Pauline
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I have heard that, but I didn’t have a pen!
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Liguria and the Piedmont, May 2018
- Thread starter Pauline
- Start date
I have heard that, but I didn’t have a pen!
Kristina
New Member
Hi Pauline-
Loving this report as I am considering Cinque Terre for October. I was wondering about your trekking poles and how you pack them for travel. In the US they can't be carried on the plane (TSA rules) and we just discovered they won't fit in our 22" rolling bags even if we were to check them! I dread having to use larger bags just for that.
Loving this report as I am considering Cinque Terre for October. I was wondering about your trekking poles and how you pack them for travel. In the US they can't be carried on the plane (TSA rules) and we just discovered they won't fit in our 22" rolling bags even if we were to check them! I dread having to use larger bags just for that.
Pauline
Forums Admin
I bought special hiking poles that fold up small. They are very good. We are using them here. Leki Vario Carbon.
https://www.leki.com/uk/product-area/trekking/poles/2520/micro-vario-carbon/
The specs say 38cm (15 inches). I measured mine and that is correct. They come in a bag. I’ll post a photo.
https://www.leki.com/uk/product-area/trekking/poles/2520/micro-vario-carbon/
The specs say 38cm (15 inches). I measured mine and that is correct. They come in a bag. I’ll post a photo.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Saturday May 12 2018
Overcast much of the day, then sunshine. Temps high 60s.
Today we drove to Lerici to meet Jim and Diana Zurer and have a day out with them and their friends Maureen and Franco, who came up from Rome to visit with them. Maureen is Maureen Fant who wrote "Dictionary of Italian Cuisine - A to Z Italian-English lexicon of food terminology" which we have used on many trips. I still have my original copy. I also used her Guide to Rome restaurants. It was a thrill for me to meet Maureen! She and Jim have been friends since before the AOL Italy forums. The Compuserve forums I think.
Their hotel is above Lerici and we parked there, then we all walked down to a cafe in town to meet up with Megan, another SlowTrav person who I had not met before.
Lerici was getting ready to host a triathalon and the roads were going to be closed, so after our coffee we went back to the hotel and drove out in two cars. We were heading inland to Sarzana. We got lost because we were yacking (Maureen was in the car with us, so it wasn't just me yacking to Steve, it was all of us) and were supposed to be following Jim but lost him at a roundabout and since I had misspelled Sarzana when typing it into the GPS, it was no help. We found it eventually but were parked at the opposite side of town from Jim and Diana and Franco.
We had been in Sarzana once in 2000 when we spent a week in a hill town near Lerici. It is a lively town with a pretty medieval center. The six of us wandered around first searching for a restaurant that ended up to be out of business, then reading several menus before Maureen found a good looking menu. We sat outside under umbrellas (it was getting sunny) and had a long lunch. The food was excellent. I had the pasta, pesto, green beans, and potatoes dish that I had in Santa Margherita Ligure and it was fabulous. Steve had the same. The others shared several appetizers because they are going out for a big dinner tonight. The deep fried vegetables were fabulous. I forgot to take photos!!
We headed back to the cars and drove 20 minutes up into the hills to Fosdinovo, the town where Eric Newby lived near in his book "A Small House in Tuscany". I love that book. So does Jim. Jim and Diana found Eric Newby's house on a previous trip, but did not get a warm welcome from the owner. Maureen and Franco took the tour of the castle, the rest of us walked around the very small town.
We headed back to Levanto. I wanted to stop in Sarzana to get some groceries but the town that was empty at 1pm was now full of people and cars, with no parking available. We were back in Levanto around 7pm and the shops were still open, so we could get a few things.
Twice now we have run into Federico (from Villa Margherita - we are renting from him) around town. Tonight he was riding his bike into town as we were walking back from the shops.
No hiking today! But, what a lovely day!
Overcast much of the day, then sunshine. Temps high 60s.
Today we drove to Lerici to meet Jim and Diana Zurer and have a day out with them and their friends Maureen and Franco, who came up from Rome to visit with them. Maureen is Maureen Fant who wrote "Dictionary of Italian Cuisine - A to Z Italian-English lexicon of food terminology" which we have used on many trips. I still have my original copy. I also used her Guide to Rome restaurants. It was a thrill for me to meet Maureen! She and Jim have been friends since before the AOL Italy forums. The Compuserve forums I think.
