents. The motorways of main interest are the A12 Genoa-Livorno or the A15 Parma-La Spezia, both connected to the exit La Spezia - Santo Stefano Magra. From there you can continue along the main road Via Carducci in La Spezia, towards the main road 370, also known as Litoranea of the Cinque Terre, you will reach your destination in about twenty minutes. As usual, the train turns out to be the best solution, the easiest and the cheapest. Riomaggiore has a train station, where also inter-regional trains stop every hour, the ticket booth is served and the historic center is at a short walking distance. Remember though to consult the Trenitalia website for faster and easier online booking, There is a ticket booth and the historic centre is at a few steps distance.
A bit of history A legend, that has not been confirmed, states that first inhabitants of the place were not just fishermen, but also farmers. Refugees who came from Greece, escaping from the emperor
of Byzantium, settled much more upstream than the current district, more or less along the ridge of Montenero, moving towards the sea only after the massive expansion of the Republic of Genoa, which guaranteed their safety, thus creating the first housing unit in the current district of the Marina. After the period of supremacy of the Maritime Republics, to which the district of Riomaggiore joined spontaneously, the major fortifications were built, the first and most beautiful of which is the castle. The territory becomes property of the Fieschi family, and is then sold to Genoa along with a great part of the east side. It is in this period that they start to appreciate the mountain that goes down towards the sea with its famous dry stone walls, developing the pride of the village: the extraordinary activity of viticulture. With the subsequent French domination by Napoleon Bonaparte, Riomaggiore becomes part of the Department of the Gulf of Venus, with La Spezia as administrative centre, in 1815 Riomaggiore will be included in the Kingdom of Sardinia, suffering other destinies but not losing its trade expansion.At the end of the nineteenth century, the trade will be developed with the construction of the railway line Genova-La Spezia, this will allow the village to come out from a provincial isolation, that will be definetly defeated years after thanks to the construction of the driveway. However it will be the railroad that will mark the fate of Riomaggiore during the war, at first it provided a valid link to the markets throughout Europe,but during the war, being under the bombs of the enemy, it became the only real safe place for civilians and homeless, becoming their momentary home. Once rebuilt the ruins, the village starts again to stand out throughout the east, not only for the production of wine and oil, but also for its natural beauties which gradually, over the past twenty years, have been recognized and protected by UNESCo
How to move about It’s not a secret that Riomaggiore develops in height. Coming and going from the rocky beach in the centre of the village may become a good physical exercise. Don’t be discuraged by these steep lands, because for those who will appreciate the most unfriendly feature of its villages, the surprises will be many. The first and most obvious is the extensive network of trails that cover the hill, rising from the sea side at the foot of the mountain. For centuries the ground connections between Riomaggiore and the rest of the east side, have almost been identical as in the past, climbing up the terracing between the pine groves and the omnipresent agaves. The main trails are three, all well marked by CAI (CLUB Alpino Italiano): path numer 1 or ALTA VIA of the Cinque Terre, runs alongside the ridge, on the border line with Val di Vara, the path of the sanctuaries that combines the beauty of the sea to that of the churches and path number two, or Blue trail that connects Riomaggiore to the rest of the villages. An ideal solution, if you are not willing to look for an extemporary parking along the roads, are still the boats and motor vessels, or if you are the happy owner of a boat you can even stop at a proper distance from the dam, enjoying the sea and not the village, it can be a positive experience. Another advantage, which we have already described, is the use of trains, but only in the low season as in the summer the amount of people is likely to be considerable. Like all the other villages of the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore is really very small, and it will only take half-day walk to visit the centre and all its “carrugi”. The use of the bike is only for people who practice sport, but we strongly discourage it to the others.
