Riomaggiore - Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is a city of Liguria.

To know

Geographical notes

Riomaggiore, as well as the others Five lands, is squeezed between the Ligurian Sea and the steep mountain range that branches off from the Apennines at Mount Zatta and descends towards the south-east, forming the watershed between the Val di Vara and the coastal area. The historic center, whose original nucleus dates back to the 13th century, is located in the valley of the Rio Maggiore stream, the ancient Rivus Major from which the village takes its name. The inhabited area is composed of several parallel orders of Genoese tower houses that follow the steep course of the stream. The new district of the Station, so called because it developed from the second half of the nineteenth century following the arrival of the railway, is instead located in the adjacent valley of the Rio Finale (Rufinàu) stream, so called because it once marked the border between the lands of Riomaggiore and those of Manarola (Manaèa).

Background

The origin of the village of Riomaggiore is traced back to the eighth century. In fact, it is said that a group of Greek refugees, to escape the persecutions of the iconoclastic emperor Leo III Isaurico, after various vicissitudes landed at the tip of Montenero and established settlements in the ridge area. These settlements were then annexed to the Marca Obertenga. It was only after the year 1000 that, thanks to the greater safety of the seas due to the expansion of the Republic of Genoa, the inhabitants of the primitive hill settlements were able to progressively descend towards the sea, thus giving rise to the first nucleus of the village of Riomaggiore, located in the current district of the Marina. The first historical information on the territory of Riomaggiore dates back to 1251 when the inhabitants of the district of Carpena (fraction of Riccò in the Gulf of Spezia) gathered to swear allegiance to the Republic of Genoa in the war against Pisa. The villages were however then still a fief of the Marquis Turcotti, lord of Ripalta, near Borghetto di Vara, who around 1260 had the local castle and other fortifications built. At the end of the nineteenth century, thanks to the construction of the Genoa-La Spezia railway line, Riomaggiore and the Cinque Terre emerged from a historical isolation, even if the carriage road will arrive only in the sixties of the following century. The last adjustments to the municipal area date back to 1871 with the detachment of the hamlet of Corniglia and its unification in the Vernazza area.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

Genoa airport.

By car

Traveling on the motorway, it is necessary to exit at the La Spezia-Santo Stefano Magra tollbooth on the A12 or A15. After crossing the main town of La Spezia, take the provincial road 32 (formerly state road 370), better known as the "Litoranea delle Cinque Terre", and after about a quarter of an hour, after passing two tunnels, take the junction on the right that goes down to Riomaggiore. However, note that much of the parking spaces are reserved for residents, which is why, when the paid ones are exhausted, the descent to the village can be temporarily prohibited. However, there is an electric bus service managed by the Cinque Terre National Park which in the periods of greatest tourist influx guarantees a shuttle connection between the inhabited center and the "Litoranea".

On boat

The village is accessible by sea, both with private vehicles and with the Cinque Terre ferry line. In the tourist season, a scheduled boat service connects Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare it's at Porto Venere, the latter in turn connected with Spice is Lerici.

On the train

• 44.10079.736211 Riomaggiore station. Riomaggiore has a railway stop on the Genoa-Pisa line, served by the Trenitalia regional relations carried out under the service contract with the Liguria Region. A second stop is present in Manarola.  

How to get around

The only real way to enjoy the Cinque Terre to the fullest is on foot, by train or by boat. The coastal path connects all five villages, allowing you to be able to walk from the first village to the last village in five hours.

What see

• 44.1003839.7398251 Church of San Giovanni Battista. Located in the upper part of the historic center of Riomaggiore, its construction took place in 1340, as stated by a plaque on the facade, at the behest of the bishop of the diocese of Luni Antonio Fieschi. An important and significant revisitation of the entire building was carried out between 1870 and 1871, due to a collapse, with the extension of the complex and the reconstruction of the façade in the neo-Gothic style, while retaining, however, the fourteenth-century rose window in white marble of Carrara. The single lancet windows and the two Gothic-style entrances still remain visible on the right side of the church, the latter decorated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements. The interior is divided into three naves, with a basilica plan, and with pointed arches.  

• 44.1001399.7409532 Oratory of the Assumption. Located in the La Compagna district, in the historic center of Riomaggiore, the oratory of the Confraternity of the Disciplinanti dell'Assunta was built during the 16th century. The interior preserves a wooden statue of the Madonna of the chains, in memory and suffrage of the inhabitants who, over the centuries, suffered raids and kidnappings in the Saracen raids, and a tempera triptych depicting the Madonna and Child and Saints John the Baptist and Dominic by Guzmán.  
• Church of Sant'Antonio. According to tradition it is the oldest religious building in the village, as it was built in the thirteenth century and presumably assumed the role of the first parish church in the town. The fresco depicting the titular saint of the church dates back to the 18th century. 
• Oratory of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano.  
• 44.0962699.7453833 Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montenero.  
• Chapel of San Bernardo (in the small and uninhabited hamlet of Lemmen). 
• Oratory of the Disciplinanti.  
• 44.1000229.7375084 Riomaggiore Castle.  

Events and parties

What to do

• There Love way offers views not to be missed. It is a pedestrian path of just over 1 km, partially carved into the rock, which connects Riomaggiore to Manarola always along the sea. The walk is easy and allows you to move between the cliffs with views overlooking the sea. Along the way there are many benches, also carved from the local rock.

Shopping

• Sciacchetrà delle Cinque Terre, DOC passito dessert wine, produced from grapes that come from the terraces.

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Moderate prices

• 44.100139.7396431 Cinque Terre Holidays, Via Colombo, 94. 

Safety

• 44.100829.736752 Carabinieri, Via Telemaco Signorini 402 - Riomaggiore, ☎ 39 0187 920112. 

How to keep in touch

Around

• Corniglia - Declared in 1997 by UNESCO World Heritage, the town stretches with its colorful houses on a promontory above the marina. Jewel of the Five lands, is surrounded by vineyards placed on characteristic terraced bands.
• Manarola - It is squeezed between the Ligurian Sea and the steep mountain range that branches off from the Apennines at Monte Zatta and descends towards the south-east, forming the watershed between the Val di Vara and the coastal area. The village rises in the final stretch of the Groppo stream valley. The colorful houses, consisting of the typical Genoese tower houses, overlook one another on the main street obtained from the cover of the watercourse
• Vernazza - It is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy; the Doria castle dominates from above the picturesque village squeezed between the mountain and the sea around the small port.
• Monterosso al Mare - The ancient village is at the center of a small natural gulf, protected by a modest artificial cliff; the seaside and tourist expansion of Fegina, beyond the Colle dei Cappuccini, can be reached via a tunnel of a few tens of meters.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Riomaggiore
• Commons contains images or other files on Riomaggiore

Draft : the article respects the standard template contains useful information for a tourist and gives brief information on the tourist destination. Header and footer are correctly filled in.