C.A.I. route no.2 (Club Alpino Italiano -
Italian Alpine Club)
Riomaggiore - Monterosso (Sentiero Azzurro - Blue Trail along the coast
overlooking the sea)
Walking time: 5 hours
The route starts from the Railway Station
square and proceeds along the Lovers' Way or "Via dell'Amore" to
Manarola (30 minute-walk). From Manarola it rises slightly then
levels off along a lovely bridle-path and arrives at the
Corniglia Railway Station. From here it continues on to the
center of the village climbing up some steep steps (1 hour).
From Corniglia the route maintains more or less the same level,
with some difficult points along the way and eventually drops
down to Vernazza (1 hour and 30 minutes). This is where the
longest and most difficult part of the pathway starts. It is
important to take extra care here because of frequent
landslides. Here the route reaches a height of 180 meters and
goes down sharply to Monterosso, finishing near the Town Hall (2
hours). footpath map
The route starts in the village near the
bus terminal, rises gently up through a chestnut grove and
reaches the telegraph hill (516 m). From here onwards the
pathway goes downhill, passing Lemmen (a small part of the
village), through the Sanctuary of Montenero and along a lovely
bridle-path to Riomaggiore ending at the Railway Station square. footpath map
C.A.I. route no.01
La Foce 242 m - Riomaggiore
Walking time: 3 hours
The route starts from the road to Castu,
following it up to the village then, crossing cultivated lands
to Carpena (408 m). From here it passes through a chestnut
grove, rising up to the "La Croce" pass after which there is a
steep descent with offers a lovely view of the sea down to
Riomaggiore. The route ends at the Railway Station square. footpath map
Vernazza
from the Trail
C.A.I. route no.7
Ricco del Golfo 148 m - Vernazza
Walking time: 3 hours
The trail starts from the road to
Casella and follows it as far as the village. From Casella the trail
enters the wood and goes up the Valle del Torrente Chiose that is crossed several times till it reaches the
Sella della Cigoletta 605 m, then continues abruptly down through vineyards and
dry stone walls joining route number 2 which leads to Vernazza. footpath
map
C.A.I. route no.9
Monterosso - Santuario di Soviore 464 m.
Walking time: 1 hours 30 min.
The pathway starts from the road that
crosses the old part of the village and proceeds along a lovely
bridle-path. It rises through olive groves, crosses the coastal
("Litoranea") road and passes the shrine Saint Mary Madeleine
("Santa Maria Maddalena"), finishing at the Sanctuary of Sovoire
("Santuario del Soviore") square. footpath
map
The pathway starts from the road in front
of the Railway Station.
After passing above the Sailing Club it
rises through a pinewood along a bridle-path which becomes a
steeply, stepped path that leads to the top of the promontory.
The path, which offers breathtaking views of the area, finishes
at the church of Saint Anthony. footpath
map
Cinque Terre map of trails - Click on it to enlarge.
How to get from one place to another:
Today the main communication is with the train, that runs in tunnels
along the coast, and stops in every one of the five villages. In
alternative there are boat services that run more frequently during the
high season, while the train runs all year around.
The area was recently designated as part of the national park system and
is considered a protected area, to the effect of limited development and
resource usage.
If you want to walk the
Cinque Terre Path, you have to buy a ticket either in one of the Tourist
Information Offices or just at the beginning of the paths. In 2009 a day
ticket was 3 EURO. The proceeds of the tickets are used to maintain the
trails and to save the Cinque Terre from decline.
Courtesy in part of
Consorzio Turistico Cinque Terre
