After finally finding the start to Trail #2 (Sentiero Azzurro or Blue Trail) from Monterosso to Vernazza, we headed up the stone steps to start our hike. Since the normal trailhead was closed, I’m not sure how far we hiked before joining up to the main trail. I was nervous because we planned to purchase our hiking pass at the checkpoint and we seemed to walk a long time without coming across one. I was concerned that the checkpoint was on the section of the trail that was closed and we would somehow get busted for hiking without a pass. But we did eventually come upon one and purchased our two day hiking pass.
The path seemed to go straight up for a long time at the start. We followed the natural stone steps and narrow paths and were quickly rewarded with beautiful views looking back over Monterosso.
It wasn’t long before we came upon some vineyards built into the hillside. It amazes me that they can plant, grow, and harvest grapes on these steep hills, but grapevines are actually a vital part of erosion prevention and therefore essential to preserving the land. And what an amazing view to have while working in the field!
I had initially been concerned about the trails being crowded. I had read about how it can sometimes be wall to wall people and how the government is taking steps to limit visitors because of it. I was afraid my concerns were proving to be well-founded when we came upon a backup at a particularly narrow part of the trail. About two dozen Canadian tourists in a group were making their way slowly up the hill. If this was going to be the pace and congestion level of the whole hike, it wasn’t going to be as enjoyable as we had hoped. But thankfully, this just ended up being a temporary hold up. It took about 10 minutes, but as soon as they got to a wider spot in the trail, they stepped aside and allowed us to pass. From there on it was smooth sailing and we only passed a handful of small groups on the rest of the trail.
As we enjoyed having the trails practically to ourselves, I wondered how people would ever pass in opposite directions in some sections. There were many passes that were narrow and had no protection from the steep edge that plunged down towards the ocean. I shuddered to imagine people shoulder to shoulder in one direction attempting to pass an equally crowded line from the other direction. We were lucky to be visiting in the shoulder season. It must be a completely different experience in peak season. I applaud the park system for implementing changes to cap the number of tourists, thus helping to preserve this beautiful and unique area.
After what seemed like forever going straight up, the hills started to be broken up by some flatter segments of trail. At about the halfway point, we could see Monterosso behind us in the distance and Vernazza ahead.
The trail became more undulating as we got closer to Vernazza and we definitely appreciated the flat sections. Soon the picturesque town and harbor were within our sights.
But as they say, what goes up must come down. The ascent from Monterosso was definitely steeper than the descent into Vernazza. While the uphill sections were more physically demanding than the downhill, as someone who has had 7 knee surgeries, I found the descent more difficult. I was happy when we stepped into the narrow alleyways of Vernazza. We followed the alleyways until we came to a steep set of old stone stairs in between two buildings. The stairway ended in one of the main streets of town. I found it incredible that one of the most famous hiking trails in Europe starts and ends with this staircase hidden between two nondescript building with nothing but a tiny sign to identify it.
We ventured down to the harbor and sat for a while, enjoying the views, a drink, and some fabulous foccacia from Batti Batti’. Incredibly, much of this area had been covered in 10 feet of mud following an historic rainstorm in 2011. 22 inches of rain in a 4 hour period led to massive landslides in both Vernazza and Monterosso. The devastation was unbelievable and it took years to recover. Looking up Via Visconti from the harbor, it was hard to image that this beautiful town was literally buried in mud 6 years ago yet amazing to see that the centuries-old buildings survived and the town has bounced back.
After taking our time to recover soak in the relaxed atmosphere of Vernazza, it was time to keep hiking. On to Corniglia!