Nature
Riomaggiore’s cooking
Rocky promontories overlooking the clear sea, bays, clefts, small coves between the rocks are the attractions that encourage million of tourists to come back to Riomaggiore every year. Being isolated, the village as well as the rest of the other villages, has not been affected by the profiteering of its coasts or by the vast pollution, so the sea bottom is full of sea fans and posidonias, but also tropical fish attracted by its clean sea just like the tourists. It is not uncommon to bump into a dolphin and other cetaceans. The poet Montale describes the Cinque Terre as hawks and seagulls nests, and is indeed the best description that sums up the nature of the place, in addition buzzards, wild boars, foxes and martens are the fauna to watch out during your daring excursions. The vegetation is typically Mediterranean, enriched by broom, arbutus and thyme, along with all the smells coming from the vegetable gardens that we know well that grown spontaneously. In the really shiny vegetation, the colours of grapes and lemons stand out, giving the wild environment a sort of genuine romantic idea. The oasis, because this is what we are talking about, after it received the title of World Heritage Site in 1997, by UNESCO is an uninterrupted trip through vineyards, olive groves and steep pine groves, all easily accessible even by less experienced walkers and well trained families. There is a distincitive trait that the careful traveler will notice during the summer, it is the extraordinary difference in weather between the Cinque Terre and the nearby La Spezia, the air gets warmer, and encourages a swim even at the end of September. This feature is given by the 800 mts hight of the mountain chain that overlooks the sea, a good shelter from the mistral winds typical of the area, but it is also attracts clouds when the warm and cold currents crash in October.
Before talking about the cuisine of Riomaggiore, one must talk about its wine. The first ancient taster was Plinio (first century DC), who describes it as the best Etruria wine.It is a white wine, Cinque Terre DOC, the result of a mix of wood grapes, Vermentino and Albarola, flavored not only by the concentration of sugars in the small scented grape but also and above all, by its proximity to the sea, to the brackish water, particularly marked by the slope of Riomaggiore. A second but no less famous wine is Sciacchetrà, a sweet passito wine, with a strong taste and a delicate fragrance, it’s the result of a long period of aging, it is often produced independently by the growers themselves.The gastronomic tradition, needless to say, refers to the poor ingredients of the earth , as they say, few but good.Yummy indeed. Vegetables and herbs such as basil, marjoram, sage, along with wild plants like oregano and borage, rosemary, thyme, or the famous “herbs” are essential and are used both in the preparation of main and second dishes. The vegetables are well appreciated in the stuffed roasts, in the “cima”, in the fresh pasta such as “pansotti” or in the “vegetable soup”, another great protagonist as we as soups, sis the prebuggiun, its ingredients are leftovers and reduced to the bone. Seabream, sea bass, sea bream, together with the famous Monterosso anchovies, are the catch of the day, they are always accompanied by the good fresh oil and the very scented lemons that have nothing to envy to those grown in the south.It i like a non required tribute to this mythical birthplace, the favorite dishes of the inhabitants of Riomaggiore are not made of fish, but herbs and fruits of the harvest. The vegetable pies such as the Pasqualina and the one made of rice, are a good option between an appetizer and a proper meal, letting a space for the chestnut pie “casta-
gnaccio” at the beginning of the autumn.Less popular but still present is the game, with variations in cooking the famous Ligurian rabbit or the deluted sauces with wine. Catering is approacheble and It is mainly formed by agritourism and small taverns, but the lack of staff will not be noticed after having tasted the pesto sauce with Trofie or the stuffed mussels, also known as the muscles, made by the old grannies employed in the kitchen.
Places of interest The most well-known and loved place of interest, when it comes to Riomaggiore, is the “Via dell’Amore”. It was originally built in the thirties in order to reach the village of Manarola, it was dug into the rock overlooking the sea, caught between the rock made warm by the sun and the horizon that looks like glass, it offers breathtaking views in the early morning as well as at dusk. After half an hour of photos, which will never be enough, you will lead straight towards the gypsies houses, as we like to call them, of the village of Manarola, continuing with other striking walks in the village. Another smaller beach, unknown to most people and accessible only from the sea, is the beach between Punta Castagna and Punta del Cable, it’s like a real paradise postcard cooled by a small natural waterfall. If you have your own boat and maybe you’re even in love, this place is a must. Remember that Riomaggiore is part of the Marine Protected Natural Area of the Cinque Terre, included between the promontory of Punta Roca and Cape Montenero, both inside the National Park of the Cinque Terre : both areas are safeguarded and protected for its biodiversity, so be careful to what you pick up and do not to leave waste in the water as well as in the woods. From the vegetation to the rocks in the upper part of the village, here there is the home of the landscape painter Telemaco Signorini, who portrayed this place in his works, he lived and worked here for a considerable period of his career. Behind the village peeps the sanctuary of Our Lady of Montenero, a church like the basilicas locaterd at more than three hundred meters from the sea level, accessible only through the panoramic road that connects it to the village, this church is part, along with the shrine of Our Lady of health in Manarola, to the shrines of Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Reggio in Vernazza and the shrine of Our Lady of Monterosso Soviore of the “shrines of the Cinque Terre”, to which an entire path is dedicated. The parish church of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the town, is another fine example of long-lived sacredness, it is located in the upper part of the Riomaggiorese historic centre. Around the nineteenth century, the building was expanded and the facade was renovated in a neo-Gothic style, maintaing the original rose window in white marble, and therefore constantly offering us not only features of Roman architecture, but also of other styles easily found due to negligence or to the wars in the whole east side. More than a fortress, with its old circular towers, the castle of Riomaggiore dominates the landscape sheltered on top of the hill Cerricò, converted from its original defensive role during the Napoleonic period to a graveyard. Next to it there is the oratory of San Rocco, built in 1480 after the plague. The castle is currently used as a cultural and congress centre.
