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Itinerary:
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Day 1: Travel to Monterosso - access via the main
railway line between Pisa and Genoa. There are some direct
trains from Pisa central station to Monterosso; on weekdays
direct services from Pisa depart about every 2 hours, with
journey time 1.5 hours. Faster (Espresso and Rapido) trains
normally stop only in La Spezia; if you are coming from
Pisa, you may have to change onto a local train in La Spezia;
if you are coming from Genoa you should change in Sestri
Levante. You should aim to arrive in Monterosso by early
evening. The walk from the station to the hotel takes about
10 minutes along the coastal road, 15 mins with baggage.
Check into the hotel which is only 100 metres from the
beach, but still in the old part of town; you may have the
time to take a quick swim. The historical centre of the
village is characterised by carrugi (narrow lanes) with
little shops selling local handicrafts. It is only a short
walk to the Capuchin monastery where you can enjoy the
silence as you look out over the sea.
Note: Days 2 to 5 can be taken in any order. Other
walks not described below are also possible.
q
Day 2: Take a half day walk to Levanto (7km) along
the beautiful coastal path and up to a high ex signaling
point from where you will get a great view across to the
Cinque Terre. You could then drop down to Levanto, past the
old castle, have a great gelati and a swim. Before taking
the train back to Monterrosso. A longer harder alternative
is to train to Levanto and walk to Deiva Marina. (15km) A
long day that might take you as much as seven hours to
complete. However the route passes by some lovely
viewpoints, giving the opportunity to pause on olive
terraces overlooking the sea. If it is very hot, there is
shade around with oak and pine forest clinging to the
coastal hillsides. There is a steep descent down to Deiva
Marina, where the train back to Monterosso takes about 15
minutes. There are usually a couple per hour.
q
Day 3: A Circular walk from Monterosso to Col di
Gritta via Punta Mesco. A rolling 10km walk that takes you
through the forests around the back of the town. Beautiful
shady locations for picnics and of course great sea views.
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Day 4: A walk along the Cinque Terre. 12 km. This
walk is the classic walk along the Cinque Terre! Taking the
train from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, the walk returns via
the coastal path taking in vineyards, citrus groves and
picturesque villages as it goes. Head along "The path
of love" to Manarola and then continue to Corniglia,
Vernazza, and back to Monterosso. The route gets harder as
you go along, but if you are feeling the heat, or are tired,
you could take a train back from any of the stations. There
is a lot to see today, it could take you up to 8 hours, but
you could split the walking over two days, so that you could
make the most of town site seeing and picnics.
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Day 5: Walk from Riomaggiore to Portovenere (13km).
This time, taking the train to Riomaggiore, the walk starts
by ascending the magnificent coastline steeply through
extensive woodlands passing Campiglia with views to islands
out to sea. On the descent there are vistas of Portovenere
and the church of San Pietro sitting on a rock in the
Mediterranean. Return by bus to the train station at La
Spezia, or take a (seasonal) ferry to Monterosso.
q Day
6: Depart from the Cinque Terre after breakfast.
Accommodation:
You stay is at a charming pension, named after the young
lady who runs it, off the winding medieval streets of Monterosso,
just a couple of minutes from its tiny beach. The dinners
here offer a taste of the local ‘cucina’ and regional
flavours often prevail, including delicious seafood
platters. Perhaps washed down with a Cinque Terre Domain
wine such as ‘Sciacchetra’ which is made with sun dried
grapes and thus has a higher sugar content.
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