Italian Love Lane reopens amid tourism surge

In the picturesque Cinque Terre, Italy, the reopening of the Via dell’Amore—once a beloved coastal trail connecting the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola—represents more than just a return to a popular tourist attraction.

In Riomaggiore, one of the five dramatic villages that comprise Italy’s Cinque Terre along the steep cliffs of the northwestern coast, nearly everyone holds a memory of the Via dell’Amore, or Love’s Lane, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

This picturesque seacoast trail, leading to the neighboring village of Manarola, was once a cherished spot for local couples. “Otherwise, what kind of love lane would it be?” mused Marinella Cigliano, now in her 60s, recalling the time her mother caught her stealing a kiss with a long-ago boyfriend.

As young mothers, the trail became a favorite for afternoon strolls with children in tow. "We brought our kids in strollers," said Roberta Pecunia, whose grandfather Brizio was among the villagers who, in the 1930s, carved the path from the rugged rock face to connect the towns. When Vittoria Capellini’s father was a boy, his mother would urge him to "run like crazy" over the trail’s most precarious sections on his way to school.

However, in 2012, a rockslide forced the trail’s closure, much to the dismay of both global trekkers and locals, who suddenly found themselves cut off from convenient access to schools, shops, and relatives. The only alternatives were often-crowded trains, ferries, or a sweat-inducing hike up into the hills. “For us, it was a tragedy,” said Cigliano, who runs a luggage deposit near the Riomaggiore train station.

This month, after a 24 million euro (approximately $26 million) renovation aimed at securing the cliffs and preventing future rockslides, the trail has finally reopened to tourists. Yet, as the path welcomes visitors once more, local officials are reflecting on the impact that this increased popularity might have on the area, which has already seen a surge in tourism in recent years.

"The kind of tourism that turns the Cinque Terre into a Disneyland,” said Massimo Giacchetta, regional president of a small-business association.

When the Via dell’Amore closed 12 years ago, the area saw around 870,000 visitors annually. By 2023, that number had ballooned to four million, while the local population remains a mere 4,000. The math speaks for itself.

This surge in tourism has drastically altered life for many residents. Public spaces have become overcrowded, housing and food prices have skyrocketed, and shops catering to everyday needs, like butchers and fishmongers, have been replaced by restaurants and fried fish stands. “They eat, and eat, and eat,” lamented Paola Villa, a retired Riomaggiore homeowner.

The influx has also disrupted local infrastructure. Trains are often delayed as they struggle to accommodate the throngs of tourists disembarking at each of the five villages. The platforms, frequently overcrowded to dangerous levels, are now monitored closely by guards. Even the trails connecting the Cinque Terre villages are plagued by pedestrian traffic jams, forcing local authorities to impose one-way systems on particularly busy days to prevent accidents, according to Alessandro Bacchioni of the Club Alpino Italiano, a national hiker’s association often tasked with crowd management.

Compared to other destinations grappling with overtourism—like Amsterdam, Barcelona, or Iceland—the tiny size of the Cinque Terre villages means the impact is more acutely felt.

While many Italian tourist towns charge an overnight tax to offset the costs of daily wear and tear, in Cinque Terre, only a fraction of visitors actually stay overnight, rendering 2 euros per night tax a mere drop in the bucket, according to Fabrizia Pecunia, mayor of both Riomaggiore and Manarola.

This year, Venice became the first city to experiment with an entrance fee for day-trippers, though the results are still unclear. Ms. Pecunia has repeatedly requested similar measures from the national government, but so far, to no avail.

Interestingly, local officials are now hoping that the reopening of the Via dell’Amore will encourage visitors to explore less crowded, lesser-known trails, particularly those in the hills, away from the coastal hotspots. "We want people to visit the park with their shoulders to the sea," said Patrizio Scarpellini, director of the Cinque Terre National Park. He emphasized that while the Via dell’Amore is iconic, it represents only about 1,000 yards of the park’s 75 miles of trails, which wind through the UNESCO World Heritage site.

“The Via dell’Amore is the symbol of the Cinque Terre worldwide,” acknowledged the mayor, but she also noted that the area’s rich culture and history offer much more to discover. Donatella Bianchi, the park’s president, echoed this sentiment, expressing hope that the renewed focus on the Via dell’Amore would help revive the stories of perseverance and labor that shaped the landscape. These tales, she suggested, have been somewhat overshadowed by the area's popularity as a tourist destination.

Despite the challenges posed by coastal storms, mudslides, and rockslides—like the one that closed the path—the region’s history is deeply rooted in the hard work of those who farmed the hills. In Riomaggiore, for instance, remnants of that past can still be seen in the terraced vineyards that define the area’s stunning landscape.

Carlo Passeri, a retired traffic police officer, reminisced about the grape harvests of his youth, when he and his family would carry baskets of grapes down the steep hills. “My uncle could carry three, while my cousin and I would carry one,” he recalled. "Because there was poverty, all the fields were cultivated—it was so beautiful." Today, however, he lamented that “no one wants to work the fields.”

Instead, many locals have turned to tourism, renting out rooms and even cellars to meet the demands of visitors. “So everyone’s happy because they’re all making money,” Mr. Passeri said. The mayor estimated that about 90 percent of the population now relies on tourism-related activities, particularly short-term rentals.

The shift from traditional agriculture to tourism in Cinque Terre has led to the abandonment of most terraced farms, once defined by their distinctive dry-stone walls. At the start of the 20th century, there were around 2,000 such terraced plots; today, fewer than 100 remain. Patrizio Scarpellini emphasized the need to return to these culturally rich and historically significant areas, stating, "We must reconnect people with places that embody culture, identity, and wealth, and preserve this landscape, which is a world heritage site."

Neglecting the terraced farms has resulted in severe consequences, including landslides in 2011 that caused significant damage to some villages. Efforts to revive the traditional terracing methods have been limited so far.

To manage the increased tourist traffic, access to the Via dell’Amore will be regulated during peak season. Visitors will need to make reservations, with entry limited to 400 people per hour, at a cost of 10 euros (approximately $11). Revenue from ticket sales will fund ongoing maintenance of the trail, which includes newly planted shrubs, benches for couples, and a restored path. However, efforts to prevent further graffiti that defaces the trail are ongoing.

Deputy Mayor Vittoria Capellini hopes that the trail’s reopening will do more than just attract tourists for selfies. “We all take selfies,” she said, “but we hope visitors will also engage with and learn about the culture and history of Cinque Terre. It’s our story.”