My wife and I are looking to travel to Italy in the summer of 2014. We had originally looked at Cinque Terre as one our destinations for 2 days. I have recently read that due to landslides, the hiking paths are closed for the the rest of 2013. We are looking to book our trip our December 2013. My question is, do you have any information as to if you believe the paths will be all clear and ready to go by the summer of 2014? Or should we plan on traveling to another city instead?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
Tyler, Just to clarify, the Cinque Terre is not a "city" but a group of five small towns on the Ligurian coast. It's far too early to be able to predict what the status of the Sentiero Azzurro (No. 2) trails will be in the summer of 2014. This changes from time-to-time depending on conditions at the time. When I was there a few weeks ago, the trails from Riomaggiore to Manarola and Manarola to Corniglia were still closed but the others were open. At the moment, only the trail from Corniglia to Vernazza appears to be open. You can check the status just prior to your trip on this website: http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp?id_lingue=2 Also note that there's an extensive network of other trails in that area, so if hiking is your main interest, you'll have lots of opportunities to do that. Happy travels!
Posted by
Bedford, texas, united states
132 posts
Hi guys...just jumping in as I am going in October of this year. I must not have looked at the website correctly as the post I saw was from 2012 showing what was closed. Is there a page that has a more recent listing. I thought I read a while back that they were all open. I would appreciate the help. (and if it says the paths are closed that is the paths on the seacliffs right (not the ones back in the hills)....sorry, but this will be my first visit, so just checking. I did just find this: http://savevernazza.com/traveladvisortrailupdates/ Riomaggiore – Manarola "via dell'amore": Closed. Trail will reopen in 2014. Manarola – Corniglia : Closed. Trail set to reopen June 15, 2013. Corniglia -Vernazza: Closed. trail set to reopen June 15, 2013.
Vernazza – Monterosso: OPEN.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
Stacey, The most up-to-date information (AFAIK) is shown on the website that I listed in my previous reply. I don't believe the information shown on the Save Vernazza website is current. The trails you mentioned are the No. 2 (Sentiero Azzurro) trails that run in the lower part of the hills between each town. You'll have to check the trail status closer to the time you'll be travelling, as this could change at any time. Cheers!
Posted by
Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA
10 posts
I agree that you should check the web for latest conditions. The national park website has current status of all the trails http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp, not just the sentiero azzurro. I was there in September of 2013 and the only section of the sentiero azzurro that was closed was from Manarola to Corniglia but there was a way around by taking another path up into the hills through the town of Volastra. All paths were well marked and I would encourage you to explore as many trails as possible because they all offer something a little different. We attempted to hike from Manarola to Porto Venere but turned back because we weren't sure we could make it there in time to catch the last ferry back to Manarola. We had a fabulous time and I'm sure you will too.
Posted by
Yakima, WA, 98908
80 posts
I checked the website (Ken's) today and now the number 2 trails are open between Monterosso and Corniglia, but the two sections from Corniglia to Riomaggiore are still closed. I am hoping by the time we go in late September the section between Corniglia and Manarola is open. I'm not expecting the Via dell'Amore to be open until next year.
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
540 posts
I was there a few weeks ago and it was open from Monterosso to Corniglia. Honestly, that is enough of a hike to wear yo out. As a worst case scenario, you could break that hike up to two hikes for your two days. There are also boats and trains that connect the five towns so you can still explore the other two towns that are not connected by the trails. When I was there they were expecting the trails to open soon, so hopefully they will be when you go.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
The C.T. Parks website now shows the sections from Monterosso to Vernazza and from Vernazza to Corniglia "open". As Charles noted, those two parts are the most strenuous, so hiking those two may be adequate for many people. The sections from Corniglia to Manarola and the Via dell'Amore from Manarola to Riomaggiore remain "closed". The Corniglia to Manarola part was supposed to open on June 15th, but that appears to be "delayed". It was closed for most (if not all) of last year, so the damage must have been severe.