hiking the Cinque Terre, Italy

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Though Buzz of the Adventure Running blog disparaged the Cinque Terre as a … “girlfriend hike”, I loved it. As does almost everyone.

… Alas, I had no lass.

I walked the Cinque Terre, solo.

Since it was my first time there, I did the classic Sentiero Azzurro (Trail #2) route. (Or Blue Path or Azure Path or Light Blue Path)

12km (7.5mi)
Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare
easy with difficult sections, some exposure

Lonely Planet Hiking in Italy:

There’s a reason why the Sentiero Azzurro is one of Italy’s most crowded trails, and the only one you’ll have to pay cash to enter. …

… the route follows an ancient network of walking paths that has linked the five Cinque Terre villages together for over a millennium.

Studded with panoramic vistas, it traverses windswept olive groves and seemingly impregnable vineyards, before dipping serendipitously into each of the flavourful maritime villages …

It starts with a jolt. Check out the first village, Riomaggiore.

I picked up some wonderful fresh bread in a bakery here.

Next up, Via dell’ Amore … Does that translate to Way of Love?

Lonely Planet should have encouraged me to bring a love lock and some spray paint for tagging. 🙂

I did meet one goddess on the trail.

Wow. The scenery was stunning, even on an overcast day.

Vernazza was my favourite of the five towns. Gorgeous.

Check how narrow the footpath is at this point. (And it’s a long drop if you misstep.)

It was much later in the afternoon than I expected when finally arriving in the last village, Monterosso al Mare.

But I’d highly recommend you continue through town to check out a truly interesting building / statue – The Giant.

You can’t miss it.

Though the Cinque Terre is crowded, everyone loves this walk. (But you’ll love it more if you bring someone special along.)

There are other great trails, too. Next time I’ll go for either the Sentierro Rosso (38km) or, even better, the Promotario de Portofino Circuit (18km). I’ll stay in one of the two hostels on the coast, booking weeks in advance to be sure of space.
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… Wait a minute. I did have a girlfriend in nearby La Spezia. Her name is Hotel Diana.