Their hotel is above Lerici and we parked there, then we all walked down to a cafe in town to meet up with Megan, another SlowTrav person who I had not met before.
Lerici was getting ready to host a triathalon and the roads were going to be closed, so after our coffee we went back to the hotel and drove out in two cars. We were heading inland to Sarzana. We got lost because we were yacking (Maureen was in the car with us, so it wasn't just me yacking to Steve, it was all of us) and were supposed to be following Jim but lost him at a roundabout and since I had misspelled Sarzana when typing it into the GPS, it was no help. We found it eventually but were parked at the opposite side of town from Jim and Diana and Franco.
We had been in Sarzana once in 2000 when we spent a week in a hill town near Lerici. It is a lively town with a pretty medieval center. The six of us wandered around first searching for a restaurant that ended up to be out of business, then reading several menus before Maureen found a good looking menu. We sat outside under umbrellas (it was getting sunny) and had a long lunch. The food was excellent. I had the pasta, pesto, green beans, and potatoes dish that I had in Santa Margherita Ligure and it was fabulous. Steve had the same. The others shared several appetizers because they are going out for a big dinner tonight. The deep fried vegetables were fabulous. I forgot to take photos!!
We headed back to the cars and drove 20 minutes up into the hills to Fosdinovo, the town where Eric Newby lived near in his book "A Small House in Tuscany". I love that book. So does Jim. Jim and Diana found Eric Newby's house on a previous trip, but did not get a warm welcome from the owner. Maureen and Franco took the tour of the castle, the rest of us walked around the very small town.
We headed back to Levanto. I wanted to stop in Sarzana to get some groceries but the town that was empty at 1pm was now full of people and cars, with no parking available. We were back in Levanto around 7pm and the shops were still open, so we could get a few things.
Twice now we have run into Federico (from Villa Margherita - we are renting from him) around town. Tonight he was riding his bike into town as we were walking back from the shops.
No hiking today! But, what a lovely day!
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Kristina
New Member
Thanks Pauline! Those poles look great but they are a bit out of my budget for the limited trekking I do. It's a goal for a later date. 
Also, I just bought a new pair of poles not thinking about the travel part, so I'm stuck with them I guess. I'll either leave them at home or bring a bigger bag.
Also, I just bought a new pair of poles not thinking about the travel part, so I'm stuck with them I guess. I'll either leave them at home or bring a bigger bag.Maureen Fant
New Member
It was a truly lovely day....Italy and good friends--what a combination.
One small correction....it was me that found the menu for the restaurant where we ended up eating. Credit where credit is due.
Jim, Jim, I was about to say the same thing. My contribution was to reject everything else and approve Jim's choice. Turns out it was the best of our three meals in the area. Either the exception that proves the rule or an indication that consulting Italian guidebooks and asking local residents where to eat are not the best ways to find good restaurants.
Maureen Fant
New Member
Pauline, super day yesterday, and super fun to meet, and spend time with, you and Steve.
Lisa in Ottawa
500+ Posts
I love Eric Newby books. He was a great travel writer.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Sunday May 12 2018
The last few days have been the same. Overcast in the morning, sun breaking through, sunny afternoon with a few clouds. Heavy clouds rolled in and at 5pm we had lightening, thunder and 10 minutes of heavy rain. The weather is forecast to be 10F cooler tomorrow - high 50s! With showers during the day. We'll see what happens. I have been putting our rain jackets in our back packs.
A nice lazy Sunday morning. We went out to Barolino, our favorite cafe, for coffee and cornetto (I've already abandoned the focaccia). I can't find wholewheat cornetto here as we've had on previous trips, but we get the plain ones. The coffee at Barolino is really good - much better than anywhere else we have tried. The price standing at the bar is €1. We paid the same today even sitting at an outside table. The cafe was busy with locals and tourists coming and going.
We walked around town, tried another cafe, found a bakery open (on Sunday!) and got some bread and focaccia. Some of the food shops were even open. I think it is because this is a beach town and people come here on the weekends. The shops need to be open.
