The five villages that comprise Italy’s Cinque Terre are famous for their colorful aesthetic and picturesque, cliffside location. One of their many charms is that cars are not permitted in the villages, meaning visitors often find themselves hiking between towns. Now, one of the most popular hiking trails is scheduled to reopen after being closed for seven years.
Photo: Olga Gavrilova/Shutterstock
Popular Cinque Terre Lovers’ Lane Hiking Trail to Finally Reopen After 2012 Closure
Lovers’ Lane, a less-than-one-mile trail connecting the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola, was closed in 2012 after four tourists were injured in a landslide. Just a 20-minute walk between the two villages, it was popular for being relatively manageable compared to many of Cinque Terre’s steeper, more challenging trails. Lovers’ Lane now has a tentative reopening date of 2023, once new renovations and safety precautions are implemented. It might sound strange that no renovations took place in the past seven years, but that time was spent fundraising the $13 million necessary for the repairs.
Many familiar with the area have fond memories of the trail. Maria Gabriella Landers, the founder of travel agency Concierge in Umbria, said, “Like many of the trails, it has spectacular views. There was also a sculpture of two lovers that everyone took pictures of themselves with.”
So while you’ll still have to wait a few years for the trail to officially reopen, it’s at least reassuring to know that progress — even incredibly slow progress — is being made. 