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Advice: avoid walking these streets in the hottest hours of summer days.

Riomaggiore served as the logistical base for a first visit to the 5 Terre National Park, a world heritage site for the millennial and relentless work of man in taming a wild and rugged territory close to the sea.

The bright colors of the characteristic houses that overlooked the marina and reflected in the salt water were just the appetizer of what would later be a dish full of memories, intense aromas, views that would leave you speechless every time. 

The day expected, backpacking, to reach Vernazza, passing through the tiring roads of the hinterland with non-trivial differences in height: the famous Via dell'Amore, much easier, was still out of service, but this transformed the first day into something of wonderful.

Riomaggiore is struck by the immense quantities of steps, which form an intricate labyrinth with the houses from which it is no longer possible to exit, and allow you to memorize every glimpse in the heart: a gentleman dedicated to his garden, a sleepy cat on a ledge, a ship leaving its white trail in the deep blue.

It is necessary to climb more than 600 steps to reach a beautiful viewpoint, on top of a hill that divides Riomaggiore and Manarola. Subsequently, instead of descending towards this "land", continue beyond the high-altitude path bordered at the entrance by a wrought iron gate, entering the terraces built on the typical dry-stone walls, keystone for the wealth of an apparently territory inhospitable for the cultivation of the vine.

This large multi-storey wall built to make the land usable, the result of superhuman sacrifices by the farmers for the immense labor provided and the continuous maintenance, protects the vineyards of "Bosco", "Albarola" and "Vermentino" from the wind, and reflects the sun favoring the ripening of the grapes.

Nature does the rest, rewarding the heroic crops with some of the best wines in the world, served in the palaces of popes and sovereigns since the Middle Ages (one above all is the famous Sciacchetrà).

The path between the terraces stops reaching the road at Groppo, and from there in a short time you reach Volastra, perched on a hill in the hinterland, surrounded by some cherry trees that were giving their first fruits and many olive groves.

From Volastra, always following the marked inland route, we went down to Corniglia, the only town in the 5 Terre that does not have access to the sea, with its Gothic and Baroque church of San Pietro in the center.

After a frugal lunch we took the Sentiero Azzurro (SVA), a single path with paid access due to the continuous (and right) maintenance necessary to make it always passable.

It starts in the woods, then goes up becoming very aerial and panoramic with postcard views. After a short stop with a superlative view (and delicious juice) we left for Vernazza, our last stop of a very long day, which appeared before us after an abundant hour of walking. The watchtower of the Doria castle was visible from afar, and the whole city was perfectly integrated into the Mediterranean landscape that we had in front of our eyes, as if there had been a sort of architectural agreement between nature and man.

After a short walk through its narrow streets, we reached the station to return to Riomaggiore, where we had booked dinner in one of the local restaurants.

In the evening we indulged in good fresh fish paired with local wine, making the whole day a sort of experience comparable to the heroic viticulture of the territory: tiring but satisfying.

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