Riomaggiore is the farthest town south in Cinque Terre. If you are coming in from Florence or Pisa on the train, this will be your first stop. We stayed in this town at a wonderful hotel called Locanda del Sole. The hotel was at the top of the hill and the road was extremely steep. By the time we made it to the top (pulling our luggage), we were a bit tired and hot. But being at the top is well worth it. This hotel was great. We slept with our door and windows open and then evenings were spectacular. Each room had a sitting area outside where it was great to relax. This hotel also had wireless which was one of my criteria for the hotel. The funny part is that wireless was free at this hotel. Actually, wireless in Rome was about the same price as this hotel (tongue in cheek). In all seriousness, four nights in Cinque Terre was almost exactly the same price as one in Rome.

Riomaggiore has one of the two beaches in Cinque Terre. It is a rock beach though so it is a little hard to walk on. The rocks are actually big boulders. The water was crystal clear, but absolutely freezing at the beginning of May. I tried to get in, but I only got to my knees. Interestingly, there were only a few people in the water and they were all women. All of the men chickened out. Keep in mind that these beaches can be topless.

The hiking trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is the easiest of the Cinque Terre trails. It is all paved and very wide. It is also right over the water with multiple places where you can take “steps” down to the water. It is also pretty short, maybe 1 kilometer or so.