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Cinque Terre: couple questions on Sentiero Azzurro

Posted by (NC) on

I've searched the forum as I may have seen these answers (I follow every day for our upcoming trip), so please forgive me if these are duplicates.

I've been watching the weather now that the beginning of our trip is within the 10 day weather.com window. We start in Vernazza for 3 nights and at this time, weather not looking good for hiking/trail closures on Sentiero Azzurro due to rain We had just planned to do Monterosso to Vernazza one day. So thinking ahead and first question is if the trails are closed due to weather, might we still be able to go up the steps from town and see some views?

Second question is how about the trail from Monterosso to Levanto - I've read that also is lovely - any more difficult than the one I had planned, and could that potentially be open if our first option is closed? (My guess is they would both be closed, but don't know enough about this segment.) Any experience on this is very welcome!

If not able to do these trails, we'll just visit more of the towns than I had originally planned and still keeping my fingers crossed for some nice weather while we are there! Thanks!

Posted by
1274 posts

Hi Debbie. Sounds like you are excited for your trip to CT, and for good reason - it's a very scenic area. However, I think you may be over-thinking / planning. Yes, there are great views from or directly above all of the towns. Also, there are many trails in CT; a few may be closed (Rio to Manarola to Corniglia has been closed for several years), but many of the trails will be wide open. For instance, one trail with great views is Volastra to Corniglia (no park pass needed; steep walk up from Manarola to Volastra, or take easy shuttle bus). Good to have some hiking ideas in mind, but beyond that I suggest you just wait until you get there, you will have many good choices. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
16710 posts

Debbie, I can't remember exactly where the trail gates were but finding great views from the villages themselves is not difficult. Just climb up the roads to the churches, cemeteries and what-have-you at the higher points of the towns, which we did in addition to some open segments of the Sentiero Azzurro. You may be able to access a small bit of the "Blue" before hitting a gate but if not, don't worry: you'll have plenty of opportunities for taking in the scenery.

Posted by
437 posts

There's a variety of trails and it's unlikely they will all be closed.

Hiking up from the villages is possible, going up to the sanctuaries as described on this website parconazionale5terre. The same website is where you can also find updates to trail conditions. Currently the trails are closed from Corniglia to Monterosa, per yesterday's update, but that could change.

When we visited in Aug. 2012, the trails were open but it was 40C/104F so we only took short walks.

Enjoy the planning and the trip!

Posted by
221 posts

Thanks for the responses! Bob, yes, I am definitely a planner - 1st generation German/American and one of many things my parents taught me was to plan and plan some more. :-) Trying to get better about that and be more go with the flow, but do like to do my research and understand options. I've read that the trails above the Blue are even tougher so that made me nervous to consider those. But we could always give it a try and turn around if needed! And following the RS's self guided walks should also get us above the towns a bit for more expansive views. Our room also has a balcony and is hanging over the sea (if you've seen RS's video, there's a boy that jumps from a balcony next to the Belforte restaurant around minute 8-9, that will be our balcony!) so even if it's raining, I plan to be standing out there!

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