next hike

Saturday, 19th December 2020:

Chiavari

As weather forecast seems more promising tomorrow/Saturday than on Sunday, is anyone up for walking along the classical Chiavari-Montallegro trail? The pilgrim route offers several detours, that make the hike suitable both under sunshine and on a rainy day.

We could then take the direct route (via the churches of Sampierdicanne and Maxena) or the scenic route (via the churches of Madonna delle Grazie and either Madonnetta or Campodonico)… and, if we arrive to Montallegro early, we might try a small bit of the recently opened Chichizola trail that connects the hamlet of Canevale to Montallegro (Chichizola is the shepherd from Canevale who saw the Madonna in 1557 and received a portrait from her) Depending on our choices, hike to Montallegro may take 3 or 4 hours and is mostly under the woods. Vertical gain is around 600 metres, difficulty is easy/medium (T/E).

You may read more about the hike on https://portofinotrek.com/it/da-rapallo/51-rapallo-montallegro-chiavari.html

By 5:00pm we’ll likely be in Rapallo, where we can have a hot chocolate while visiting the many xmas cribs and video-mapping effects that decorate the town.

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How to get to Chiavari, and how to come back alive:

On Saturday, 19th December, let’s meet at Chiavari train station at 11:30am.

Recommended trains are:

* if you travel eastwards

Reg 3265 – 10:45 Genova Brignole – Chiavari 11:26

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* if you travel westwards

IC 666 – 10:35 La Spezia Centrale – Chiavari 11:30
(if you take the regional arriving at 11:41, let us know!)

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Return will be from Rapallo station.

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As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to write me (at vidlothianATgmailDOTcom) or call me (at +39 329 7203364)

(July 2016) Fezzano – Portovenere (w/Salto Suocera)

Moving on to the end of July 2016, it was the week of the natural swimming pool, so of course our goal was to hike to Portovenere and swim to Palmaria Island. For the first time, we ventured to the lookout point of Mt Muzzerone known as “Jump of the Mother in Law”(!).. and it was absolutely stunning. It was hard for the 17 of us to stand too close to the cliff ledge, as it led to a sheer drop of more than 200 metres into the sea. You would need to be one witch of a mother in law, to survive here!

From La Spezia to Portovenere/Palmaria

(July 2016) From Moneglia to Scoglio dell’Asseu

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was mid-July in 2016 and the clear sky granted us plenty of sunshine and neat views from Moneglia to Riva Trigoso; from our lunch spot and below our umbrella, we could see our ultimate goal (the Asseu cliff), which we eventually reached, after passing by the Baffe tower and an ominous sign warning us that there may be hikers along the way. Scary!

From Moneglia to Scoglio dell’Asseu

(July 2016) Rapallo-Mt Pegge-Montallegro

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was July 2016 and, as every year, Rapallo was getting ready to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary (who allegedly appeared on the Montallegro hills in 1557) with 3 days of celebrations. Needless to say, the chosen hike was Rapallo-Montallegro; to make it complex, we reached the shrine by hiking on the higher Mt Pegge… and found plenty of overgrown vegetation, that had us cry “ouch!” quite a few times. But all’s well that ends well: we had a relaxing and panoramic lunch on top of Mt Pegge as well as everything else afterwards. Including the three rounds of fireworks and the burning of the castle at night.

From Rapallo to Mt Pegge

Hiking to S.Fortunato festival, via Semaforo Nuovo/Rocca del Falco

A record-breaking hiking group of 53 ventured across Parco di Portofino and went on to conquer the lookout points of Semaforo Nuovo and the recently opened Rock of the Hawks (speaking of which, if you can spot Leticia on the group picture, you’re definitely hawk-eyed!). The 11km trail wasn’t the most direct way to get from S.Margherita to Camogli, but allowed us to walk close to the coast; among many returners there was Michaela, who flew all the way from the Netherlands to land on the Rock of the Hawks; the two sculptures featured Iron-Man and the Bank of Uncle Scrooge being plundered; for the 2nd consecutive hike, we had a meal in a restaurant (dinner this time); the final show started super-late, but we did manage to both see the fireworks and get warmed by the bonfires

