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Sori (Sunday, April 21) – Given the favourable weather, is anyone up for one last hike-without-swim? The plan for Sunday is to have one more walk away from the sea (but not too far, actually!) and conquer the scenic peak of Mt Possuolo, in the Sori inland.

The route is well described on at https://www.appenninista.it/teriasca-possuolo/ and features the picturesque hamlets of Teriasca and Canepa, narcissi in bloom and the ruins of a medieval shelter near the peak, as the path used to be well trodden because of the salt trade. if we’re lucky, we might be able to spot some of the wild horses that roam between Mt Possuolo and Bocchin di Levà.

Hike is rated as E (medium), has 750 mt of vertical gain and should take around 4 hours.

Return will be around 5pm, from Sori train station.

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

On Sunday, 21st April, let’s meet at 10:33am at the entrance of Sori station.

Suggested trains are:

for those travelling eastwards

REG – 10:05 Genova Brignole – Sori 10:33

for those travelling westwards

REG – Sestri Levante 9:27 – Sori 10:07

for those travelling southwards

REG – 07:32 Milano Lambrate – Sori 10:07

As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to message me ( vidlothianATgmailDOTcom ) or call me (+39 3297203364)

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Sunday, 14 April – Anyone up for exploring the mysterious and mystical lands of Borzonasca?

Known as the gateway to the Aveto park, the town of Borzonasca marks the beginning of a remote region that sometimes is also nicknamed “Ligurian Switzerland”. The trails around Borzonasca are not difficult, but they bear plenty of atmosphere: there’s an ancient romanic-gothic abbey, that’s among the oldest monastic complexes in Italy, a 600 year old cypress tree… and then there’s the so called “face of Christ”, a 7 metre tall / 4 metre wide monolith on which a human face has been carved. No one has yet been able to determine its origin!

Plan then is to follow the indications of http://www.verdeazzurroligure.com/index_htm_files/19%20-%20Borzone.pdf and have a loop around Borzone and Borzonasca. The route also includes “Rocca di Borzone”, a former castle whose ruins now serve as lookout point. We can choose to either complete the full loop and reach the Rocca or, if we skip the lookout point, we could perhaps consider replacing it with yet another enchanted landmark of the region, the Licciorno church ( https://www.genovatoday.it/social/san-martino-licciorno-storia-leggenda.html )

The trail features 500 metres of elevation gain, takes around 3 1/2 hours and is rated as “T/E” (easy/medium). Replacing Rocca di Borzone with the Licciorno church will add an extra 40 minutes.

How to get to Borzonasca and how to come back alive:

On Sunday morning, let’s meet at 11:03 am at the entrance of Chiavari station.

From there, we’ll take the 11:21 bus to Borzonasca. As it would be better to start hiking right away, please bring food with you! (of course, you may also get it in Chiavari, if you arrive early)

For coming back, I suggest catching the 5:25pm bus from Borzonasca, arriving in Chiavari at 6pm.

For more details about the bus, please refer to:
https://www.amt.genova.it/amt/trasporto-multimodale/linee-bus-provinciali-old/tigullio-centrale/borzonasca/

As for Chiavari, recommended trains are:

  • if you travel eastwards
    REG – Genova Brignole 10:05 – Chiavari 11:03
  • if you travel westwards:
    REG – La Spezia Centrale 09:47 – Chiavari 10:32
  • if you travel southwards:
    REG – Milano Lambrate 07:32 – Chiavari 10:12

Return will be from Chiavari station, shortly after 6pm.

As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to message me ( vidlothianATgmailDOTcom ) or call me (+39 3297203364)

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Ronco Scrivia Train Station h 10:00 am till 18:00

Since the weather this weekend it seems to perfect for hiking, shall we have a short hike to the royal mountain of Ronco Scrivia?
If it were so, let’s meet at 10:00 at Ronco Scrivia train station… 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


How to get to Ronco Scrivia, and how to come back alive:
On Saturday, let’s meet at 9:52 am at Ronco Scrivia station. Recommended trains are:
– if you’re going northwards
Reg 12120
Genova Brignole 09:13 Genova Piazza Principe RV 2122 09:30 Ronco Scrivia 09:52


– if you’re going southwards
RV 3067
Milano Centrale 08:30 Ronco Scrivia 09:59
Return may be around 5:00pm.


