Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore takes its name from the Rio Maggiore, the stream that once ran through the valley and now flows hidden beneath the main street. Legend tells of Greek refugees founding it in the 8th century; the village we know gathered by the shore after the year 1000, under Genoa's protection.

Tall, brightly painted houses climb the ravine beneath a 13th-century castle. From here the Via dell'Amore — born of railway works in 1926–28 and named by lovers in the years after — runs along the cliffs toward Manarola. Closed by a landslide in 2012, it reopened in 2024; today you walk it with a timed ticket.

From the sea, the castle’s twin round towers are Riomaggiore’s highest silhouette, crowning the hill between the two valleys. And the village keeps its best hour for the end of the day: at dusk the tall painted houses catch the low light and Riomaggiore turns to gold — the sunset departures pass here at exactly that hour.