Even the tourist office was open. We had poked our heads in a few days ago but there was a line out the door and one person at the desk. Today there were two people at the desk and only one person talking to them. We bought a hiking map and a book on Levanto, then got very detailed information about local hikes from the woman at the desk. This is the best tourist office we have ever encountered in Italy. She gave us bus schedules, told us how to find train schedules, showed us a variety of hikes in the area, telling us exactly how to get on the trails.
The big news is that two parts of the Cinque Terre trail are closed - the first two from the south - Riomaggiore - Manarola - Corniglia. You can only walk the last two parts - Corniglia - Vernazza - Monterosso. High level walks between all the towns are available, but these involve a big climb, 500m, to start. They have small busses now that go from most Cinque Terre towns up to the high level (she gave us the schedules) so we can take the train to a Cinque Terre town, then a bus up to the high level, then hike at that level and then down to another town. We will do this.
Hike: Levanto to Bonassola.
https://www.walkingeurope.info/walk-description-6099
Route: Not on the pedestrian/bike path, but above on the hillside.
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Today we packed sandwiches and got a late start but did the hike from Levanto to Bonassola. Last Thursday we did this walk on the bicycle route, a flat path for pedestrians and bikes, that is mostly through tunnels. It goes from Levanto to Bonassola (30min) to Framura (another 45mins I think). It is an easy walk, and cool in the tunnels, with occasional sea views.
Today we took the footpath up the hillside and over to Bonassola. It took 1 1/2 hours. The climb up started on steps from Levanto, met a road for a bit, went past beautiful villas with sea views, up a rocky path (not too bad), then flat on a dirt trail through trees and olive groves with views. It was not in shade but the day was not very hot. We did not take out our walking poles - the trail was easy.
We met hardly anyone on the trail! What a difference from the Levanto to Monterosse trail. We did pass one group of about 20 people and had to "buon giorno" almost everyone.
Bonassola is spread out into the valley and up the hill and the descent through the town was nice. We stopped at benches in front of a small castle and had our lunch.
Bonassola is a lovely town. We saw more of it this time. We found the trails to Framura. The pedestrian/bike trail started with a very long tunnel. There is a hiking trail too that goes up the hill. We will do this another time.
We did a fast walk back on the pedestrian/bike path. There were lots of other people out walking on that path, bikes too.
I really liked this hike!
The last few days have been the same. Overcast in the morning, sun breaking through, sunny afternoon with a few clouds. Heavy clouds rolled in and at 5pm we had lightening, thunder and 10 minutes of heavy rain. The weather is forecast to be 10F cooler tomorrow - high 50s! With showers during the day. We'll see what happens. I have been putting our rain jackets in our back packs.
A nice lazy Sunday morning. We went out to Barolino, our favorite cafe, for coffee and cornetto (I've already abandoned the focaccia). I can't find wholewheat cornetto here as we've had on previous trips, but we get the plain ones. The coffee at Barolino is really good - much better than anywhere else we have tried. The price standing at the bar is €1. We paid the same today even sitting at an outside table. The cafe was busy with locals and tourists coming and going.
We walked around town, tried another cafe, found a bakery open (on Sunday!) and got some bread and focaccia. Some of the food shops were even open. I think it is because this is a beach town and people come here on the weekends. The shops need to be open.
Even the tourist office was open. We had poked our heads in a few days ago but there was a line out the door and one person at the desk. Today there were two people at the desk and only one person talking to them. We bought a hiking map and a book on Levanto, then got very detailed information about local hikes from the woman at the desk. This is the best tourist office we have ever encountered in Italy. She gave us bus schedules, told us how to find train schedules, showed us a variety of hikes in the area, telling us exactly how to get on the trails.
The big news is that two parts of the Cinque Terre trail are closed - the first two from the south - Riomaggiore - Manarola - Corniglia. You can only walk the last two parts - Corniglia - Vernazza - Monterosso. High level walks between all the towns are available, but these involve a big climb, 500m, to start. They have small busses now that go from most Cinque Terre towns up to the high level (she gave us the schedules) so we can take the train to a Cinque Terre town, then a bus up to the high level, then hike at that level and then down to another town. We will do this.
Hike: Levanto to Bonassola.
https://www.walkingeurope.info/walk-description-6099
Route: Not on the pedestrian/bike path, but above on the hillside.
