Via dell'Amore

Most of the time, when there hasn't been a recent flood, you can hike from the first 5terre town to the last, on trail #2. This year only the portion from Monterosso to Vernazza is open, and, of course, the Via dell'Amore, from Manarola to Riomaggiore.

This is really more of a stroll than a hike, but what a lovely stroll it is. Crowded? Yes. Cheesy? Absolutely. But lovely nonetheless.

The walkway is covered with graffiti espousing eternal love in dozens of languages. Any available fence, wire or handrail is bristling with locks placed there by lovers who believe (I guess) that their love will last as long as the lock does. This makes me wonder about the other things I saw put up along the way - luggage tags, silly bands, even paper towels. What were those, one night stands?

But there's something comforting about the sheer number of locks on this path. Every single one was put up by some lovestruck couple - maybe teenagers, maybe 75 year olds celebrating their 50th anniversary. It doesn't really matter. The point is that all of those locks represent people who believe in love. Not just any love, but their love. This may be cheesy, but so what? And maybe I'm not one of those people (but maybe I am, who knows?), but it's nice to know that so many individuals have that kind of faith in good things like true love. You know what I mean?