The path, famously known as the Via dell’Amore, or Path of Love, in Italy’s picturesque Cinque Terre region has recently reopened more than a decade after a lengthy closure following a landslide in 2012.
However, tourists planning to visit the destination, which is known for its stunning coastal views and romantic ambiance, will face new and stricter rules that aim to control numbers of visitors and preserve the site.
According to Daily Express, starting this month, access to the Via dell’Amore will be limited to 4,000 visitors per day. To manage this, tourists will need to purchase tickets for timed entry slots.
Additionally, staff will be stationed along the route to monitor visitor behaviour and ensure that the path is respected as the “open-air museum” it has become.
This measure addresses the challenges of overtourism in Cinque Terre, a coastal national park consisting of five fishing villages.
“We’re not doing it to make money,” Fabrizia Pecunia, the mayor of Riomaggiore, said. “In 2011 it had around 870,000 visitors so we basically want to keep the old numbers but distribute [them] better.”
The path’s €23 million renovation involved extensive safety improvements, including the removal of fragile rocks, installation of steel netting over landslip-prone areas, and the extension of an open-sided tunnel through the cliff.
The restoration project, which took nine years of planning and two years of intense construction work, aimed to enhance both safety and aesthetics.
The Via dell’Amore, which was first opened in 1931, will be open to visitors from 8:30am to 7:00pm in summer and until 5:00pm in winter.
Via dell’Amore was initially built to connect the isolated villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola.
Before its construction, residents had to either climb 600 steps over the cliffs or take a train, which began service in 1874.