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Today we packed sandwiches and got a late start but did the hike from Levanto to Bonassola. Last Thursday we did this walk on the bicycle route, a flat path for pedestrians and bikes, that is mostly through tunnels. It goes from Levanto to Bonassola (30min) to Framura (another 45mins I think). It is an easy walk, and cool in the tunnels, with occasional sea views.
Today we took the footpath up the hillside and over to Bonassola. It took 1 1/2 hours. The climb up started on steps from Levanto, met a road for a bit, went past beautiful villas with sea views, up a rocky path (not too bad), then flat on a dirt trail through trees and olive groves with views. It was not in shade but the day was not very hot. We did not take out our walking poles - the trail was easy.
We met hardly anyone on the trail! What a difference from the Levanto to Monterosse trail. We did pass one group of about 20 people and had to "buon giorno" almost everyone.
Bonassola is spread out into the valley and up the hill and the descent through the town was nice. We stopped at benches in front of a small castle and had our lunch.
Bonassola is a lovely town. We saw more of it this time. We found the trails to Framura. The pedestrian/bike trail started with a very long tunnel. There is a hiking trail too that goes up the hill. We will do this another time.
We did a fast walk back on the pedestrian/bike path. There were lots of other people out walking on that path, bikes too.
I really liked this hike!
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Pauline
Forums Admin
Monday May 13 2018
Today we did - - nothing! It was stormy last night and poured rain this morning.
When the rain stopped we went out for coffee, did some food shopping (thin asparagus, tiny zuchini, bread, some desserts, vegetable tart things for lunch - one spinach, one rice). Nice lunch at home. Did some laundry. Read. Figured out hikes for the rest of the week.
Late afternoon we walked along the sea. The waves were big and there were about 30 surfers in wet suits out in the water. We hit the shops again (local olive oil, local pesto). We found a small natural foods shop (rice, tea) another small grocery shop (local cheese).
This apartment is very comfortable. I thought I would be nervous being on the 4th (US 5th) floor but I am not. Although I was out on the narrow balcony yesterday trying to get the awning to stop flapping in the wind when I thought "what the hell am I doing on this balcony?". It is fun being up high and looking out to the hills. We look at the back of the beautiful buildings on the main street.
The town is also very nice. Not chic feeling like Santa Margherita Ligure, but more like a beach town. A bit of a young hippie element, which I love. Lots of locals. Lots of visitors. The shop keepers are very friendly.
Today we did - - nothing! It was stormy last night and poured rain this morning.
When the rain stopped we went out for coffee, did some food shopping (thin asparagus, tiny zuchini, bread, some desserts, vegetable tart things for lunch - one spinach, one rice). Nice lunch at home. Did some laundry. Read. Figured out hikes for the rest of the week.
Late afternoon we walked along the sea. The waves were big and there were about 30 surfers in wet suits out in the water. We hit the shops again (local olive oil, local pesto). We found a small natural foods shop (rice, tea) another small grocery shop (local cheese).
This apartment is very comfortable. I thought I would be nervous being on the 4th (US 5th) floor but I am not. Although I was out on the narrow balcony yesterday trying to get the awning to stop flapping in the wind when I thought "what the hell am I doing on this balcony?". It is fun being up high and looking out to the hills. We look at the back of the beautiful buildings on the main street.
The town is also very nice. Not chic feeling like Santa Margherita Ligure, but more like a beach town. A bit of a young hippie element, which I love. Lots of locals. Lots of visitors. The shop keepers are very friendly.
Valerie
100+ Posts
Pauline
Forums Admin
You would like that one, plus the one we did today which was similar.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Tuesday May 15 2018
Overcast and cooler, low 60sF. Sunny in late afternoon.
Hike: Framura to Bonassola to Levanto. From the Sunflower Guide.
Route: Train from Levanto to Framura, hiking trail (SL - Sentieri Ligure) to Bonassola, pedestrian/bike path from Bonassola to Levanto.
Time: About 3 hours.
The trains from Levanto to the Cinque Terre towns run several times an hour but the trains to the small towns north of Levanto run only once an hour. There were a lot of people in the Levanto train station, all heading to the Cinque Terre. We were lucky that there was no line at the ticket window when we got there - everyone was line up at the Cinque Terre desk even though you can get the Cinque Terre card at the regular ticket desk. We got our tickets for today and bought Cinque Terre + Train cards to use later in the week (so we won't have to lineup).
