Sentiero Azzurro…

From Monterosso al Mare we were able to hike to Vernazza and Corniglia along the 5 mile Sentierio Azzourro. The coastal trail to the other 2 villages of this UNESCO World Heritage site, Manotola and Riomaggiore, was washed out so we visited it the next day via train. You can see why they call this the blue path… are you ready to hit the trail? Andiamo!

Vernazza, trail to Vernazza, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy,
Love locks on the trail to Vernazza

Sections of the trail run through lush vegetation, much of which is agricultural, here you see a beautiful olive grove above the trail and the man made stone tiered gardens below where they grow lemons, vegetables, basil, oregano and marjoram.

Trail to Vernazza, Olive groves, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy, Sentiero Verde Azzurro
Olive groves on the trail to Vernazza

Olives usually ripen in October and November when they are harvested and preserved or made into world famous olive oil.

Olives, Olive tree, Olive grove, Path to Vernazza, Senterio Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Senterio Azzuro
Ripe olives, olive tree, olive branches, Monterosso al Mare, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzuro, Italian Rivera, Gulf of Monterosso,
Olive branches, Cinque Terre

In some sections it’s called the Sentiero Verde~Azzuro for all of the greenery. I loved these Parco Nazionale Delle Cinque Terre signs along the way that let you know your elevation and how far to the next village.

Vernazza, Monterosso, Sentiero Verde-Azzurro, Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy
Signs along the trail let you know your progress

The pastel-hued towns with unique towers and steeples were the gems along the along the way. Here is our arrival into the first town, Vernazza.

Vernazza from the Sentiero Azzuro
Path to Vernazza, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzurro, Vernazza, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy,

The towns were pretty crowded, even in mid-September when we hiked. Thankfully, the trails weren’t bad when we started around 8:30 am. We did a quick walk through Vernazza, then continued on to Corniglia.

Path to Vernazza, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Ligurian Sea, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy
Path to Corniglia, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy
Locks of love over Vernazza, Sentiero Azzurro, Adventuress domestista, Cinque Terre, hiking Italy, Ligurian Sea
Locks of Love above Vernazza, Italy
Vernazza, Selfie, Emily Heston, Cinque Terre, Sentiero Azzo, adventuress domestista
Arrivederci Vernazza!

Back on the trail we were greeted with blue morning glory filled ravines.

Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, morning glories, blue morning glories, hiking Italy, Italian Rivera
Morning Glories on Senterio Azzuro

Acres and acres of vineyards are planted on the steep, sun drenched cliffs. Rocks are used to create tiers and the grapes absorb the minerally flavor of the stony terroir.

The Grape Harvest Senterio Verde Azzoro

These grapes are made into crisp white wines for which are the perfect companion to all of the local seafood.

Path to Vernazza, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzuro
To the Sea

We knew Corniglia was the end of the road, since the coastal trail was washed out ahead of us. We walked through the busy town but decided to celebrate at a restaurant just off the trail on the outskirts of town.

Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The blue path, hiking Italy, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzurro
Corniglia

Ristorante Cecio had a fabulous outdoor terrace and the owner and staff were beyond accommodating, helping us with all of our “gear” and suggesting a meal of local favorites.

Ristorante Cecio

It was here we were introduced to what became our favorite wine from the region, a blend of Vermentino and Albarotto also known as Costa de Sera di Riomaggiore from Cinque Terre Cosa di Posa.

Ristorante Cecio, Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Senterio Azzuro, the blue path, Local wine, Vermentino and Albarotto blend, Costa de Sera di Riomaggiore, Cinque Terra Cosa Di Posa.
Our favorite local wine at Ristorante Cecio, crisp and minerally.

The meal began with, what else, but a gorgeous platter of local anchovies, resplendent with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and lemon zest. Another note on Italian design, look at this ingenious platter that allowed us to serve ourselves the small fillets onto crusty bread and then drizzle the olive oil and seasonings over the sensation from the pointed tips.

Anchovies, Picine bounty, Ristorante Cecio, Corniglia, local cuisine, Cinque Terre, Sentiero Azzurro
Path to Vernazza, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzuro, stone wall, clay pot, clay pot in stone wall
Corniglia, Sentiero Verde Azzuro, The Blue Path, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Sentiero Azzuro
Tunnel to the sea

There is a train system that runs along the coast so you can easily reach each of the towns without even hiking. After many more courses, we hopped on that train and went back to the gulf of Monterosso al Mare to relax with a swim and soak up some sun after the big hike.

Hotel Parco Roca Monterosso al Mare, Italy

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