{"id":53888,"date":"2026-09-30T17:20:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/riomaggiore\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T07:04:25","slug":"riomaggiore","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/cinque-terre\/riomaggiore\/","title":{"rendered":"Riomaggiore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Riomaggiore is the easternmost of the Cinque Terre villages and the first one you reach from La Spezia. Its colourful tower houses stack up along a narrow valley down to a tiny harbour, where fishing boats are pulled up onto the street. About 1,250 people live here, and the municipality also includes Manarola, Groppo and Volastra.<\/p>\n

The main street was built over the stream that gave the village its name, the Rivus Maior<\/em>. Riomaggiore first appears in records in 1251; a few years later the Turcotti family built the castle, and in 1276 the land passed to Genoa. In the 19th century the railway cut the village in two, which is why you still reach the harbour through stairs and passages under the tracks. The painter Telemaco Signorini kept coming back for almost forty years and painted it again and again.<\/p>\n

Come for the harbour at sunset, the trails that climb straight into the vineyards, and the logistics: the station is in the village and La Spezia is about ten minutes away by train, which makes Riomaggiore one of the easiest bases for the Cinque Terre. The downside: from April to October the lanes are packed, the beach is small and driving is hard work. Arrive by train and, if you can, stay the night: in the evening the day-trippers leave and the village is calm again.<\/p>\n

What to see in Riomaggiore<\/h2>\n
\"Colourful<\/figure>\n

You can see the village on foot in half a day, but everything is uphill. Think of it in three parts: the Marina with the harbour, the main street climbing the valley, and the upper village with the church and the castle.<\/p>\n

The Marina and the harbour<\/h3>\n
\"Riomaggiore<\/figure>\n

From the station a pedestrian tunnel leads into the village; for the Marina, take the stairs down under the tracks. The harbour is a small inlet closed in by tall, narrow houses, with a slipway where the boats are hauled out. Under the oldest houses runs an arcaded loggia that supports the original core of the village.<\/p>\n

The best time is sunset, when the light hits the fa\u00e7ades. For the classic photo, walk up to the left along Via San Giacomo, one of the spots where Signorini set up his easel. Higher up, at the top of a stairway towards the castle, is the Pidap\u00fcnta, a small viewpoint square that few visitors find.<\/p>\n

Via Colombo and the tower houses<\/h3>\n
\"Main<\/figure>\n

Via Colombo is the main street. It runs up the valley over the covered stream, lined with focaccia shops, small stores and bars. Look up at the tower houses: many have a second entrance higher up at the back, called userv\u00e0n<\/em>. It let families get in and out during storms or when the stream was in flood.<\/p>\n

The Town Hall and Silvio Benedetto’s mural<\/h3>\n
\"Silvio<\/figure>\n

On the way up you pass the Town Hall, its fa\u00e7ade covered by a large mural by the Argentine artist Silvio Benedetto, who worked for years with the Cinque Terre National Park. The figures tell the story of local working life between the sea, the boats and the vineyards.<\/p>\n

Church of San Giovanni Battista<\/h3>\n
\"Fa\u00e7ade<\/figure>\n

The parish church stands in the upper village. Work began in 1340 on the orders of Antonio Fieschi, bishop of Luni, as an inscription records. In 1870 the church was lengthened and given a neo-Gothic fa\u00e7ade, but the original rose window was put back in place. Check the right-hand side: it keeps two Gothic doorways carved with animals and human figures.<\/p>\n

Inside, under pointed arches, there is a wooden crucifix attributed to Anton Maria Maragliano, a Preaching of the Baptist<\/em> attributed to Domenico Fiasella and a marble pulpit. The square in front looks out over the rooftops: Signorini probably painted his Roofs in Riomaggiore<\/em>, now in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti, from here. The patron saint’s feast is on 24 June.<\/p>\n

The Castle and the Oratory of San Rocco<\/h3>\n
\"Riomaggiore<\/figure>\n

On the hill above the village, a few minutes’ walk from the church, stands the castle built by the Turcotti around 1260 and completed by the Genoese in the 15th and 16th centuries. The square outline, the walls and two round towers survive. Under Napoleon it was filled with earth and used as a cemetery; today it hosts exhibitions and cultural events. Even if it’s closed, walk up: the view over the sea and the houses is one of the best in the village.<\/p>\n

Next to it is the Oratory of San Rocco, built in 1480 after a plague outbreak. On the lintel, the saint shows the marks of the disease.<\/p>\n