Hiking to Camogli, along the coast and via the Rock of the Hawks

An 18km loop trail, from Torriglia to the Pentema Xmas crib

It took us more than just a stroll to reach Pentema: we hiked 18km in order to complete the Torriglia loop with Pentema detour, it’s no wonder that the Genovese regard the little town as a remote place, that’s almost at the edge of the world. But then,it was all worth it! and, despite what the Genovese may say, we were happy to go to… Pentema (and discover its gigantic Xmas crib)

As for the hike: we met some snow and had some slips, but in general coped well with the turned-to-white trail; once in Pentema, we took plenty of time to drink mulled wine and explore all houses of the village: they were open for visitors, as they showed scenes from everyday life at the end of the XIX century (some actually were slightly creepy, we easily dismissed the idea of spending the night there!); the 2nd part of the Torriglia loop offered some incredible 360 degree views over hills, snow capped mountains and the sea; and, from the Donetta hills, we could also make out the village of Pentema, which looked like a toy village.

Going to Pentema took some effort, but we were rewarded by a picturesque town

Hike Index

map of Liguria
Hi and welcome to Liguriah!

We’re a Genoa-based hiking group that often gathers on weekends to hike somewhere in between Ventimiglia/Finale Ligure (on the western side of Liguria) and Cinque Terre/Lerici (on the eastern side).

Fancy joining us? Please click on the About Liguriah tab. Or, if you are facebook-less, you may choose to become a “follower” of the group: just leave your email address to the left of this page and we’ll keep you up to date with the latest.

Hikes are sorted by province and starting railway station:

(June 2016) Hiking from Spotorno to Varigotti

Catching up with the lost hikes, we move on to June 2016; this time, our hike was in Ponente; many lookout points accompanied us along the path from Spotorno and the fortified town of Noli to Varigotti. However, none of them was as memorable as our lunch spot: with the blue sea as backdrop and a cave to shelter us from the heat, the Cave of Brigands (just below Capo Noli) was like a theatre from heaven… and there was plenty of space in the theatre, to welcome the 33 of us!

From Spotorno/Noli to Varigotti

(May 2016) Hiking to Mt Treggin & Bargone lake

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was (again!) the end of May 2016; this time the quest was quite ambitious as it involved a long loop from Casarza Ligure. Reaching the peak of Mt Treggin (870mt) meant enduring a rather steep hike in warm weather, however the top was pleasantly cool; we could enjoy our lunch break, with views over the Sestri Levante inland (as far as to Portofino and Mt S.Nicolao), before moving on to the “EE” rated Roccagrande ridge and the Bargone lake, which allegedly dates back to the Ice Age. Horses and a very muddy trail awaited us, on the way back to Casarza.

From Casarza to Mt Treggin and Bargone lake

(May 2016) Hiking for focaccia di Recco, from Ruta

Catching up with the lost hikes… it was the end of May 2016 and it was a short hike (“trail of the 2 gulfs” from Camogli to Recco), since we had just walked the day before, from Deiva to Framura. Nevertheless, the path had its challenges and its rewards, as we could enjoy some memorable views over the Paradise and Tigullio Gulfs first… and, later, free focaccia di Recco (and the queueing wasn’t too bad!)

Hiking for Recco focaccia

(May 2016) Discovering the new Framura promenade, from Deiva

Catching up with the lost hikes… it was the end of May 2016 and we hiked from Deiva Marina to Framura on a sunny Saturday: as we were 17, it was ruled out that we would fit a minibus to Castagnola; instead, we walked on the coastal blue-green path via Punta Apicchi. It turned out to be a good choice, as the sea had glorious colors, Alexis could slap a high five with the lion of Anzo, the hiking party had plenty of time to wander across the hamlets of Framura, as well as have a brave swim in its crystal-clear waters. Ah, and we beta-tested the brand new seafront promenade of Framura, which connects the beaches of Torsei and La Valla and allowed some of us to have two swims with one hike.

Hiking to the new Framura waterfront

next hike

Saturday, 3rd October 2020:

Ronco Scrivia

It turns out that the weather this weekend is not so favourable for hiking, let alone swimming. However, on Saturday afternoon we’ll have a short sunny break from the rain. Shall we have a short hike to the royal mountain of Ronco Scrivia?

