Manarola is petite and picturesque,
a tumble of buildings filling its ravine
above a craggy port.
The tiny harbor, with its modern breakwater,
does double duty,
serving both fishermen and fun seekers.
Whoo!
Cliff-diving for beginners is popular here.
In the Cinque Terre, everyone enjoys great views,
and that includes the dead.
I'm joining my friend Monica on one of her visits
to the cemetery perched high above her town.
Ever since Napoleon,
who crowned himself king of Italy in the early 1800s,
declared cemeteries are health risks,
people in these villages
have buried their loved ones outside the towns.
The result --
dramatically situated cemeteries high in the hills.
With evocative photos
and finely carved memorial reliefs,
any are worth a visit.
In cemeteries like these, some are buried in a graveyard,
while most are in niches called "loculi."
The sanctuary is quietly busy
with locals remembering lost loved ones.
When you come to the cemetery, it's like visiting your family.
MONICA: Yes, my family, my friends.
I know everyone here.
STEVES: So, do you have relatives here in this wall?
MONICA: Yes, here I have my grandparents.
STEVES: Ah, Licardi.
Armando.
MONICA: My grandfather and my grandmother.
STEVES: Each one is a little bit different.
It has a personality.
MONICA: Exactly.
Every one, want the people, have something like before.
And people are coming every month, every year?
-No, every week. -Every week.
Every week, and it's not necessary
to cry when you are here.
You are happy because you are together
with the people of your family, with your friends.
Lina is the first bed and breakfast in Vernazza.
She rent room, for the first time, to American people.
Here is an American boy.
STEVES: Look at that, with his rolling suitcase.
MONICA: Exactly, exactly.
And Lina is waiting in the main road for someone arrive.
Here I have Massimo grandparents.
STEVES: This is your husband's grandparents.
Exactly.
They died, both, in one week.
Within one week.
And here I have my cousin,
Sauro.
STEVES: Oh. The flood came and took him away.
MONICA: Exactly.
And they found Sauro in France.
In France.
Manarola is connected to the next town
by the Via Dell'amore, or "Walkway of Love."
It's the easiest stretch of the hike
and a good place from which to savor
your own private piece of Mediterranean coastline.
Enjoying this stroll, it's easy to understand why
so many artists and romantics are drawn to this region.
The next town hides just around the corner.
Riomaggiore,
while bigger than the towns we've seen so far,
is another cozy collection of homes nestled in a valley.
The tangle of pastel houses lean on each other
as if someone stole their crutches.
The colors of these villages are regulated
by a commissioner of good taste from the community government.
For those hiking the trails,
an ideal snack is a slice of focaccia.
Focaccia originates here,
in the region of Liguria.
The baker stretches dough to fit the pan,
roughs it up with finger holes,
adds a few simple ingredients, perhaps tomatoes and olives,
drizzles olive oil,
and splashes it with salty water,
Hot out of the oven,
the focaccia comes in several varieties
and is a local favorite
for a quick snack to go.
-Grazie. -Grazie.
-Ciao. -Bye.