Valentine’s Day is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year! Many couples wait for February 14 to make promises, exchange gifts or give themselves a love escape. In Italy, among the favorite destinations to reach on Valentine’s Day, there is a romantic path that overlooks the sea, illuminated by soft lights and bordered, occasionally, by secluded benches. It is located in the Cinque Terre and is called Via dell’Amore The road that connects the village of Riomaggiore to that of Manarola was traced for the first time in the 1920s for more practical than romantic purposes: during the works for the extension of the railway, it served to reach the explosives warehouse. When the works were completed, the deposit was destroyed, but the road remained intact. Perhaps due to its isolation or its strategic position overlooking the sea, over time the road began to populate with couples looking for intimacy and a touch of romance. In a very short time, his fame spread among the neighboring villages, until an anonymous visitor engraved on the rocks, at the two ends of the path, the words “Via dell’Amore”, forever dedicating that road to lovers! The name became official in the sixties, when the municipal administration paved the path and placed isolated benches dedicated to the heroes of the myth and the great love poets inside niches carved into the rock. Above the benches, carved in stone, there are dozens of names, dates, stories of lovers who, passing through this magical place, have left their message, perhaps to strengthen a promise of love and happiness destined to last for lifetime.
If you also want to find an enchanted place to spend a memorable Valentine’s Day, stop looking: the Via de l’Amùu – as the villagers call it – waits to see you walk hand in hand, to add your happiness to that of hundreds of other lovers who have come this far. You will not need sensational gestures or big surprises: a walk on the sea next to the person you love will be enough!
