Riomaggiore is the easternmost of the Cinque Terre and is located in the narrow valley of the rio Maior, along whose course the village was born. Though maintaining its fishing and agricultural roots,tourism has become very important to the economic life of the village over the last few decades, partly due to its easy access from La Spezia. The birth of the village, according to tradition, dates back to the 8th Century, when it was founded by group of Greek refugees who escaped the religious persecution of the Byzantine Emperor, Leone III ‘L’Isaurico’. The earliest historical information concerns its transfer from the hands of the Fieschi family to the Republic of Genova in 1276. The village has an urban layout made up of a series of footpaths which follow the outline of the land. These steep footpaths allow direct access to the upper floors of some of the houses, the oldest of which are tower-like and built vertically in parallel clusters. Overlooking the village is the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, “San Giovanni Battista”, built in 1340 by the Bishop of Luni. In 1870, the facade began to crumble and was rebuilt in the Gothic style. Nearby is the house where Telemaco Signorini stayed on a number of occasions after 1870. Characteristic features of the village were portrayed in many of his paintings. Down below is the 16th Century “Oratory of the Disciplined” while high up on the opposite side of the village are the remarkable ruins of the 15-16th Century castle where the old cemetery was situated. There is a very beautiful footpath called the The Lovers’ Pathway, “La Via dell’Amore”, which starts in Riomaggiore.
