Italy’s Famous ‘Path Of Love’ Reopens After 12 Years
Italy’s Via dell’Amore, the “Path of Love,” has officially reopened after being closed for over 12 years. Throughout the past 12 years the path had been enduring a long-winded refurbishment after a landslide that injured four Australian tourists demolished the path. The Italian Tourism Ministry said the 12 year investment cost about $26 million.
The path is 2,950 feet long and overlooks the sea as it’s located between the municipalities of Riomaggiore and Manarola.
The path’s delicate cliffside location has made the refurbishment and reopening quite complicated.
“It has been an engineering challenge because of its precarious perch dug into the rock between the sky and the sea,” the Tourism Ministry said in a news release sent to CNN.
“Refurbishment work started on January 14, 2022, and finished on July 19, 2024. Specialized companies worked on site, using helicopters to transport materials and installing a stainless steel net and deep bolts. Rock climbers moved the equipment on the walls while suspended with ropes and steel cables to special anchors,” Sharon Braithwaite of CNN wrote.
The overall investment of $26 million was split amongst several Italian ministries. The path itself will now be managed by the Municipality of Riomaggiore as an “open-air museum,” according to reports.
“From July 27 to August 8, the path will be open exclusively to residents of the Cinque Terre as well as Levanto, La Spezia and former residents and owners of second homes in the Municipality of Riomaggiore and their families,” Braithwaite reported.
The path will then be accessible to tourists on August 9th, but visitors will need to book their trip in advance on the path’s website, which is also currently under construction. Visitors pay an $11 fee and guides are available.
Access to the path will be limited to 400 people per hour. That population of people will be divided into groups of 100,entering the path every 15 minutes, according to the Municipality of Riomaggiore website.
“It is a source of great pride for us to be able to return the Via dell’Amore, in all its beauty, uniqueness and in complete safety, to residents, Ligurians and tourists from all over the world,” said Giacomo Giampedrone, commissioner for the safety work.
He said the “region of Liguria financed and was responsible for the work of restoring the path’s safety.”
“It was a job as complex as it was spectacular, carried out exactly like the recovery of a work of art of inestimable value, with the utmost protection and respect for the surrounding environment,” Giampedrone said.
“My invitation is to come to Liguria to admire the Via dell’Amore: let yourself be amazed by this unique place, suspended between the sky and the sea, set in the rock, in the heart of a natural paradise. You will be left breathless by its beauty.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.