i'm trying to find a small town to stay in, with nearby access to great hiking and swimming spots on the water. Cinque Terre seems like a big favorite but there has to be other places in Italy that are just as good and maybe not as popular. Does anyone have a recommendation? We could go anywhere - mainline coast, islands, lakes up north, Sardinia..
Thanks for advice! - Matt
A few ideas for your consideration:
The CT is popular, but you can get away from the crowds by taking trails other than #2, the Sentiero Azzuro. Not many people venture to the higher paths, although we go in Oct so maybe it's nuts even on the high trails in summer.
The Amalfi Coast is rich with hiking from the famous Sentiero degli Dei to dozens of paths all over the Sorrentine peninsula. You can hike from cliff to coast, along cliff tops, etc.
Liguria, the region where the Cinque Terre is located, has more than juts the CT. Check out A Path to Lunch for many Ligurian hiking ideas.
The Maremma of Tuscany is coastal and offers hiking. Isola del Giglio is delightful for a day or two of hiking with views of water. We just went there a few weeks ago, but I understand August is a nightmare with all the people who hit the beach then....
The Lakes aren't exactly "coastal" but along Lago di Como is the Sentiero del Viandante, 45km if you want to dot he whole thing.
Edit: BTW, Oregonian here. We've been in Italy 2+ years now!
Italy is full of such towns. We are most familiar with Liguria. There's no need to go to the famous touristy places. Much depends on your budget, language skills, and mode of transport. Assuming smaller towns: Laigueglia on the Ligurian Riviera toward the French border. Wonderful beaches and lots of trails. Further east there's Finalborgo and Noli. Another town is Moneglia which is south of Genoa or Bonassola nearby. At the tip of Liguria is Montemarcello with hikes in the Park of Montemarcello, and the popular hidden beach of Punta Corvo. Look at this series of articles: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2014/02/the-most-beautiful-villages-in-liguria_25.html
Also there's a nifty English language hiking website based in Genoa that has wonderful ideas: http://liguriah.wordpress.com/
Thanks, Laurel and Mike.
I hesitate to put this in a "hiking" thread, but one of our most enjoyable days in Sorrento was to take the 2.2 Euro bus to the immediately adjacent town of Sant'Agata. You walk up the main street to the Convent for a view of both gulfs ("sui due Golfi" is a suffix to the town name.) Then, with some difficulty finding it, you exit Sant'Agata on a steep but 98% PAVED walkway to Sorrento, which takes about 1.5 hours. It's all downhill, but some of it is quite steep, so you don't want loose shoes.
