Hiking in the Cinque Terre
Click under the picture on the pdf link “trailsmap”
Monterosso – Vernazza (Sentiero Azzurro nr 592)
You will find the start of this beautiful path in the historical center of Monterosso: coming from Fegina – after the tunnel or the stairs – and keeping the water on your right side, the road will slightly climb up towards Hotel Porto Roca: 20mt before the entrance of the hotel you will notice (on the right side too) an arrow “ to Vernazza” and a bunch of steps going down. If you don’t have tickets yet for the walking trails, you will still be able to buy them at the start of the path, 100mt from departure. It climbs immediately up with many stairs but at the end of these, you will have a breathtaking view on the whole Monterosso bay and Punta Mesco. You will continue on narrow footpaths between quiet nature, always accompanied by sights of the cliffs into the blue sea, vineyards, lemon and orange trees, flowering shrubs, dry stone walls and ancient bridges over tiny water streams.
The downhill to Vernazza starts when you will be at a ”very well known spot” admiring the view of the whole village from above: stop a minute to take one of the most famous Cinque Terre pictures in the world 🙂 After quite many steps, you will reach the colorful and unique square of this unforgettable first stop.
Vernazza – Corniglia (Sentiero Azzurro nr 592)
In Vernazza, you will find the beginning of the path to Corniglia in the main street on your right hand side (giving your back to the sea), just before the Pharmacy. Leaving Vernazza you will immediately discover some beautiful views of the village seen from the other side which is totally different from the ones you caught during the previous path. On this stretch, the vegetation is enriched by many cactus plants that grow in the most unbelievable places and cross each other between other bushes. After quite a lot of climbing, you will reach a cluster of houses where there is also a bar with a peaceful terrace: here you can afford a small break and enjoy a fresh orange or lemon juice before descending to Corniglia, which will soon appear to you. Corniglia is the only village where no ferries or boats can dock, since it is totally situated on top of the hill.
The “Blue Path” (Sentiero Azzurro nr 592) from Corniglia to Riomaggiore is at the moment interrupted: we will give you alternative routes which are very interesting and a little challenging as well….
Corniglia – Manarola (Sentiero Alto nr 586/587/506)
After having visited Corniglia and admired the beautiful views on all the Cinque Terre from the Belvedere terrace, you will find the path to Volastra-Manarola on the way to the stairs which usually bring you down to Corniglia railway station: the sign to Manarola will be on the left side , whereas the stairs to the station are on the right side. The first part is a quite tough climb, but once you are up in the direction of Volastra, you will be permanently in the middle of the vineyards with stunning views on the coast and until this cute little village of a few colorful houses, the trail will be totally flat. From Volastra to Manarola there are a lot of stairs but absolutely easy to descend: in the last part of the track, arriving on the hill of Manarola, (not in the summer time though !) you will be able to enjoy one of the biggest Christmas Crib of the world, which finds place from the beginning of December to the end of January: it lights up in the evening, offering a very special effect !!
Manarola – Riomaggiore (Sentiero Alto nr 531)
Take your time to visit Manarola, which has a nice little harbor, a very pictoresque main street with shops and restaurants and a huge number of tiny little roads (“carugi”) which climb up and suddenly surprise you with small terraces from where you can appreciate beautiful sights of this colorful borough and its surroundings. The path to Riomaggiore starts inbetween these “carugi” and climbs up in a very irregular way: the stairs are absolutely not even and you need to be used to such a kind of soil but if you like a little challenge, it will certainly be very amusing: the positive thing is that it doesn’t last more than 30 minutes !!
Once you are up between the vineyards, you will immediately start the easy downhill to Riomaggiore: also many stairs….but it is the last effort of this stretch 😉
You will arrive in Riomaggiore next to the station: I suggest you to take the short tunnel which brings you in a couple of minutes to the other side of the village, the more suggestive part, where the small harbor, the colorful houses stacked up seem to make a game with each other, aiming for the highest place that enables to keep an eye, as far as possible, on the beautiful shore in the direction of Portovenere 🙂
Useful tips:
– bring enough water to hydrate yourself and possibly something to protect you from the sun (suncream/headgear).
