Squeezed between two steep terraced hills that descend to the sea in steep crags, the ancient village of Riomaggiore strikes the visitor with its houses built vertically and delightfully colored, while walking through the alleys, vaults and stairs of the village, you he is fascinated by the alternation of lights and shadows.
Riomaggiore is the most eastern and most southern of the Cinque Terre. The historic center is located in the Rio Maggiore torrent valley, the ancient Rivus Major from which the village takes its name. The inhabited area has a terrace structure, composed of several colored houses, defined as tower - houses, developed in height on three or four floors, which follow the steep course of the stream. The origin of the village dates back to the VIII century. It is said that a group of Greek refugees, to escape from the persecutions of the iconoclastic emperor Leo III Isaurico, after several vicissitudes landed near the tip of Montenero and built settlements in the ridge area. It was only after the year 1000 that, thanks to the greater safety of the seas, due to the expansion of the Republic of Genoa, the inhabitants of the primitive hill settlements could progressively descend towards the sea, thus giving rise to the first nucleus of the village of Riomaggiore, located in a district known today as Marina. Riomaggiore is equipped with a train stop on the Genoa-Pisa line and the village is also accessible by sea, both by private means and by the Cinque Terre ferry line. From Riomaggiore to Manarola runs the Via dell'Amore, a very charming and romantic pedestrian street engraved and carved into the rock, overlooking the sea. Being a village of essentially peasant and non-maritime culture, the typical dish par excellence is a meat dish, it is the savory rice cake, prepared according to tradition on the occasion of the patronal feast of St. John the Baptist. Another basic dish, prepared especially in winter, is the field soup, seasoned with olive oil and made, with potatoes and wild herbs, among which scrépuu (field radicchio), sexìrbua (cicerbita), ravèste (ravastrello), gìde (chard), purasèu (garlic of the vines), bavaàta (red valerian) and cudegàn. Other typical dishes are the ravioli, prepared for the holidays and in particular eaten according to tradition for three days in a row during the carnival, the top of the genovese, the pesto and the chestnut flour cake, called patona or castagnaccio. Among the most popular dishes in the traditional cuisine from Riomaggiore are the stockfish, salted anchovies and muscles (molluscs) stuffed.
Village of Riomaggiore Municipality of Riomaggiore Province of La Spezia
Liguria Region
Inhabitants: 1.496 riomaggioresi Altitude center: 35 m s.l.m.
the Municipality is part of: Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre
Municipality Via T. Signorini 118 - tel: 0187760211
Tellaro's main place of worship located close to the sea
Località Fiascherino, 5 - 19032, Lerici (La Spezia)
15.90 Kilometers from Riomaggiore
= distances as the crow flies
BY CAR
Traveling on the A12 highway, if you are coming from Genoa or Livorno, take the exit towards La Spezia and continue on the SS 370, reaching Riomaggiore.
Driving along the A15 motorway if you are coming from Parma take the exit for La Spezia and continue on the SS 370 reaching Riomaggiore.
The Cinque Terre are an imaginary heritage of the soul, and for those who love a sensory journey with romantic notes, the Ligurian coast and the villages of Lucignano and Varenna are rich in landscapes, views and paths capable of satisfying the 5 senses and the emotion that synthesizes a unique experience: love.The eastern coast of the Cinque Terre is steeped in the scents of its cuisine of land and sea, which have made it a UNESCO World Herit...
Thick forests, stony ground, lakes and bogs then mule tracks, pastures, valleys and amazing landscapes often with a sea view. The quantity and variety of the Italian parks are unique. One life is not enough to know them well and the same goes for the food specialities you can taste in the villages that are spread around them. There’s nothing better than ending an enjoyable excursion by tasting the local food and buying the best products in the local tiny shops. We haven’t decided to describe a tasting route in this pages by ch...
The salted rice cake is a typical recipe of Liguria, in particular of Riomaggiore, one of the seaside villages belonging to the Cinque Terre. The salted rice cake has ancient origins. To study them, we have to go back to 1500, when the scholar Ortensio Lando compiled the Commentary on the most notable et monstruose things of Italy, to which he added a Catalog of the inventors of the things we eat and drink. Savory pies were born for economic reasons, or better, thrif...
Photo credits: The Walt Disney Company (DISNEY ITALIA)
The new Disney-Pixar film tells the story of the adventures of Luca, the young protagonist who spends a holiday in the enchanted landscapes of the Cinque Terre, among picturesque villages and crystal clear sea.The images in the trailer manage to capture the beauty of the territory that only a region like Liguria can offer.