The oratories of the old town<\/h3>\n
\"Steps<\/figure>\n

Among the stairways of the old town are two small buildings most visitors walk past. The Oratory of Sant’Antonio Abate, in the lane of the same name, dates from the 13th century and is the oldest church in Riomaggiore. The Oratory of the Disciplinati, also called dell’Assunta, holds a 15th-century triptych of the Madonna and Child with Saints John and Dominic and a wooden statue known as the Madonna of the Chains, linked to the pirate raids. Opening times are irregular: if the door is open, go in.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montenero<\/h3>\n
\"Sanctuary<\/figure>\n

About 340 metres above the village, on a plateau among the pines, sits the sanctuary the locals love most. Tradition tells of an icon hidden from the Lombards and found again beside a spring; the first record dates from 1335, and today’s building is the result of works in 1740 and 1847. The square in front is the best viewpoint over Riomaggiore and the whole Cinque Terre coast.<\/p>\n

From the village it’s about an hour on foot up the stairway of trail 593V. Routes, times, the bus option and what to see at the top are in our guide to the Montenero sanctuary hike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Telemaco Signorini in Riomaggiore<\/h3>\n

The Florentine painter, one of the Macchiaioli group, first came here in 1860, when the village could only be reached by boat or on foot. He returned from 1881, once the railway arrived, and between 1892 and 1899 spent almost every summer here. He painted the stream before it was covered, the Marina slipway, the rooftops, the women in the street and the view from Montenero. In 2019 two portraits of local children by him were rediscovered in the Town Hall.<\/p>\n

Beaches in Riomaggiore<\/h2>\n
\"Riomaggiore<\/figure>\n

Riomaggiore is not a beach destination. The main stretch is Fossola beach<\/strong>, east of the harbour: from the Marina turn left towards the ferry landing and follow the path along the cliff. It’s made of large stones and pebbles, with no beach clubs and no lifeguard, just a small shower. In rough seas getting in and out of the water is dangerous. Strong swimmers can reach the Grotta del Pescecane and the Lama Crexia rocks in about ten minutes, swimming towards Portovenere.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> storms in November 2023 shrank the beach a lot, and in August 2025 the council closed access for replenishment works. Space is tight and access may be closed at times: check the notices on the Comune di Riomaggiore<\/a> website before you go. Many people simply swim from the flat rocks near the harbour pier instead.<\/p>\n

Canneto beach<\/strong>, between Punta Castagna and Punta del Cavo, is the wildest, with a freshwater waterfall running down the hillside. The old path is dangerous, so you can only get there by boat, on a tour from the harbour or in a rented dinghy. For a proper, easy beach day, take the train to Monterosso<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Things to do in Riomaggiore<\/h2>\n

Diving and snorkelling in the Marine Protected Area<\/h3>\n
\"Riomaggiore<\/figure>\n

The sea off Riomaggiore is part of the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area, set up in 1997. The strictest protection zone lies off Capo Montenero, the headland east of the village, and off Punta Mesco. Diving there is only allowed with centres authorised by the Park, one of which is based in Riomaggiore: rocky seabeds, shoals and walls full of life, with try-dives for beginners. For snorkelling, the rocks around Fossola are enough.<\/p>\n

Walks and hikes<\/h2>\n
\"Trail<\/figure>\n

Before setting out, check trail status on the Cinque Terre National Park<\/a> website: during weather alerts the council closes the trails, sometimes for days. Bring water and shoes with a good grip, even for short walks.<\/p>\n

The Via dell’Amore<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n

The cliffside path between Riomaggiore and Manarola is the most famous in the Cinque Terre. It reopened in 2024 after years of work and takes about twenty minutes, but you now need a Cinque Terre Card and a compulsory booking<\/strong> for a time slot on card.parconazionale5terre.it<\/a>. Rules, times and tips are in our guide to Manarola<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Riomaggiore to Manarola via the Beccara trail<\/h3>\n

If the Via dell’Amore is fully booked or you want a real hike, take trail 531. It climbs through the vineyards to the ridge and drops down to Manarola in about an hour. It’s steep, with lots of steps, and graded for experienced hikers, but it’s free and the views from the top are superb.<\/p>\n

The Montenero loop and the Telegrafo<\/h3>\n

The classic loop climbs to the sanctuary along the Via Grande, the old mule track with its Madonna shrines, and comes down the stairway of trail 593V: about 3.5 km and an hour and a half. If you have more energy, continue on trail 593 to the Colle del Telegrafo, where the long ridge trail to Portovenere<\/a> begins.<\/p>\n

What to eat in Riomaggiore<\/h2>\n