Hiking Corniglia to Manarola, with Lunch in Riomaggiore

We plan a few local hikes between the Cinque Terre towns, starting with an old favorite:  Corniglia to Manarola.  Corniglia is the central and third village of the five Cinque Terre towns and is the only one not located directly on the water, but instead perched on a 100-meter rocky promontory, surrounded by steep, terraced vineyards.

We take the short train ride from Monterosso al Mare to Corniglia (2 stops, 8 minutes) and walk along the tracks, across from the sea, to the stairs leading up to the village (382 steps).

Arriving from the train station

A short alleyway brings us to the begining of the trail and up we head.

Trail description

Heading up

Looking back at Corniglia

Up the coast toward Monterosso

Down the coast toward Manarola (our destination)

Continuing up

Soon we reach the top and follow the trail along the ridge overlooking the sea.

Views of the sea from the ridge

As we round a corner, we enter vineyards and travel through the spring grapes just appearing on the vines.

Crossing fields of young grapes

Manarola getting closer; Corniglia, farther

Many (about 1,200) steps lead down to Manarola from Volastra on the other side of the path through the vineyards and we descend into the village, where we catch the first train to Riomaggiore, the next stop south.

Descending to Manarola, with great views

Entering Manarola

On our walk through Manarola to the train station, we poke our heads into a small church, Chiesa di San Lorenzo, and admire the beautiful interior.

Chiesa di San Lorenzo

Passing through Manarola

We leave the train station in Riomaggiore, head through the tunnel from the station to the other side of town, and take the stairs under the tracks to the harbor, focusing on lunch in a small cafe overlooking the harbor:  sandwich with mortadella and buratta and pizza with tomato and pesto.

Riomaggiore harbor

Lunch

Another great day in paradise!

Hiking to Monte Bardellone by way of Soviore

We decide to hike over and up to Monte Bardellone, elevation 676 meters (2,217 feet) overlooking Levanto.  We start out by hiking up to Santuario Nostra Signora di Soviore (470 meters/1,541 feet above Monterosso), then follow a path slong the ridges, leading to a road back into the hills around Levanto.  We head up the direct path from Monterosso to Soviore.

Path to Soviore

Looking down at Monterosso

Watching a paraglider land on the Monterosso beach

We follow the road from Soviore southeast toward Il Termine, leaving the road just before Il Termine to join the AV5T trail heading north along the ridge.

Trails in many directions from Soviore

Just before we leave the road for the trail, we pass paragliders preparing to launch and fly toward the Monterosso beaches.

Paraglider launching

Trail along the ridge

Resting place for lunch with views

We pass a group exploring the trail on horseback (and watch out for the occasional souveniers left by the horses as they travel down the path).

Horses on trail

We are treated with occasional glimpses of Monterosso as we travel around it and transition across the ridge to overlook Levanto, the next town north.

Looking down on Monterosso

Continuing along the trail and onto the road

Looking down on Levanto

As we reach higher elevations, we are rewarded with expansive views across Levanto, the mountains, and the sea.

Great views

Old trail, new trail

Highlights along the trail

Returning, we descend into clouds that are rolling from the sea across the hills.  Our path follows the edge of the cloud bank and, occasionally, heads into a passing cloud, offering beautiful views of the inside and outside of clouds and glimpses of the sea and the towns of  Levanto and then Monterosso.

Clouds rolling in

We reach Soviore and return to Monterosso by way of the direct path, still passing by and through the clouds.

Descending to Monterosso

We return from this long walk with knowledge of yet a new area, more inland than we've previously explored, but with spectacular views across the region.