As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to text me or call me (at +39 3337756854)

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Recco – Sunday, 17th March – It seems like a rather warm weekend is ahead of us: anyone up for a hike in the Recco inland? If I’m not mistaken, ATP/AMT buses decided to extend their Recco-Colle Caprile service to Calcinara: if that’s true, it would be wonderful news for us, as it means we will have a very good chance to conquer three famous mountain peaks that we’re still missing: Becco, Bado and Croce dei Fo’. However, for this Sunday I would stick to something shorter, as there won’t be that many trains back due to Trenitalia doing some maintenance work.

Plan then is to catch a bus from Recco to Calcinara, reach the panoramic peak of Mt Cornua and hike to Recco via the unexplored Testana/Corticella trail (#14 on https://www.lookyhotel.com/images/GP_descrizione_sentieri_confoto.pdf ). Trail 14 follows an ancient trade route and is said to be very scenic, with sweeping views over the Paradise Gulf accompanying our walk down to Recco. We’ll also be able to discover the old hamlet of Testana, with the church of S.Margherita d’Antiochia.

Hike should take slightly more than 3 hours and is rated as E (medium). Or T/E (easy/medium) according to https://portofinotrek.com/it/da-recco/132-trail-ad-anello-corto-da-testana-a-monte-cornua-e-monte-del-pre.html

By 4:30 we should be back in Recco, in time for the 5:xx train to Genova or Sestri Levante.

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

On Sunday, 17th March, let’s meet at the entrance of Recco train station at 10:57. The bus to Calcinara leaves at 11:15 ( https://www.amt.genova.it/amt/trasporto-multimodale/linee-bus-provinciali-old/golfo-paradiso/ ).

If possible, try to pack lunch, since we’ll only have 18 minutes to catch the connecting bus. (if we miss the bus, we could consider doing the hike in the reverse direction, but that would be much more demanding)

Suggested trains are:

— if you travel eastwards
REG – 10:11 Genova Principe (10:20 Genova Brignole) 10:54 Recco

— if you travel westwards
Reg – 09:50 La Spezia Centrale – 10:57 Recco

— if you travel southwards (*)
Reg – Milano Lambrate 07:32 (Milano Rogoredo 07:38) Recco 09:49

Return will be from Recco, probably around 17:00.

As usual, if you have doubts, questions, Hamlet-like dilemmas… feel free to message me ( vidlothianATgmailDOTcom ) or call me (+39 3297203364)

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Sunday, 17 December » Bogliasco – Anyone up for one more hike before Christmas? As this weekend I’m afraid I’m short of time, for pursuing ambitious goals like Mt Manico del Lume or Cinque Terre, I would suggest having a walk to the easier to reach village of Sessarego, so as to admire its mechanical xmas crib. Located in the inland of Bogliasco, the hamlet will again be having a party, with guided tours, music and wine, just like one year ago.

In order to get to Sessarego, we can try following the trail described on:
http://www.verdeazzurroligure.com/index_htm_files/Anello%20Bogliasco.pdf (I guess the first four lines of the pdf are the fruit of some hasty copy&paste!)
Hike takes about 2 hours, has about 300mt elevation gain and apparently is rated as E (medium), due to some potentially intricate woods between the villages of Poggio Favaro and Sessarego.

Meeting point: on Sunday, December 17, let’s meet at 10:42 at Bogliasco train station.

