Angela Betta’s Living Archive
A special visit, a precious story.
We had the chance to meet Angela Betta, the guardian of a unique treasure: a living archive of Cinque Terre. Among photographs, letters, articles, and personal memories, Angela carefully preserves the true soul of the region. This precious collection tells the story of Cinque Terre through the people who built it, loved it, and lived it.
During our visit, Angela shared a book by Dario Capellini. As we turned its pages, we discovered the lesser-known history of the Via dell’Amore, the path that connects Manarola to Riomaggiore. Not the tourist version filled with selfies. But the real one.
The real story of the Via dell’Amore
The Via dell’Amore was not born for tourism. It was built between the 1920s and 1950s out of necessity.
The path served a vital purpose: to reconnect communities divided by rocky cliffs. People used it to reach markets, visit friends, or find their brothers. It wasn’t a luxury—it was a lifeline.
There were no official contractors or construction firms. The people built it themselves: masons, miners, and farmers. Everyone contributed what they could.
Some brought bread from home. Others knew how to blast rock. They organized volunteer workdays and labored side by side. The result?
A path made of stone, pride, love, and solidarity.
A path with a heart
Years later, someone wrote in lime on the stone wall: “Via dell’Amore.”
Not just a poetic name, but a reflection of something deeper. A testimony to the heart that went into building it.
Thanks to Angela Betta, we’re reminded that every path in Cinque Terre holds more than beauty.
It holds history.
It holds love.
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