We took the train to Framura, the next town north of Bonassola. There is a new walkway in Framura that runs right above the water. It is built into the rock. We walked out and back on that (about 20 mins). It was overcast and we could see dark clouds out in the sea. The bad weather did not materialize but we had a bit of very light drizzle for part of the hike. It was cooler - I was wearing long sleeves for the first time and Steve was even in his fleece. No sunglasses or hats needed today. We had one hiking pole each (and were glad to have them).
The trail starts but going up a long set of steps. Then you walk out of town on a small road and onto a trail. As with all the trails here, you are climbing at first. Much of the trail had lovely views of the sea. At one point we were in a forest, going down to a bridge across a stream and then up again through the woods. We came out on a lane by some houses (one was a B&B) and then walked through olive groves.
We could not find a good place to sit for lunch so we leaned against a stone wall and had our sandwiches. A very cute tabby cat came over to investigate. Nothing to give him - we only had peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
At the end we walked out to a viewpoint before Bonassola with good views up the coast.
By this time we had been walking for 3 1/2 hours. The trail was about 3 hours. We added on that extra walk at the beginning. I had a gelato to help me make it the last couple of miles. We took the easy, flat route on the pedestrian/bike path to Levanto.
A more adverturous hiker could start in Framura and walk the train to Bonassola, then onto Levanto. It would be a four hour walk I think.
This was a lovely hike. I didn't mind the cooler weather and the overcast skies. It made the walking easier.
Tonight we went back to Taverna Garibaldi for dinner. I had another vegetarian pizza (very good) and Steve had trofie with pesto (also very good). We arrived at 7pm and it was not crowded as it had been last Friday. More people arrived as we were eating and the place began to fill up.
After dinner we walked around town (very lively) and along the water (the sun was setting).
Overcast and cooler, low 60sF. Sunny in late afternoon.
Hike: Framura to Bonassola to Levanto. From the Sunflower Guide.
Route: Train from Levanto to Framura, hiking trail (SL - Sentieri Ligure) to Bonassola, pedestrian/bike path from Bonassola to Levanto.
Time: About 3 hours.
The trains from Levanto to the Cinque Terre towns run several times an hour but the trains to the small towns north of Levanto run only once an hour. There were a lot of people in the Levanto train station, all heading to the Cinque Terre. We were lucky that there was no line at the ticket window when we got there - everyone was line up at the Cinque Terre desk even though you can get the Cinque Terre card at the regular ticket desk. We got our tickets for today and bought Cinque Terre + Train cards to use later in the week (so we won't have to lineup).
We took the train to Framura, the next town north of Bonassola. There is a new walkway in Framura that runs right above the water. It is built into the rock. We walked out and back on that (about 20 mins). It was overcast and we could see dark clouds out in the sea. The bad weather did not materialize but we had a bit of very light drizzle for part of the hike. It was cooler - I was wearing long sleeves for the first time and Steve was even in his fleece. No sunglasses or hats needed today. We had one hiking pole each (and were glad to have them).
The trail starts but going up a long set of steps. Then you walk out of town on a small road and onto a trail. As with all the trails here, you are climbing at first. Much of the trail had lovely views of the sea. At one point we were in a forest, going down to a bridge across a stream and then up again through the woods. We came out on a lane by some houses (one was a B&B) and then walked through olive groves.
We could not find a good place to sit for lunch so we leaned against a stone wall and had our sandwiches. A very cute tabby cat came over to investigate. Nothing to give him - we only had peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
At the end we walked out to a viewpoint before Bonassola with good views up the coast.
By this time we had been walking for 3 1/2 hours. The trail was about 3 hours. We added on that extra walk at the beginning. I had a gelato to help me make it the last couple of miles. We took the easy, flat route on the pedestrian/bike path to Levanto.
A more adverturous hiker could start in Framura and walk the train to Bonassola, then onto Levanto. It would be a four hour walk I think.
This was a lovely hike. I didn't mind the cooler weather and the overcast skies. It made the walking easier.
