Yes, you read that correctly: for the sixth time in the span of a month we are under a level orange weather alert from 6pm today to 8am tomorrow, November 8. We just can’t seem to catch a break as of late.

We’ve been having unpredictable weather throughout Liguria today with waterspouts off the coast of Genoa as well as hail in other areas. Genoa: November 7, 2019

As for us? Meteorologists are expecting thunderstorms and heavy rains. In an area still saturated from recent storms, this puts the fragile Cinque Terre in a vulnerable position.

Are you wondering why weather alerts and storm warnings are seemingly so frequent in our area? Check out this post.

Alerts are classified as either yellow, orange or red depending on the level of risk associated (yellow being the lowest on the scale and red the highest). As this is an orange alert, extra safety precautions within the Cinque Terre automatically go into effect. In the Comune di Riomaggiore (which encompasses the villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Volastra and Groppo) businesses located within potential flood zones are required to close, vehicles must be moved to areas not prone to flooding and organized tour groups are not permitted to visit the villages (amongst a plethora of other ordinances, but these are the main ones that affect those visiting our area). During the weather alert all hiking trails in the Cinque Terre National Park are officially closed. 

If you are staying in the Cinque Terre we recommend buying food and snacks to tide you over as many businesses (bars, restaurants, shops, offices, etc.) are required to close. Only a select few businesses (with secondary emergency exits or outside of the flood zones) are allowed to remain open.

Here are the businesses that are permitted to stay open during a level orange weather alert for the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola (but keep in mind that just because they can open doesn’t mean that they will open). We’ve also officially entered the off-season where many businesses close for holiday.

Riomaggiore:

Farmacia (pharmacy)

Coop 5Terre (grocery market, the one located higher up on via Colombo)

La Zorza (bar/café)

Dau Cila (restaurant)

Manarola:

Aristide (bar/café/restaurant)

Trattoria dal Billy (restaurant)

If you are staying in Corniglia, Vernazza or Monterosso speak with your host to see how you will be potentially affected by the weather alert.

At 8am the weather alert is expected to downgrade to yellow, meaning that businesses are able to reopen. 

What do I recommend? Use this time to catch up on sleep or some much-needed R&R. Delve into a new book or catch up on emails. If you decide to venture out, be prudent and prepared for heavy rains (and be ready to turn back should conditions worsen). Steer clear of low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Don’t be alarmed, just be cautious.

P.S. You can monitor the status of the alerts on the ARPAL website (they are the government agency that issues the alerts).