Manarola Cinque Terre

Unique in its beauty, landscape and travel experience

The medivial town of Manarola Cinque Terre has very old origins, built at the mouth of the river Volastra, on a high rock 70 metres above sea level. It is charming and picturesque with its brightly coloured tower-houses and steep, narrow alleyways (carrugi ) leading to the seafront.

National Park of Cinque Terre , Manarola

It certainly feels like the quietest of all the five towns of Cinque Terre and it even appears to keep its peacefulness even during the busy summer months. This enchanting spot also has a long tradition of producing wine and olive oil.

Above Manarola, on the hills you can admire the typical terraces with vines used for the making of the renowned dry, white wine of the area - sciacchetrà. Worth a stop is also the small museum dedicated to wine.

Visit the Wine Museum in Manarola

Cinque Terre's Pesto Sauce with Basil,
courtesy of parconazionale5terre.it

In the lower part of town, before splashing into the blue water of the tiny harbour, you can also visit and admire the old oil mill which was restored by the National Park. If you are looking to buy some olive oil to take home from the Cinque Terre, look no further than Manarola.

Also look out for the Cinque Terre National Park’s Pesto Sauce with Basil which comes from the project to recover uncultivated lands. It is produced within an hour of harvesting the basil leaves, which are grown on the Corniolo coast between Riomaggiore and Manarola and is a real feast to the taste buds !

Manarola’s tiny harbour is nested in between two rocky boulders and is formed by a terraced promenade. There is a tiny piazza where you can sit, enjoy the atmosphere and taste some great seafood.

Main Promenade in Manarola

Main Promenade in Manarola

Along the main road of Manarola Cinque Terre, you will often encounter boats pulled out of the water onto dry land every time the sea is rough.

Boats are a frequent feature ...

... along the main promenade in Manarola

Although there is no real beach in Manarola, you can enjoy some of the best deep-water swimming around the area.

There is not much of a sandy beach ...

But you can enjoy some great deep water swimming in Manarola

In the high part of town, above the houses, you will find the main square of the town called piazza Papa Innocenzo IV.

piazza Papa Innocenzo IV

There you can visit the Church of San Lorenzo, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and built in 1338 in classic Ligurian gothic style.

San Lorenzo Church on piazza Papa Innocenzo IV

The church is in front of the bell tower which was used as a watchtower in XIV century. Above the town is also the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Salute, dating from around the 10th century.

The Bell Tower on piazza Papa Innocenzo IV

You can also see the peak of an unusual pyramid made of white cement rising over the traditional slate roofs of the houses of the old town, used as a navigational reference point for all those at sea.

During the Christmas period, Manarola Cinque Terre becomes even more magical as its hills get illuminated by the lights of a unique nativity scene made of 200 figures and 12,000 lamps, created by a local resident, Mario Andreoli. It is considered to be the biggest illuminated nativity in the world and it remains lit from December 8th till the end January.

National Park of Cinque Terre , Manarola's Nativity Illumination
(image courtesy of Citta Della Spezia)

One of the main attractions of the Cinque Terre are the spectacular walking and hiking trails around the area. From the station of Manarola, the steep stairs will lead you to the best-known stretch of the No.2 Path of the Cinque Terre between Manarola and Riomaggiore, called Via dell'Amore, "Lovers’ Walk" .

National Park of Cinque Terre , Via Dell'Amore at sunset

Thank you for visiting Liguria Guide… we look forward to welcoming you to Liguria and hope you will love it as much as we do !

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