Tonight we went back to Taverna Garibaldi for dinner. I had another vegetarian pizza (very good) and Steve had trofie with pesto (also very good). We arrived at 7pm and it was not crowded as it had been last Friday. More people arrived as we were eating and the place began to fill up.
After dinner we walked around town (very lively) and along the water (the sun was setting).
Pauline
Forums Admin
Wednesday May 16 2018
Mostly sunny, getting warmer.
Hike: Corneglia to Volastra to Manorola. From the Sunflower Guide.
Route: Train from Levanto to Corneglia, hiking trail to Volastra, bus to Manarola, train back to Levanto.
Time: The walk was 2 hours.
Ascent: 375m (100m less if you take the bus from the train station to Corneglia).
We got an early-ish start and were on the 10:05 train from Levanto to the Cinque Terre. These trains run every 15 - 20 minutes. We used our Cinque Terre + Train day card, validating it in the station before getting on the train. There are validating machines everywhere including on the platform.
We got off in Corneglia. This is the only Cinque Terre town not on the sea but instead is 100m up on a hill. You can walk up, but the bus was waiting when we got off the train so we hopped on and saved the climb. We talked to the Information person (at a desk in the lane that goes into the center of Corneglia) to find out where we start the trail to Vernazza.
Today's plan was to walk the 1 1/2 hours regular Cinque Terre trail to Vernazza and then continue on the 2 hour walk to Monterosso. But, the trail from Corneglia to Vernazza was closed for repairs. This means the first 3 out of 4 legs of the Cinque Terre trail is closed. The first two legs have been closed for a couple of years, but the 3rd leg was just closed today and may be open again tomorrow. I had brought all my hiking info with me in case something like this happened and we did the high level hike that I had planned to do later in the week - the high route from Corneglia to Volastra to Manarola.
We started by exploring Corneglia a bit. There were quite a few people about but it was not crowded. There were an amazing number of cafes and restaurants. We had coffee and cornetto. They were advertised as "croissant" not cornetto. And they came way too hot out of the oven (probably cooking them from frozen). Not as nice as we got earlier in Levanto (stopping for breakfast on the way to the train).
We saved 100m of the 375m climb by taking the bus to Corneglia. It was still a long climb up, the the trail was good and not too steep. We were high up in an hour. There were beautiful views up and down the coast. Once you are up high it is a delightful walk mostly level along the hillside. You go through olive groves and woods, then come out to a large hillside covered in small terraces of vines. This is the quintessential picture of the Cinque Terre. It was stunning.
There were a lot of people on the trail. I think the tour companies bus people up to Volastra and then they walk the reverse of the walk we did, going downhill to Corneglia. At one point there was a group of about 50 people coming towards us on a narrow trail. There were other hikers going the same direction as us and some coming towards us (no in big groups - they either hiked up from Manarola or took the bus to Volastra). Anyway, it was a busy trail. A bit too busy because you had to cautiously step to the side on the very narrow trail to let people pass. At one point a man coming towards us slipped, Steve and I were on the edge of the trail, and I picture the guy falling and pushing us both over the edge.
The sun was shining but it was not that hot - good walking conditions. We reached Volastra just after 1pm. There is one restaurant there and the menu looked good. We got the last table on the outside terrace and had a delightful lunch. I ordered pasta with pesto and a small salad, Steve ordered a bruschetta with pesto and local fish (sea bass). They brought my salad first with Steve's starter. This is not the first time I have been served salad first. I am happy with that, but in the "old days" this never happened. Salad was for after the main meal. What's next, ice cubes?
We finished lunch just in time for the 2:45pm bus. I did not want to do the one hour walk downhill. My foot has been hurting on this trip and walking downhill is worse than uphill. The bus ride down was fun and ended with the driver doing a very fancy turnaround in the center of Manarola, then backing down the hill to the bus stop.
We looked around Manarola - lots of tourists but not jam packed. We saw groups of Chinese tourists! The signs for the Via del Amore, the Cinque Terre trail from Manarola to Riomaggiore, were there, but when you follow the path, after about 5 minutes it is blocked with a sign saying closed.
Train back to Levanto, home around 4pm. It was not a difficult walk but we both needed a nap. Then out for a bit of a walk around town at 7pm with a decision to try the Chinese restaurant and get takeout. It was okay, not great. I should have cooked instead. We were both still full from lunch so did not need much.
