The hiking tour that I am going to suggest from Riomaggiore to Portovenere is one of the most breathtaking in the western part of Liguria.
We will walk through two very important parks, “The Cinque Terre National Park” and the “Regional Park of Portovenere " admiring different landscapes.
It is a challenging path and its unique wildlife aspects will allow us to observe its geological and floristic perspective.
While walking down an ancient mule track from Riomaggiore, we will find the first important geological site called, “area zonata” of Riomaggiore with particular vertical layers of macigno sandstone.
The path continues among the typical cultivated grape terraces until we reach the sanctuary of Madonna Montenero. From the square, we can observe the entire Cinque Terre coast, from Punta Mesco to the faraway Cape of Portovenere and the islands, which will be the final destination of the excursion. The next place that will be visited is the village Lemmen. While walking through the characteristic Mediterranean bushes, we go up a steep hill called “Il Colle del Telegrafo “, which is the highest point of the walk. The next place we encounter is Sant Antonio, which leads us to the Fontana of Nozzano. The pleasant walk overlooking the sea takes us directly to the village of Campiglia. From here, we get back on the path, where we can admire the limestone cliffs of Portovenere before reaching a spot called Pitone.
Our downhill walk will suddenly encounter Saint Peter's Church on a cliff, absolutely magnificent, and when go past the castle, we are in Portovenere.