Docks: Manarola

The landing place

Manarola is the hamlet that you meet immediately after passing by Riomaggiore; it is the second stage for those who have started their journey in Porto Venere, and is therefore the second of the Cinque Terre coming from the Gulf of Poets. The village was built on a 70-meter-high rock and is characterized - like many of the villages on the Ligurian coast - by the presence of countless tall, narrow tower houses, connected to each other by a network of small streets, called the carruggi (narrow alleyways typical of Liguria), and a series of slate stairways.
The landing place is located right at the foot of the hamlet of Manarola. Considering the shape and location of Manarola, mooring there is difficult, if not impossible, in heavy sea conditions and strong winds.

The territory is part of the Cinque Terre National Park and the Porto Venere, Cinque Terre and Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) UNESCO site.
From here, as from the other hamlets of the Cinque Terre, a network of trails connects the various hamlets along the coast and affords breathtaking views to those who travel them.

Interesting facts

Facing the sea, engraved on the limestone, a large inscription can be seen: “Oh Ligurian graveyards open to the winds and waves! | A rosy sadness colors you | when in the evening, like a wilting flower, |the great light | fades away and dies”; these are verses by the Italian poet Vincenzo Cardarelli, and are the last part of his poem “Liguria”; the wall on which these verses are imprinted is the one that delimits the small and picturesque rural cemetery.

The village of Manarola is known for the enchanting brightly-lighted nativity scene which is turned on every year on December 8th on the Tre Croci hill, and remains so until the end of January. It is a work by meastro Mario Andreoli.
Starting from the village, following a winding path, it is possible to reach the hill and go through the nativity scene. In this way, it is possible to admire the 300 figures that make it up, illuminated by about 17,000 light bulbs that extend along more than 8 km of cable.

Advantages

Manarola too can be considered the conclusion of a poignant hiking trail that begins in La Spezia, more precisely, it starts out from Biassa. Reaching this hamlet from Colle del Telegrafo is an unforgettable experience, especially if the excursion takes place at dawn.
Starting out from quite a high altitude you proceed along on almost level ground, and you will have to go only a little uphill, along wide paths surrounded by a forest. The only exception is the steep and challenging descent that leads down to the sea and which goes through the town of Volastra and which gives access, from above, to the hill on which the lighted nativity scene is set up every year. Following a similar program, it is possible to have lunch in Manarola and then take one of our boats to visit the other Terre in the afternoon.
Furthermore, from Manarola, and any of the Cinque Terre villages, it is possible to reach Porto Venere, a place that does not have any railway service, enjoying the view of the coast from the sea.

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