Accomodation, tourism and events In addition to climbing up the trails of Riomaggiore and the adjacent areas, you can ride horses to enjoy the darker woods overlooking the sea. The Equestrian Tourism Center is the body in charge of hiring and accompaning hikers along the paths according to the difficulty. If you don’t like woods, sightseeing boats connect Riomaggiore to the main landing places but also to the minor islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, and of course Portovenere, which is also connected to Lerici and San Terenzo. Up to twenty years ago, during the season of the grape harvest, they used to organize a Grape Festival, it was a competition between the various districts which unfortunately no longer exists. However it is still possible to admire the work of the farmers not only in their last works shown on the table, but also accompanying them in the dangerous work of viticulture. Taking advantage of every single plot that the sea tries steal he land, the grapes are grown o trellis at no more than a meter above the ground, often trying to adapt not only to the limited space, but also to the right sun exposure, which is an essential
element to obtain an excellent must. During the grape harvest, th grapes are carried on the shoulders with baskets, up to the cellars and the following bottling, to solve the vertical distances some monorails were installed, all in full respect of the environment. June is the month when the town’s patron saint, St. John the Baptis celebrated, with a procession that goes round the meeting points of the village, and Whit Sunday at the Shrine of Our Lady of Montenero there are further celebrations. During the Christmas season, you can see in the nearby Manarola village the shapes of the crib, brightly lit on the hills. A curious news: Riomaggiore was the first Italian village to be equipped with a cable television system connected to a single satellite receiver. The Town hall has in fact banned the use of normal antennas on the roofs, iin order to preserve the looks of the landscape from the air.
Real propriety market The Cinque Terre, are a small stretch of coast in the eastern part of Liguria, located in the Province of La Spezia.This is a unique land with an orographic background apparently hostile, where its inhabitants have shaped a landscape of rare beauty, between terraced vineyards and five very coloured villages by the sea.
The Cinque Terre are a National Park, a Natural Reserve and a Unesco Heritage, so buying in this part of Italy means an important investment, that will become interesting and convenient as it will increase in value. You will also be able to rent your estate, for long or short periods, to the many international tourists that visit this area every year. There are different types of estates in this area, from the rustic with vineyard overlooking the sea, to the typical fishermen houses located in the middle of the villages. Prices vary from â‚Ź 2.000,00 per sqm to â‚Ź 8.000,00 per sqm, for estates of important value, located in central and striking areas, with direct access to the sea. Estates in this area have an annual revaluation of about /%, without considering a possible rent.
Surroundings Riomaggiore, among the five villages can be considered the land par excellence, the one that perhaps better defines the toughness with which the place expresses itself and the tenacity of its inhabitants Its boundaries are not marked, due to the merge with districts and scattered houses, either by the richeness of shared details not only with the Val di Vara, but also with the rest of the traditions of the fishing villages of Levanto and Portovenere above all.Drawing a more exact line, we can say that in the north there are the municipalities of Riccò del Golfo and Val Soviore, in the south the Ligurian Sea, in the west Vernazza and in the east the administrative centre, from which it is at twenty minutes distance following the coastal road that connects Them. Whatever road you choose to get there, Riomaggiore is a main popular destination for hiking lovers and for those who still want to remember the old rural folklore.