One of the world’s most iconic and romantic paths, Italy’s Via dell’Amore (“Path of Love”), will reopen on Saturday, July 27, after a lengthy renovation and a total investment of more than $24 million, Italy’s Ministry of Tourism announced Friday.
The 900-metre (2,950-foot) long panoramic route overlooking the sea is located in the municipality of Riomaggiore. That is in the northern region of Liguria, in the heart of the natural paradise of the Cinque Terre, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
The trail has been closed since September 2012 after a landslide injured four Australian tourists.
The reopening of the trail was quite complex due to its exposed location on the cliff. It was a technical challenge due to the precarious spot dug into the rock between the sky and the sea, the Ministry of Tourism said in a press release sent to CNN.
The renovation work began on January 14, 2022 and ended on July 19, 2024. Specialized companies worked on site, using helicopters to transport materials and install a stainless steel net and deep bolts. Rock climbers moved equipment up the walls while hanging from special anchors using ropes and steel cables.
The total investment amounted to almost €24 million (approximately $26 million), spread across several ministries in Italy.
The path is managed by the municipality of Riomaggiore as an open-air museum.
From July 27 to August 8, the path is accessible exclusively to residents of the Cinque Terre, but also to residents of Levanto, La Spezia and former residents and owners of second homes in the municipality of Riomaggiore and their families.
From August 9, the path will also be accessible to tourists. Visitors must book in advance on the website www.viadellamore.info (which is still under construction) and €10 (about $11) entrance fee. Guides are present during the visits.
Access will be limited to a maximum of 400 people per hour, divided into groups of 100 people every 15 minutes, the municipality of Riomaggiore announced on its website on Friday.
Tourists enter via Riomaggiore and Manarola via a single route.
On Friday evening, the “Path of Love” was officially opened by government officials and local authorities.
“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 safety operations.
Giampedrone said the Liguria region financed and was responsible for the work to restore the safety of the path.
“It was a job as complex as it was spectacular, carried out as the restoration of a priceless work of art, with the utmost protection and respect for the environment,” said Giampedrone.
“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, in the rocks, in the heart of a natural paradise. You will be amazed by its beauty.”
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