Route: Cinque Terre Traverse (Italy)

Location
La Spezia, IT
Distance
56 km
Vertical Gain
3,300 m
Description

A complete traverse of the entire Cinque Terre region.  The idea is to do Alta Via (the high trail) but then drop down to all 5 towns and back up to Alta via before getting to the next one. The Alta Via is the historical trail connecting towns.  Some guidelines on the route:

-The end points are Portovenere and the train station at Monterosso.

-Dropping down to Riomaggiore and Manarola you should go to the water's edge.

-At Corniglia you should visit the terrazza panoramica di Santa Maria

-The lower trail is acceptable between Corniglia and Vernazza, where you should again visit the water's edge.

-From Vernazza climb back up to the Alta Via and pass over Monte Soviore and Monte Negro before dropping down to Monterosso.

 

GPS Track

Comments

User Picture
Profile picture for user Lapo Mori

Great effort Laura! Congratulations!

Hey does anyone know if this route is still fully accessible/open

Hi Christopher

I had a look at it yesterday. I startet at Monterosso and made it to Riomaggiore, where I had to pull out, as I was moving too slow to make it to the train home. Also I took some different route choices, e.g. climbing back up to the ridge after Vernazza instead of taking the sea side trail (I could see this becoming a variation of this project. It adds some distance and climb, but makes the project a bit rounder as you really get back up to the ridge very time). From what I can tell, the route is fully accessible. The trails are VERY good marked and in mint condition, especially the Via Alta on the ridge. The trails coming down to the villages through the terraces can be a bit overgrown, but still very good marked and there are generally no problems with runability. The biggest challenge, I think, is actually to not get lost in the alleys of these beautiful villages. Again, I didn't do the whole distance, but I think the part between Riomaggiore and Porto Venere is less technical and I coulnd't think of any reason why the trails there should be in less good of a condition. 

I hope this helps, if there are any further questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.

 

Cheers

User Picture
Profile picture for user Lapo Mori

Yes, the route was open last time I checked 3 months ago. It already bypasses the trails that have been closed over the past 5 years

Hi Everyone, my friend and I are flying over in May to Italy to run this route.

Does anyone know if the route is open?

And what sort of trail shoes do you need? Does it get muddy? We’re planning on running in road-to-trail shoes. 
 

Thanks,

Michael