Recommended trains:

  • if you are travelling eastwards

Reg – Genova P.Principe 10:11 – Bogliasco 10:41

  • if you are travelling westwards
    Reg – Sestri Levante 9:27 – Bogliasco 10:14
  • if you are travelling southwards
    Reg – Milano 7:25 Bogliasco 10:14

Return will be from Bogliasco, probably around 4pm

More on the Xmas crib: https://www.facebook.com/presepemeccanizzatosessarego

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Sunday, 3 December -> Sestri Levante – Anyone up for an even richer hike on Sunday? As the weather is expected to be quite sunny (as anticipated yesterday), plan is to head to the Sestri Levante inland and explore the trails that lead to the mining town of Masso and its treasures. Legend has it that the biggest gold nugget ever extracted in Italy comes from here.

While we probably won’t come back with our pockets full of precious ore, visiting the town of Masso might lead to some surprises, since it will be hosting a Xmas market as well as some guided tours to the mines and the miraculous Loreto shrine. Also, the village is said to be a wonderful lookout point over the sea, so the time might be right to discover it.

In order to get to Masso, the easiest way (since I didn’t understand how the special shuttle buses work) is probably to take a bus from Sestri Levante to Castiglione Chiavarese. From Castiglione Chiavarese, we’ll take trail #56 to Masso, as described on https://www.sestri-levante.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CARTINA-SENTIERI-SESTRI-LEVANTE-1.pdf. It should be an easy 1 hour hike in the woods, along the Petronio river and across an ancient bridge.

After visiting Masso, we’ll probably head down to Moneglia, following trail #56 plus the Bracco-Moneglia path, that we took a couple of times when visiting the Davidin tavern. The second part of hike takes slightly more than 90 minutes.

How to get to Sestri Levante, and how to come back alive:

On Sunday, December 3, let’s meet at 10:30am by the entrance of Sestri Levante station.

Suggested trains to Sestri Levante (*):

if you travel eastwards:
REG – Genova Principe 09:11 (Genova Brignole 9:23) » Sestri Levante 10:28

if you travel southwards:
REG – Milano Lambrate 07:32 » Sestri Levante 10:28

if you travel westwards:
REG – La Spezia 09:50 – Sestri Levante 10:25

There’s a bus to Bargonasco right away, but chances are we’ll have to take the following one.

Return will likely be from Moneglia, probably around 5pm.

(*) if you buy your regional ticket online, watch out as Trenitalia added the nonsensical “check-in” feature, for the sake of making things more complicated. If you’re coming from afar, you may consider getting the 3 day regional pass for 29 euro. However, it seems like travelers from Milano can no longer benefit from the “Italia in Tour” ticket, since they added the restriction that it can’t be used in Lombardia.

More info about Masso’s wonders:
http://www.minieredoro.it/monte%20loreto.htm
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_di_Nostra_Signora_di_Loreto_(Castiglione_Chiavarese)
https://primaillevante.it/tempo-libero/eventi/a-masso-mercatino-di-natale-e-villaggio-dei-presepi/

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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)

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Saturday, 2nd December: Genova Principe – Following some rainy days, it seems like we’ll have decent weather for the weekend, maybe on Saturday and almost certainly on Sunday.
There are so many things going on, according to Mentelocale and LevanteNews, that it’s probably worth trying to do something on both days, even though Saturday’s weather might not be ideal.

Plan for Saturday is to have a simple walk across some of the Genovese forts, probably #1 trail listed on
https://www.visitgenoa.it/sites/default/files/I%20Forti%20e%20il%20Parco%20delle%20Mura_0.pdf ,
with a possible bonus hike in case of dry weather.