Mostly sunny, getting warmer.
Hike: Corneglia to Volastra to Manorola. From the Sunflower Guide.
Route: Train from Levanto to Corneglia, hiking trail to Volastra, bus to Manarola, train back to Levanto.
Time: The walk was 2 hours.
Ascent: 375m (100m less if you take the bus from the train station to Corneglia).
We got an early-ish start and were on the 10:05 train from Levanto to the Cinque Terre. These trains run every 15 - 20 minutes. We used our Cinque Terre + Train day card, validating it in the station before getting on the train. There are validating machines everywhere including on the platform.
We got off in Corneglia. This is the only Cinque Terre town not on the sea but instead is 100m up on a hill. You can walk up, but the bus was waiting when we got off the train so we hopped on and saved the climb. We talked to the Information person (at a desk in the lane that goes into the center of Corneglia) to find out where we start the trail to Vernazza.
Today's plan was to walk the 1 1/2 hours regular Cinque Terre trail to Vernazza and then continue on the 2 hour walk to Monterosso. But, the trail from Corneglia to Vernazza was closed for repairs. This means the first 3 out of 4 legs of the Cinque Terre trail is closed. The first two legs have been closed for a couple of years, but the 3rd leg was just closed today and may be open again tomorrow. I had brought all my hiking info with me in case something like this happened and we did the high level hike that I had planned to do later in the week - the high route from Corneglia to Volastra to Manarola.
We started by exploring Corneglia a bit. There were quite a few people about but it was not crowded. There were an amazing number of cafes and restaurants. We had coffee and cornetto. They were advertised as "croissant" not cornetto. And they came way too hot out of the oven (probably cooking them from frozen). Not as nice as we got earlier in Levanto (stopping for breakfast on the way to the train).
We saved 100m of the 375m climb by taking the bus to Corneglia. It was still a long climb up, the the trail was good and not too steep. We were high up in an hour. There were beautiful views up and down the coast. Once you are up high it is a delightful walk mostly level along the hillside. You go through olive groves and woods, then come out to a large hillside covered in small terraces of vines. This is the quintessential picture of the Cinque Terre. It was stunning.
There were a lot of people on the trail. I think the tour companies bus people up to Volastra and then they walk the reverse of the walk we did, going downhill to Corneglia. At one point there was a group of about 50 people coming towards us on a narrow trail. There were other hikers going the same direction as us and some coming towards us (no in big groups - they either hiked up from Manarola or took the bus to Volastra). Anyway, it was a busy trail. A bit too busy because you had to cautiously step to the side on the very narrow trail to let people pass. At one point a man coming towards us slipped, Steve and I were on the edge of the trail, and I picture the guy falling and pushing us both over the edge.
The sun was shining but it was not that hot - good walking conditions. We reached Volastra just after 1pm. There is one restaurant there and the menu looked good. We got the last table on the outside terrace and had a delightful lunch. I ordered pasta with pesto and a small salad, Steve ordered a bruschetta with pesto and local fish (sea bass). They brought my salad first with Steve's starter. This is not the first time I have been served salad first. I am happy with that, but in the "old days" this never happened. Salad was for after the main meal. What's next, ice cubes?
We finished lunch just in time for the 2:45pm bus. I did not want to do the one hour walk downhill. My foot has been hurting on this trip and walking downhill is worse than uphill. The bus ride down was fun and ended with the driver doing a very fancy turnaround in the center of Manarola, then backing down the hill to the bus stop.
We looked around Manarola - lots of tourists but not jam packed. We saw groups of Chinese tourists! The signs for the Via del Amore, the Cinque Terre trail from Manarola to Riomaggiore, were there, but when you follow the path, after about 5 minutes it is blocked with a sign saying closed.
Train back to Levanto, home around 4pm. It was not a difficult walk but we both needed a nap. Then out for a bit of a walk around town at 7pm with a decision to try the Chinese restaurant and get takeout. It was okay, not great. I should have cooked instead. We were both still full from lunch so did not need much.
Pauline
Forums Admin
Thursday May 17 2018
Overcast in the morning, sunny and warm in the afternoon.
