Roland and Stephanie's Semimoon

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There were a fair number of other hikers with us on the trail today - no doubt many in the same situation as us, using this trail as an alternative to the currently-closed sentiero azzurro. It was also clear that many were unprepared for any sort of strenous hiking, as evidenced by one french lady who seemed to be overheated and exhausted from the short twenty minute climb up from Riomaggiore. She was completely out of water and wondered if we had any to spare, which fortunately we did.

courtesy RHanel

Crest Trail

Manarola Station

Next Section of Coast

Distant Corniglia

A few short sections of trees provided shade was we continued our ascent to the highpoint along the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola, which is marked by some transmission towers and a trail junction sign. Our elevation here was 240 metres above sea level (roughly 800').

At the trail junction we turned left, staying on #531 (the trail straight ahead was #532, and headed further up into the hills). The trail immediately began descending, and soon we began getting glimpses down towards Manarola. We had a wonderful eagle-eye view of the upper part of the town. From these vantage points, we were almost seeing more rooftop than wall.

Costa Del Corniolo

Manarola Far Below

Upper Manarola

Down, down trail 531 went, quite steeply in spots, occasionally winding back and forth through farmyard terracing and down old stone steps. Again there was much evidence of inexperienced hikers, as we observed many people unable to confidently negotiate the steeper passages.

The scenic views down onto Manarola broadened as we descended, and soon we could see the entire town in one visual sweep. It was smaller than Riomaggiore, but bigger than Corniglia. It was nestled into the bottom of a narrow, steep-sided valley that descended to the coastline. At the valley's mouth, a ridge of rock projected out into the sea, and an arm of the town was densely constructed on it.

courtesy JInnes

Starting descent to Manarola

Descending to Manarola

Above Mediterranean Rooftops

The descent from the height of land down to Manarola itself was rapid, taking no more than perhaps twenty minutes. The trail didn't end on the outskirts of the town, but rather descended directly into it. This is something I've always found quaint about trails in Europe, this melding of trail and street. Often right alongside a street sign you will find a trail marker.

courtesy JInnes

courtesy RHanel

Terraces and Walls

Lower Manarola

Andrew and Manarola

Into the town

Rather than descend directly to the main street in Manarola, we elected to wander a bit in the higher alleyways and laneways, taking a more circuitous route down. The streets had a very attractive combination of colors, textures, three-dimensionality, asymmetry, and rustic-ness. The streets exuded antiquity, but at the same time they were well-maintained. And they were noticeably quieter, more deserted than Riomaggiore's. In one spot we came across a tiny square with a solitary guitarist sitting on a stone wall overlooking the sea, strumming quietly to himself - this seemed to capture the essence of a quiet, lazy sunny day on the Italian Riviera.

Urban 531

Classic Mediterranean Terrace

Roland's street

Solitary Strummer

Laneways and tunnels

Admiring a rustic alley

After wandering blissfully downwards through Manarola's streets, we arrived at the bottom, emerging onto the via discovolo, Manarola's main throughfare. Like Riomaggiore, this was the busiest, most people-filled spot in town, but not quite as crowded. After briefly inspecting Manarola's crag-filled harbour, we decided that it was time for some grub, and chose to stop at a pizzeria across from the train station access tunnel.

Metallic Messiah

Manarola Alleyway

Passageway View

Pizza Time

Manarola Harbor

Heading to explore Cemetary

After lunch, we decided to explore a bit more of scenic Manarola before continuing on our walking journey. Roland took a fancy to the delapidated-looking cemetary perched on a ridge north of town, so we took some time out to explore it. It was a typical southern european cemetary, with dense rows of above-ground burial vaults. The place was elaborate and dignified, but also seemed to suffer from a bit of maintainance neglect.