Manarola, Italy, is a cliffside village in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of Northern Italy. To situate the location, it is in the general area of Genoa, Pisa, and Florence. It is part of five (5) similar villages that form what is known as Cinque Terre, or “Five Lands”. These are: Manarola, Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, and Riomaggiore. The villages have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I have visited three (3) of these charming Italian villages and today I am focusing my blog post on Manarola.
These villages are small and you won’t find vehicles in the streets of Manarola so parking is outside the villages which you reach by foot if arriving in the area by vehicle. The only mode of transportation you are likely to see parked inside Manarola are little boats that the locals haul down the hill to the water.
You can also reach the villages by train or by boat. Yes, even the train runs alongside the craggy cliffs.
If you are up for some hiking, there are paths connecting the villages. One such path is shown to the right in the photo below. Moving in, around, and about these villages is on rough, uneven terrain so make sure you wear sturdy, comfortable footwear and come prepared for some strenuous walking.
We arrived by bus and, on the outskirts of Manarola, we came across some local grape harvesting.
The Manarola area is known for its sweet Sciacchetrà wine and many of the vineyards are still family-owned.
Several of the vineyards are terraced as can be seen in the photo below.
Some local fishing along with grape-growing, olive production and, of course, tourism, are the primary industries in this region. Be prepared to share the villages with many other people who visit this area. The villages can be quite crowded, especially during the peak tourism periods of spring, summer, and fall. I visited Manarola on a Sunday in September and it was quite crowded, even quite early in the morning.
It’s easy to see why tourists gravitate to these quaint seaside villages which are often characterized by their bright colorful houses built on the sides of steep cliffs.
The colors of the houses are what one thinks of when associating colors with the Mediterranean.
The famous bell tower in Manarola.
Be prepared to climb steep steps through narrow alleyways to get around Manarola.
Some of the most beautiful scenery in the world can be found in Cinque Terre – “Five Lands”.
I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Manarola, one of the five (5) Cinque Terre villages in Italy.
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