We decided to leave off from hiking today. I’ve been feeling exhausted. A lazy morning and second breakfast at Barolino, our favourite cafe. It was our favourite 15 years ago and is still great. New owners now because the previous owner died. Nothing has changed. Federico told us it is the only remaining cafe that does not do food, just coffee and drinks. He said visitors from Milan love it because it is still the same as before. Many places here now cater to a younger crowd and to tourists. Barolino is busy and lively. The staff are all very friendly.
We decided to drive to Portovenere, just over an hour south. We took the slow route and made a few stops on the way. First at one of the hill towns above Levanto. Next at a historic church - Sovoire - above Monterosso. Then in Pignone where I read a sign wrong and the GPS was no help so we spent 20 minutes driving on very narrow lanes basically going in a circle. Very narrow lanes, like at home but without 20 foot tall hedgerows.
We found the road again, drove through La Spezia, then on the winding coast road to Portovenere. It had been overcast in the morning and even rained a bit on the drive, but the sun came out when we parked.
We walked along the harbour, had a nice lunch (pasta) sitting outside, explored the town a bit more, then headed back with me driving. My first time driving a BMW.
Back in Levanto we stopped at the local agricultural coop and bought 3 litres of olive oil (in a tin - €12 per litre) to take home. Also pesto and some artichokes in oil.
We have parking with our apartment in a small awkward garage under the building. If we had got the car I booked it would have been easier. It takes about 10 minutes to get it out of the small parking space and thread it between the pillars to get out. If it were up to me, I would find a place to park it on the road. Parking takes some delicate manoeuvring too.
We walked up to Villa Margherita to talk to Federico. He knows everything about the hiking trails here. He had a great suggestion for tomorrow - train to Manarola, bus to Volastra, trail 530, trail of the sanctuaries, to Riomaggiore - but I think it might be too long for us. Instead we will probably walk the lower Cinque Terre trail from Monterosso to Vernazza, the only part of the lower trail that is open.
We walked around town for passagiata. Dinner at home tonight.
Overcast in the morning, sunny and warm in the afternoon.
We decided to leave off from hiking today. I’ve been feeling exhausted. A lazy morning and second breakfast at Barolino, our favourite cafe. It was our favourite 15 years ago and is still great. New owners now because the previous owner died. Nothing has changed. Federico told us it is the only remaining cafe that does not do food, just coffee and drinks. He said visitors from Milan love it because it is still the same as before. Many places here now cater to a younger crowd and to tourists. Barolino is busy and lively. The staff are all very friendly.
We decided to drive to Portovenere, just over an hour south. We took the slow route and made a few stops on the way. First at one of the hill towns above Levanto. Next at a historic church - Sovoire - above Monterosso. Then in Pignone where I read a sign wrong and the GPS was no help so we spent 20 minutes driving on very narrow lanes basically going in a circle. Very narrow lanes, like at home but without 20 foot tall hedgerows.
We found the road again, drove through La Spezia, then on the winding coast road to Portovenere. It had been overcast in the morning and even rained a bit on the drive, but the sun came out when we parked.
We walked along the harbour, had a nice lunch (pasta) sitting outside, explored the town a bit more, then headed back with me driving. My first time driving a BMW.
Back in Levanto we stopped at the local agricultural coop and bought 3 litres of olive oil (in a tin - €12 per litre) to take home. Also pesto and some artichokes in oil.
We have parking with our apartment in a small awkward garage under the building. If we had got the car I booked it would have been easier. It takes about 10 minutes to get it out of the small parking space and thread it between the pillars to get out. If it were up to me, I would find a place to park it on the road. Parking takes some delicate manoeuvring too.
We walked up to Villa Margherita to talk to Federico. He knows everything about the hiking trails here. He had a great suggestion for tomorrow - train to Manarola, bus to Volastra, trail 530, trail of the sanctuaries, to Riomaggiore - but I think it might be too long for us. Instead we will probably walk the lower Cinque Terre trail from Monterosso to Vernazza, the only part of the lower trail that is open.
We walked around town for passagiata. Dinner at home tonight.
DSpielmann
New Member
The hike from Levanto to Monterosso had quite the scenic payoff at the top and the pizza reward to follow made for a perfect day!