More specifically, the idea is to start off by visiting the famous presepe della Madonnetta ( https://lamialiguria.it/2022/12/presepe-della-madonnetta-ge/ ). Not sure whether it’s wiser to take the cable car from Zecca or walk our way there, I guess we can decide on the spot (and you probably know better than me!).
We’ll then reach Righi, where we can kick off the fort exploration by walking to forts Sperone and Begato (if the weather is kind, we could add Forte Puin to the list, since it grants a better view over the Genovese hills and the sea).
Our walk will continue towards Forte Tenaglia: the fort will be alive with a Xmas market and some guided tours, so it might be worth stopping by before heading down to Brin. Last but not least, at Certosa theatre young (and talented) pianist Claudia Vento will be hosting a free concert at 18:00: it’s a very interesting one, since it features Beethoven’s Hunt Sonata and some Chopin. There’s even some guided tour of Certosa at 17:00, but maybe that’s adding too much to the program?

Return will be from Brin, possibly around 7:30-8:00pm (maybe 8pm, since the metro is free 🙂 ).

Hike is labelled as T (easy) and takes about 2 hours (not including the sightseeing stops and the potential bonus hike to Puin).

How to get to Genova Principe, and how to come back alive:

Shall we meet at 10:50am by the entrance of Ostello Bello, in front of Piazza Principe station?

Suggested trains to Genova Principe (*):

if you travel eastwards:
REG – Genova Voltri 09:56 » Genova Piazza Principe 10:27

if you travel southwards:
REG – Milano Lambrate 08:37 » Genova Piazza Principe 10:25

if you travel westwards:
REG – Sestri Levante 9:27 » Genova Principe 10:40

(*) if you buy your regional ticket online, watch out as Trenitalia added the nonsensical “check-in” feature, for the sake of making things more complicated. If you’re coming from afar, you may consider getting the 3 day regional pass for 29 euro. However, it seems like travelers from Milano can no longer benefit from the “Italia in Tour” ticket, since they added the restriction that it can’t be used in Lombardia.
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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)

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Saturday, 18th November → Rossiglione – The favourable weather forecast calls for yet another hike in the Genovese inland. Since we haven’t been there for quite some time now, shall we return to the Ligurian grand canyon?

Plan is to explore the canyon by doing one of two possible loops around the Gargassa river. For going, we’ll follow the river while paying attention in the couple of spots where we need to find a way to cross it. Even though it has barely 100 metres of vertical gain and takes less than 1,5 hours, trail is rated as E (medium).

For returning, we can decide between two trails:

1) the eastern one (circle+rhombus mark) is the longest one and perhaps the most interesting one, as it runs along the ridge of the canyon and takes us directly back to Rossiglione; with 250 metres of vertical gain, it’s very panoramic, takes 2 hours and is rated as T/E (easy/medium)

2) the western one (3 dots) runs along the western ridge of the canyon; it’s very spectacular in the first half, takes 90 minutes and is rated as E/EE (medium/hard, because of a couple of exposed sections, that are secured with chains). The main drawback is that the second part is not so appealing and the ending is on the asphalt.

You may read more about the trails on:

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

On Saturday, November 18, let’s meet at the entrance of Rossiglione train station at 11:10 (or on the front coach of the regional train from Genova Brignole)

Suggested trains:

  • for those travelling northwards *

Reg – Genova Brignole 10:13 (Genova Piazza Principe 10:21) Rossiglione 11:10

  • for those travelling westwards *

Reg+Reg – Sestri Levante 8:45 – Rossiglione 11:10

  • for those travelling southwards *

Reg or IC + Reg – Milano Lambrate 7:32/08:12 Rossiglione 11:10

Return will be from Rossiglione (either at 16:47 or at 18:50)

Ah, please bring food and enough water with you (otherwise the 16:47 train will be hopeless!)

(*) if you buy your regional ticket online, watch out as Trenitalia added the nonsensical “check-in” feature, for the sake of making things more complicated. If you’re coming from afar, you may consider getting the 3 day regional pass for 29 euro. However, it seems like travelers from Milano can no longer benefit from the “Italia in Tour” ticket, since they added the restriction that it can’t be used in Lombardia.
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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)

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Saturday, 28th October → Ronco Scrivia – It’s time to say farewell to daylight saving time, which means that from now on the hikes will get either shorter or darker. Before they do, let’s seize the chance to walk on what should be a bright sunny Saturday

As the sea is expected to be very rough, heading to the coast is a bit pointless, so let’s move to the inland and try to conquer one of those mountains that we’re still missing: Monte Alpe di Porale.

