Manarola, Cinque Terre, Golden Hour Sunset

Creating an ultra-high-resolution VAST photo of Manarola has been on my wish list for a long time. You could even say it was a bucket list item. Of the five towns that make up Cinque Terre, it has always been Manarola that I long to photograph. Yes, the others are nice, but the coastline extending out into the sea to the north of town is what makes Manarola so special. From that point is a wonderful view back toward the village; a spectacular display of multicolored houses stacked on one another up the cliffs. Whether standing along the pathway taking in the view or enjoying an Aperol spritz in a coveted seat at the wonderful Nessun Dorma restaurant, this is the place to be. And the Holy Grail experience is to be there during a sunlit golden hour light show. 

It was my quest to not only create an ultra-high-resolution image from that viewpoint but to do so while Manarola was bathed in golden light. I planned a three-day stay to try and pull off the shot. On the first evening, the view was wonderful and I did photograph it but there was no special light. Nice but not good enough. I would have to try again. As with the day before, I spent the next morning through mid-afternoon being a tourist and exploring the other Cinque Terre town. Around 4 pm I returned to Manarola, gathered my special VAST gear, and headed to the viewpoint. The spot that I wanted to photograph from was very close to the Nessun Dorma restaurant entrance. I knew there would be lots of people lining up, taking selfies, and generally milling around. As I needed to take hundreds of photos from a static location, I decided to place my tripod somewhat precariously on the other side of the safety fence. From there I could reach the camera controls and rotate the camera but without any risk of a tripod leg being kicked by a passerby or being jarred when someone leaned on the fence for their next selfie pose (which happened a lot!). As the late afternoon dragged on, there was cloud cover to the west but there was a glimmer of hope. Far off to the West, there was a sliver of clear sky above the sea. If Manarola was to be bathed in golden light, it was going to come late and it would not last long. I prepared myself for the opportunity. Just before sunset, the miracle happened. As the sun dipped closer and closer to the western horizon, it slipped below the clouds and Manarola lit up with wonderful warm golden light. I worked as fast as I could to capture all the photos necessary to assemble this ultra-high-resolution photograph. And if you zoom in, you can see just how special this sunset was. Endless people were looking out to sea and enjoying the view, taking a photos, or enjoying a cold drink as they watched the day coming to an end.