Manarola’s cliffside cascade of colour in Cinque Terre

Manarola in Liguria is one of the five villages of Cinque Terre, where a cascade of pastel houses descends a rocky headland into the Ligurian Sea. The village forms part of Cinque Terre National Park and the wider UNESCO-listed landscape of terraced vineyards and coastal cliffs.

A village poured down a cliff

Manarola occupies a rocky spur that juts into the sea, with houses rising above a compact harbour cut into the rock. Many visitors first recognise the village from the classic view where tall, narrow facades in orange, pink and yellow seem to pour down the slope towards the water, framed by terraces of vines on the slopes behind.Manarola gives the Cinque Terre its most photographed view

Manarola lies within the municipality of Riomaggiore in the province of La Spezia, in north-western Italy.It is one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre The settlement is built on steep slopes, and its lanes and stairways wind between tightly packed houses, small piazzas and viewpoints over the sea.

Layers of stone, terraces and history

Manarola’s setting is shaped by terraces supported by dry-stone walls that climb the surrounding slopes and support vineyards and olive groves.The village stands on a high rock above the sea The cultivation of vines on these terraces has long defined the landscape; paths thread between the rows and link the village to neighbouring settlements such as Volastra on the heights.

The historic heart of Manarola includes the church of San Lorenzo, a Ligurian Gothic building with a stone facade and a separate bell tower, which dates to 1338.The church of San Lorenzo in Genoese Gothic style dates from 1338 The village itself is mentioned in documents from the thirteenth century, and it developed under the influence of the Republic of Genoa, with fishing and viticulture shaping daily life.

Harbour, lanes and viewpoints

Instead of a sandy beach, Manarola has a small harbour basin carved into the rock where boats are pulled up onto the slipway and resting places cut into the stone. A paved lane runs from the railway tunnel through the village towards the water, lined with tall, narrow houses that front onto steps and passages.

From the harbour a paved path follows the contour of the cliff towards the Punta Bonfiglio viewpoint, offering a panorama back across the stacked houses and terraces.Punta Bonfiglio is a viewing terrace above the village Above and behind the houses, paths climb through the vineyards towards the ridge and the inland village of Volastra, giving further perspectives over the Ligurian coast.

Visiting Manarola: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Manarola lies on the Ligurian coast in north-west Italy and is one of the Cinque Terre villages; it is reached by regional trains that run between La Spezia and Levanto, with a station linked to the village by a pedestrian tunnel.
• The terrain in Manarola is steep, with lanes that climb the hillside and many stairways, and the approaches around the harbour and viewpoints run over stone paths and rock.
• Manarola is in Italy; the official language is Italian and the currency is the euro.

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Frequently asked questions about Manarola

Where is Manarola and what is its setting?

Manarola is a village in the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast of north-west Italy, built on a rocky spur above the Ligurian Sea and surrounded by terraced hillsides.

What should visitors expect when walking through Manarola?

Visitors encounter narrow lanes, stairways and small piazzas between tall, brightly coloured houses, leading down to a rocky harbour and up to viewpoints over the sea and vineyards.

What makes Manarola distinctive among the Cinque Terre villages?

Manarola stands out for its stacked pastel houses on a rocky headland, its small rock-cut harbour and its terraced vineyards rising behind the village within the UNESCO-listed Cinque Terre landscape.