CNN
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Italy’s “Via del Love,” one of the world’s most iconic and romantic paths, will reopen on Saturday, July 27, after a lengthy renovation and investment totaling more than $24 million, the Italian Ministry of Tourism announced on Friday.
Overlooking the sea, the 900-metre (2,950-foot) panoramic route is located in the city of Riomaggiore, a region in northern Liguria in the heart of the natural paradise of Cinque Terre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The trail has been closed since September 2012 after a landslide injured four Australian tourists.
Reopening the walkway has been complicated by its fragile location on a cliff, and the tourism ministry said in a news release sent to CNN that it posed engineering challenges due to its unstable location carved into the rock between the sky and the sea.
The renovation work will begin on January 14, 2022, and end on July 19, 2024. Specialized companies worked on site, delivering materials by helicopter and installing stainless steel nets and deep bolts. Rock climbers moved the equipment on the wall while suspended from special anchors by ropes and steel cables.
The total investment was approximately 24 million euros (about $26 million), divided among several Italian ministries.
Marco Bertolero/AFP/Getty Images
One of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore is lined with colorful buildings and is where the “Way of Love” leads to Manarola.
The path will be managed as an open-air museum by the Municipality of Riomaggiore.
From July 27th to August 8th, the path will be open exclusively to residents of Cinque Terre, Levanto and La Spezia, former residents of the city of Riomaggiore and villa owners and their families.
From August 9, the path will also be open to tourists, who must book in advance on the website www.viadellamore.info (still under construction) and pay an entrance fee. Admission costs 10 euros (about $11), and a guide accompanies the visit.
Entry will be limited to a maximum of 400 people per hour, split into groups of 100 people every 15 minutes, the city of Riomaggiore said on its website on Friday.
Tourists can take a one-way trip from Riomaggiore towards Manarola.
The “Road of Love” was officially opened by government officials and local authorities on Friday evening.
“It is a great source of pride for us to be able to once again offer the Way of Love in all its beauty, uniqueness and complete safety to residents, the people of Liguria and tourists from all over the world,” said Giacomo Giampedrone, head of safety operations.
Giampedrone said the Liguria region was funding and responsible for the work to make the road safe again.
“It was a spectacular and complex job, carried out in the same way as the restoration of a work of art of immeasurable value, with the utmost protection and respect for the surrounding environment,” Giampedrone said.
“Come to Liguria and see the Via de Love. Marvel at this unique place, suspended between the sky and the sea, nestled among the rocky mountains and in the heart of a natural paradise. Its beauty will take your breath away.”
