Riomaggiore is one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre located on the Ligurian coast of Italy. It is one of the most colorful and beautiful villages in all of Italy. Bright houses teeter on the side of a hill overlooking the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Genova.

Riomaggiore is the last village as you approach from the north. If you are coming from La Spezia it will be the first village you come to. The five villages of the Cinque Terre are linked by a hiking trail of varying degrees of difficulty. The trail linking Riomaggiore and Manarola is by far the easiest of the five trails. In fact, the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola is not a trail at all but a wide cobblestone walkway known as the Via dell'Amore (Love's Way). There are benches along the Via dell’Amore where you can sit and enjoy the view, this is not the case on the trails linking the other villages. Via dell’Amore is a little over .5 mi (approximately 1 km) long.

Riomaggiore dates from the early 13th century which probably explains the network of alleyways and staircases. If you plan to stay in Riomaggiore plan to walk up some steps. When you are making a reservation most apartments will let you know the number of steps you have to walk up to get to your unit. If they don't, be sure to ask, they can number in the hundreds.