If it were so, let’s meet at 13:55 at Ronco Scrivia… and head up to the top of Monte Reale, across chestnut woods and pudding stone formations. The mountain peak hosts the shrine of Loreto, where once stood a castle. The shrine rises at a height of 902 mt and can offer 360 degree views over the Alps and the sea. While spotting the Alps looks a bit unlikely, we should have clear views over the west, south and east.

Despite there being almost 600 metres of elevation gain, hike is rated as “T” (easy). Hiking time should be around 3 hours.

You may read more about Monte Reale on:
http://www.monte-reale.it/documents/scheda.html (detailed description of the hike, we’ll do a circular loop via Monte Reale and Minceto)
http://www.parcoantola.it/gallery_dettaglio.php?id=6697

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How to get to Ronco Scrivia, and how to come back alive:

On Saturday, let’s meet at 1:55pm at Ronco Scrivia station. Recommended trains are:

– if you’re going northwards
Reg 2516
Genova Brignole 13:21 Genova Piazza Principe 13:30 Ronco Scrivia 13:50
(watch out as there’s a less ideal super-slow train leaving from Genova Brignole at 13:20 and arriving at Ronco at 14:14)

– if you’re going southwards
Reg 2185
Milano Centrale 12:25 Pavia 12:59 Ronco Scrivia 13:54

Return may be around 6:30pm.

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As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to write me (at vidlothianATgmailDOTcom) or call me (at +39 329 7203364)

next hike

Saturday, September 19th:

S.Margherita Ligure

After having three hikes between Sestri and Levanto, shall we head back to Portofino Park and see if we can find yet one more secluded beach? More specifically, the idea is to pay a visit to Cala Vitrale, the enchanting and mysterious bay that, despite being just behind Portofino, is often ignored by hikers. According to a report from one year ago ( https://portofinotrek.com/en/trail-map/20-portofino-cala-vitrale.html ), the trail might actually be damaged by the 2018 storm: let’s find out if it has been repaired or not. Should Cala Vitrale turn out to be unreachable, we can still enjoy its sea views, and later have a swim in Portofino, at Olivetta beach (which hopefully won’t be too crowded in the afternoon, since it lies in the shade)

As for the hike itself, I propose walking from S.Margherita Ligure to the “Base O” lookout point, via Bocche and Felciara, then on to Portofino/Cala Vitrale along the very panoramic coastal trail. Hike should take around 3,5 hours, has 500 mt of vertical gain and is rated as T/E (easy/medium). A couple of fountains along the way should quench our thirst.

You may read more about the hike on:
https://portofinotrek.com/en/from-santa-margherita-ligure/61-santa-margherita-ligure-pietre-strette-san-fruttuoso-base-0-felciara-bocche-sml.html (scary English, we’ll skip Pietre Strette and S.Fruttuoso)
https://portofinotrek.com/en/from-san-fruttuoso-di-camogli/60-san-fruttuoso-di-camogli-portofino-mare.html (we’ll start from Base O)

As for Cala Vitrale, you may see some pictures on: http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/Vitrale014.pdf

Return will be from S.Margherita Ligure. We’ll probably catch a bus from Portofino and arrive there around 6pm.

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How to get to S.Margherita Ligure, and how to come back alive:

On Saturday, September 19th, let’s meet at 11:03 am at the entrance of S.Margherita Ligure/Portofino railway station (by the infamous taxi telephone).

Suggested trains are

– if you travel eastwards

REG 24529: Genova Piazza Principe 10:11 (Genova Brignole 10:20) S.Margherita Ligure 11:03 (*)

– if you travel westwards

REG 11368: La Spezia Centrale 09:50 – S. Margherita Ligure 10:44 (*)

– if you travel southwards:

Reg 2181: Milano Centrale 7:25 – S. Margherita Ligure 10:01 (*)

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(*) For those who have voting rights: if you’re voting on Sunday/Monday, remember to bring your election card: you can get 60%/70% off your train ticket back to your hometown ( https://www.trenitalia.com/it/informazioni/elettori.html ). You’ll actually need to buy a roundtrip ticket, which means that you’ll either waste the second ticket or you’ll come back to Liguria next week… which is never too bad!

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As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to write me (at vidlothianATgmailDOTcom) or call me (at +39 329 7203364)