Setting off from La Spezia, the first village one encounters is Riomaggiore, which boasts the typical terraced structure of villages in torrential valleys, with steep sides and restricted valley floor. The landscape is therefore typically vertical and stairs and steps make up the roads. The main road is a covered canal beneath which runs the Rivus Maior stream from which the village takes its name. The housing is of the typical tower-house variety, developed on three or four floors with no more than two rooms per floor, side by side to each other in parallel rows. The building material is local: stone for the walls, slate for roofing, and yellow or pink plaster for the houses' facades. One can enter the houses both from the main entrance and from the back of the house, entering at one of the higher floors.

A tourist's perspective: Riomaggiore hosts the chief seat of Cinque Terre National Park, evidenced by an intensive promotional activity in the whole town. The upper part of the town is characterized by new modern residential quarter, whereas the 'carruggi' departing from the central street Via Colombo and from the marina are the most particular in Cinque Terre. Very suggestive the shot of the marina, surrounded by high tower-houses and impregnable to the ancient pirates of the Ligurian Sea. Wonderful views from the castle.