Loving Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre National Park, ItalyAlong a rugged stretch of the Italian Riviera, the Cinque Terre (CHEEN-kwa TEHR-reh) string out along the Mediterranean coast like a strand of luminous pearls. The Cinque Terre, or Five Lands, comprises five small villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, clinging to the cliffs along the shore.
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Manorola |
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Vernazza |
Known for their beauty, the Cinque Terre were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Italian national park at the end of the last century. Explaining why the area was selected as a cultural highlight, UNESCO cited the way humans have transformed the steep cliffs into agricultural fields with the use of terracing. Also noted were how the people have adapted to the inhospitable geography by constructing compact settlements directly on the rocky cliffs, incorporating winding streets to navigate up and down the hills.
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Riomaggiore |
The five villages are connected by a series of trails, some lower along the coastline and others climbing the steep hills above the towns. The trail from Riomaggiore, the farthest village south, and its closest neighbor Manorola is a flat easy path carved into the side of the cliff in the 1920s. Known as Via dell'Amore, or the Pathway of Love, this level trail was especially appreciated in its early days by villagers from the two towns experiencing their first opportunities to court and fall in love with someone outside their isolated village. Over the years both villagers and visitors have contributed to the lover's lane graffitti that covers this stretch of the trail.
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Via dell'Amore graffiti |

Bridges are popular spots for these locks because the lovers then throw the key into the water to symbolize the permanence of both the lock and their love. Hundreds of these locks decorate the structures along the Cinque Terre's lover's lane.
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Love Locks |
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Riomaggiore |
Cinque Terre Stats
Villages: 5
Population: 5,119
By our count:
Love locks: 23,481
Olive trees: 8,264
Grape vines: 34,117
Rooms for rent (signs posted all over): 4,609
Gelato cones consumed: 15,873