The Love Story Behind the Via dell’Amore in Cinque Terre

The Via dell’Amore is a trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola, two small picturesque towns in Cinque Terre. This trail brought two lovers together and changed the region forever. Here is the story…

Until the last century, the towns of Cinque Terre were very isolated from each other, since the islands were not connected with any accessible bridges or pathways. People could not travel easily between the towns and therefore villagers rarely married anyone from outside of their town.

However, things changed in the late 1920s when a trail was made between the two towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola. This trail was established as a lovers’ meeting point for boys and girls who lived in these two towns. This new trail changed the social dynamics between the two villages and made life much more fun and interesting for courting couples.

In 1949, the lover’s pathway became the site of a Christmas wedding. Later, a journalist noticed all the affectionate graffiti along the path and created the trail’s now established name, Via dell’Amore: “Pathway of Love.” Now, it has become a tradition for young lovers to write their names on a lock and close it on a fence under a tunnel along the trail to signify that their love is “locked forever”.

Join our solo travel company on our singles trip to Italy, including Cinque Terre, this July and August 2012. Our single travelers will get the opportunity to take a stroll along the “Pathway of Love” and experience the charm of Cinque Terre for themselves. Call 855-290-7050 today to book your spot on this incredible trip for singles!

What’s Stopping You From Your Dream Vacation?

Mark Twain said it best: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

We all need to stop making excuses and start living out our dreams! What are some of the excuses you have made to keep yourself from traveling and discovering the world?

I bet I know a few of them, since I’ve let them stop me as well.

Can’t afford it… Check out SoloMate Travel’s singles trip Italy’s Amalfi Coast. You won’t find a better price anywhere.

Have no one to go with… SoloMate Travel specializes in solo travelers just like you and me who, for many different reasons, want to travel solo.

You’re afraid… Don’t let that stop you. Look at SoloMate Travel’s singles trip to Ireland… Fear not! They’ll take care of everything and make sure you are always safe. After all, there’s safety in numbers, and travel is what SoloMate does best.

Can’t get away long enough… Consider SoloMate Travel’s jaunt to Quebec City. You’ll only need a few days, and you’ll be hooked. After all, you know what they say about all work and no play.

Allow yourself to experience the fabulous food, fascinating history, and rich culture the world has to offer. Trust SoloMate Travel to take care of every detail and to give you the vacation of your dreams. Make 2012 the year you discover the world with SoloMate Travel.

Quebec City Summer Music Festival

Quebec City is one of my favorite Canadian cities. It’s the only place in North America where you can almost feel like you’re in France, without actually being there. The language, culture, outdoor cafes, wine and narrow cobble stone streets are truly reminiscent of France, but the Joie de vivre that Quebecers display is unparalleled.

There’s nothing like a walk along the boardwalk during the day or at night. On one side, there’s the Château Frontenac, which actually looks like a castle, and on the other, there’s the St. Lawrence River. This is a great place to “people watch”.

I have fond memories of the Planes of Abraham. It’s one of the most beautiful and historically rich parks around. They did a spectacular job with their architectural lighting plan for the city’s 400th anniversary in 2008. It’s really worth it to take a walk through the city on a warm summer evening.

Quebec’s Summer Music Festival, which lasts 11 days, is one huge party with non-stop, outstanding entertainment in all of the city’s must see locations like Place D’Youville, the Grand Théâtre, Parc de la francophonie and the Scène Bell.
Sign up for our Solomate Travel newsletter and be the first to know who will be playing at this year’s festival. Following in line with the festival’s fine tradition, we are sure some of your favorite performers will be there.

Quebec City is very busy during the summer months, so book your spot today for our singles vacation to Quebec, and don’t miss out on this memorable weekend in Quebec City! During your single travel trip to Quebec, your first class hotel is very close to all of the sights and sounds of the city. Trust the single travel experts at SoloMate Travel to show you Quebec like no one else can on this perfect weekend getaway for singles.

The SOUNDS of Traveling

Before you travel to an exotic destination, you can read long descriptions in guidebooks about the best “Places to See” and the finest “Food to Taste”. The sights and tastes of a place are very important. However, when you are visiting a foreign destination, I strongly suggest that you pause for a few minutes, close your eyes, and just listen to the sounds around you. The sounds of a destination will tell you a lot about the place.

When you close your eyes, do you hear the busyness of a city at rush hour or the calmness of waves crashing on the shore of a deserted beach? The sounds of a city can teach you a lot about the place’s culture and values. For example, a car honk may mean that people in that city are impatient and value a hurried lifestyle. On the other hand, a merchant singing a tune along the road signals that the lifestyle in that country is more laidback and that the culture is influenced by music.

Every city around the world has a unique sound. What are the sounds of the city you call home? What are the sounds of the city you have been dying to visit? Find out what your dream travel destination sounds like by joining one of SoloMate Travel’s single travel trips. You will have the opportunity to experience your dream destination with other fellow single travelers and learn the sounds of a foreign destination. Each single travel trip is planned with you in mind and will leave you with lifelong connections and lasting memories.

Travel “Down Under” with our Trip For Singles

One of Australia’s most extraordinary natural gifts, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. As the world’s biggest coral reef, it is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and over 3,000 individual reef systems and coral cays. The reef is also comprised of hundreds of tropical islands with some of the world’s most gorgeous sun-soaked, golden beaches.

SoloMate Travel is taking a group of single travelers to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in April of 2012. On our singles trip, you will get to see this natural wonder of the world firsthand. You will have the opportunity to admire the Great Barrier Reef and bask in the sun on the Wave Dancer Catamaran while exploring the Low Island. Low Isles is an idyllic, unspoiled coral island that appeals to “blokes” everywhere. The island’s wide, sandy beaches and clear lagoon waters are ideal for swimming and snorkeling. Snorkeling equipment is included in your single travel trip. So, experience the colorful underwater world of the brilliant marine life that inhabits the Great Barrier Reef by snorkeling on the reef.

Enjoy the ideal secluded tropical paradise of the Low Isles in the Great Barrier Reef on SoloMate Travel’s single travel trip to Australia! Take a “holiday” in Australia and join our trip for singles to Australia this April 2012. You will enjoy the laid-back attitude of the Aussies and get to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Call 1-855-290-7050 today to reserve your spot on this amazing trip!