AUGUST 2000 – A couple sits on a large rock and enjoys the view of the Mediterranean Sea near Riomaggiore in Italy. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
From Lerici in Italy, you should visit the famous Cinque Terre – a group of five villages built very close to the cliff: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. They can only be reached by train or by using a hike called Via dell’ Amore (“Street of Love” in English) which starts in Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages in the East. We recommend using the train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore.
The first part of the hike (from Riomaggiore to Manarola) is easy and provides impressing views of the rugged coastline. As tempting as it may be, the full hike all the way to Monterosso al Mare is about 16 km (10 miles) and very exhausting.
I shot the photo above from the Via dell’ Amore near Riomaggiore. The couple had taken the stairs that lead almost down to sea level and carefully walked over to the large rock that extended from the coast into the sea. I guess they wanted to experience a bit of tranquility for their sunbath.
Truth is, the villages of Cinque Terre are not really suitable for beach holidays as there are no beaches, just ramps for fisher boats or the tiniest of beaches you can imagine. Those who aim for a tan or a cool-down simply use the ramps as bathing platforms. An exception is Monterosso al Mare in the West which features several larger beaches with sun umbrellas and sunchairs. The town can also be accessed by car easily, and there is plenty of space for cars.
P.S.: When planning your hike, please check whether the Via dell’ Amore is actually open to the public, because it can be closed due to safety concerns.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 28-AUG-2000 |
| Location | Riomaggiore, Italy |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6552 x 4253 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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