Day 1 Portovenere
Rendezvous in Portovenere, a medieval harbour village, for a welcome dinner and introductory talk.
climate around Cinque Terre
Day 2 Riomaggiore
Wooded tracks lead us from a tiny hilltop village to an easy walk along the Cinque Terre Peninsula beside the shining Gulf of La Spezia. We hike to Riomaggiore where we have lunch. Our afternoon walk takes us via the "Via dell'amore" to Manarola, where we board the ferry to Monterossoand back to our hillside hotel.
Day 3 Sestri Levante
We explore the hilltop village of Volastra where locals still tend the steeply terraced vineyards that form a giant amphitheater overlooking the sea. Seated in the shady garden of a trattoria, we enjoy a leisurely lunch before hiking the coastal path to the lovely port town of Vernazza and continuing to Sestri Levante by train.
Day 4 Camogli
After a short drive, we hike an ancient mountain trail through forests and pastures. We marvel at the outstanding views of the sea in one direction and forests and mountains in the other. We lunch on an elegant terrace overlooking the sparkling Ligurian Sea and descend to Rapallo by cable car, and on to Camogli for dinner.
Days 5 Camogli
Our trail leads through oak and chestnut forests along an ancient route to Portofino, where we look out at the yachts at anchor while we enjoy our lunch in a harbour-side restaurant. We explore the old harbour, walk to the lighthouse at Punta Portofino, then board a ferry for the voyage across the bay back to Camogli.
Day 6 Camogli
We walk to Punta Chiappa, where we board a boat to take us past the towering cliffs of the Portofino National Park to the 1,200 year-old monastery of San Fruttuoso, accessible only by sea or on foot. We climb the many steps to join well-worn by-ways known to the monks of old and wind our way through olive groves and pungent pine forests, high above the sea. We return to Camogli for our farewell dinner.
Day 7
Consider a weekend in nearby Lucca (map). Its peaceful narrow lanes, medieval buildings, and many little piazzas make this lovely city a delight to explore on foot.
