Trails to follow: 593 > AV5T
Time: 4.5 hours
Maximum elevation: 570m
This hike ended up being our favourite of the five hikes we did along the Cinque Terre. That said, I'm not sure it technically qualifies as a Cinque Terre hike as only it starts at the southern end of the Cinque Terre (the rest of the hike is outside the park), but if you love hiking and find yourself in this region, I would encourage you not to miss it.
The route was a bit difficult to follow as the area is crisscrossed by a web of trails that lead to various small villages. Rather than than relying on the numbered trailer markers, we found it was easiest to follow the signs to the specific destinations we knew we would visit along the way - Telegrafo, Palestra nel Verde, and finally, Porto Venere.
There's a lot of variety on this trail, both in terms of views and elevation. The climb out of Riomaggiore is a bit steep in spots, but the trail levels out at Telegrafo then traverses a ridge for a bit. For most of this section of the trail, you're surrounded by trees, but don't worry, the money views are coming! After Campiglia we started to see glimpses of the long, though at times steep, descent into Porto Venere. From this point on, the sights got more and more breathtaking - beautiful sweeping views of the cliffs and glimpses of Porto Venere's lovely medieval architecture.
We took our time on this stretch to explore a number of side trails along the way and arrived in Porto Venere just in time to hop on the last boat to La Spezia where we caught the train back to our home base, Corniglia. An unforgettable day!
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