– wear appropriate shoes and NOT thong sandals !!
– try to avoid (during hot periods) the hours around noon.
– if you stay more than two nights in Cinque Terre (which is to advise…), split the trails in 2 parts and in this case try the higher path from Riomaggiore to Corniglia since it is easier than in the opposite direction 😉
– walk always during the day and not without sunlight.
– if you have young children or older people with you, be aware that the paths (especially the higher ones) are quite tough and possibly not suitable for them, in some cases even dangerous.
Monterosso – Punta Mesco – Levanto (Sentiero Alto nr 590/591)
From the “newer” part of Monterosso, Fegina (where our apartments are located) you can reach Punta Mesco in 1h and Levanto in about 2h30.
The path starts from “Il Gigante” (big stone statue at the end of the beaches), climbing up to the two towers behind it and always following the red and white signs. It is quite an intense walk but not more than the rest of the paths between the Cinque Terre villages. Since it is a steep climb, you will be quickly at >300mt and enjoy a spectacular view of Cinque Terre and Portovenere with its islands Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. Arriving above Punta Mesco, where there is a ruin of a very ancient church of 1400 (Sant’Antonio al Mesco) you still can decide if you wish to go further to Levanto or come back to Monterosso. The walk to Levanto is almost totally flat, for a long part with the sea practically underneath you; you cross a place called “Podere Case Lovara”, a beautiful restoration of houses of 1700, now used as farmhouse, based on natural principles. After a long downhill, which includes large paths through woods, road and stone stairs, you finally reach the sea promenade of Levanto where you will be able to have a rest or walk to the station in order to get a train back home, satisfied to have discovered another unforgettable part of this area.
Riomaggiore – Portovenere (Sentiero alto nr 593/598)
If you have the chance to stay in the Cinque Terre a little longer (…between 4 and 7 days) and you wish to be sorrounded by nature, be away from the crowd and you do like to hike….this walk is very suggestive and leads you to the Pearl of the Poet Gulf: Portovenere.
It takes – including a couple of stops to rest – drink and a small picknick -, about 5h, of course depending from your walking style: believe me….it is not that heavy (absolutely not heavier than the other trails) but you must be prepared that it lasts for a part of your day. From April/May you can take the ferry back to Monterosso, on the contrary, off season, there is a good shuttle service which brings you to La Spezia and stops very close by the rail station.
The hike starts at the end of the village of Riomaggiore (= top of the street with all the shops) and takes a small hour (not very steep climb) to reach the Santuario di Montenero just above Riomaggiore: comfortable spot to take a fresh breath with a beautiful view on the Cinque Terre coast, all the way from Punta Mesco in Monterosso.
It takes another hour to arrive at Colle del Telegrafo where you can drink or eat and take a little rest: there is a small and nice family restaurant. From there on, the climb is practically finished and you will enter leaf woods for a while, until Campiglia.
After this small village, the coast appears shortly again (very beautiful part of the path !) and you will be able to clearly see (but still at a certain distance, the extreme section of Portovenere with the ancient St Pietro Church (from XIII century) and a part of the Palmaria island (the biggest of the three islands near Portovenere – the other ones are Tino and Tinetto -). You will still have to shortly walk on the road and some larger paths before to start the downhill to Portovenere where you will arrive just behind the Doria Castle (XII century) and then turn behind it to come out at the beginning of the Sea Promenade: this last part makes you forget the long walk and the climbing and brings you in a spectacular atmosphere with beautiful views. Portovenere and its islands, the colorful houses (of seven floors !!), the parked boats, the restaurants and shops next to the water will cuddle you for a while until you leave this unique stage of beauty to go back to Monterosso….