Located on the borders between Piemonte and Liguria, the 830mt mountain promises 360 degree views that (with some luck) will encompass both Alps and sea.

Plan is to get there from Ronco Scrivia train station. The walk features several chapels and chestnut groves, a lookout point that goes by the name of Tana dell’Orso (Bear’s Lair… no idea why and, of course, hope we don’t find out the hard way!) and a panoramic big purple bench. We might skip Monte Porale if the walk from the village of Porale to Monte Alpe looks easier.

The itinerary is brand new (we always explored the eastern part of Ronco Scrivia but never the western one), according to
https://www.appenninista.it/ronco-alpe/
and
https://roncoscrivia.unionedelloscrivia.ge.it/turismo/escursioni/
(the last one of the page) it should take around 3,5/4 hours and is rated as E (medium).

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

On Saturday, October 28, let’s meet up at Ronco Scrivia station at 10:50.

Suggested trains are:

– if you’re travelling northwards (*)

Reg 2124: 10:27 Genova Principe – 10:50 Ronco Scrivia

– if you’re travelling southwards (*)

REG 3017: 08:30 Milano Centrale ( Milano Lambrate 08:37) 10:01 Ronco Scrivia

Return will be from Ronco Scrivia, possibly around 4:30-5:00 pm.

(*) if you buy your regional ticket online, watch out as Trenitalia added the nonsensical “check-in” feature, for the sake of making things more complicated. If you’re coming from afar, you may consider getting the 3 day regional pass for 29 euro. However, it seems like travelers from Milano can no longer benefit from the “Italia in Tour” ticket, since they added the restriction that it can’t be used in Lombardia.
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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)

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Sunday, 15th October → Recco – As the water temperature is still over 20 degrees, does anyone fancy having one more hike&swim? Plan for Sunday is to walk along the scenic ridge between Uscio and Camogli and, if the weather conditions allow it, conquer the peak of Monte Bello as bonus hike.

The itinerary is the one described on
https://www.lookyhotel.com/images/GP_descrizione_sentieri_confoto.pdf
(#16 and part of #18), it features chestnut groves and scenic views, while following a relatively flat trail. If the visibility is good, we should consider conquering the 712mt peak of Monte Bello (that’s about 40 min extra hike).

Hike is rated T/E (E for the bonus hike), has around 500 metre elevation gain and takes around 3 / 3,5 hours (4 hours with the bonus hike)

We’ll probably reach Camogli around 4:30pm, in time for a quick swim or for checking out the “Palio della Madonna dei Gotti”, which is at 5pm and features chestnuts and beer: the festival honors a statue which can be found in a little alley of Camogli and is said to watch over the fishermen, who thank her for the protection and traditionally celebrate with a glass of wine/beer the return from the sea.

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

On Sunday, let’s meet up at Recco station at 10:54 and catch the 11:15 Recco – 11:35 Salto bus.

Suggested trains are:

– if you’re travelling eastwards

Reg 12353: 10:11 Genova Principe – 10:20 Brignole – 10:54 Recco

– if you’re travelling westwards

REG3261 09:50 La Spezia Centrale – 10:51 Recco

– if you’re travelling southwards

REG 3015: 07:25 Milano Centrale ( Milano Lambrate 07:32) 09:49 Recco

Return will be from Camogli, possibly around 17:30.

(*) if you buy your regional ticket online, watch out as Trenitalia added the nonsensical “check-in” feature, for the sake of making things more complicated. If you’re coming from afar, you may consider getting the 3 day regional pass for 29 euro. However, it seems like travelers from Milano can no longer benefit from the “Italia in Tour” ticket, since they added the restriction that it can’t be used in Lombardia.
———-

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