The Great Outdoors in Liguria

Share | Print

The Great Outdoors in Liguria

The Italian Riviera is particularly prone to fierce storms, heavy rainfall and rough seas. Always check weather reports before setting out.

• For weather reports: Click here 

National Parks & Nature Reserves

The Cinque Terre National Park

This UNESCO world heritage site in the province of La Spezia covers all five Cinque Terre villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. There is a host of walking trails that link one village to the next. The route from Riomaggiore to Manarola is known as "Lover's Lane" (Via dell'Amore) due to the particularly scenic nature of the coastline. Routes available to walkers are to be found on the park website. The park also offers cycling and horse riding opportunities.

The Cinque Terre National Park can be reached by train from La Spezia and Genoa. In the spring and summer there are also sea connections via La Spezia, Lerici and Porto Venere.

The Carta Cinque Terre discount card allows a limited number of train trips within the park boundaries, access to all walking paths, bird-watch hides, visitor centres and botanical trails. Cards can be purchased in the park's information offices, the addresses of which are also available on the website.

• Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre
  Tel: 018 776 031
  Website

There are a number of visitor centres:

• Riomaggiore
  At: c/o Riomaggiore Railway Station, Piazza Rio Finale n.26 19017 Riomaggiore (SP)
  Tel: 0187 920 633
  e-mail
• Manarola
  At:c/o Manarola Railway Station, Manarola (SP)
  Tel: 0187 760 511
  e-mail 
• Corniglia
  At: c/o Corniglia Railway Station Via Alla Stazione, 19010 Corniglia (SP)
  Tel: 0187 812 523
  e-mail 
• Vernazza
  At: c/o Vernazza Railway Station Via Roma n.51, 19018 Vernazza (SP)
  Tel: 0187 812 533
  e-mail 
• Monterosso
  At: c/o Monterosso Railway Station Via Fegina n.40, 19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP)
  Tel: 0187 817059
  e-mail
• La Spezia
  At: c/o La Spezia "Centrale" Railway Station, La Spezia (SP)
  Tel: 0187 743 500
  e-mail

The Marine Protected Area of Portofino

The Marine Protected Area (Area Marina Protetta di Portofino) is an ecologically protected area which includes the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. The area is particularly good for sport fishing, diving, yachting and swimming, although there are strong sea currents in this area. There is a very rich and diverse fauna along this coast.

Note: Swimming is only allowed in zones B and C. 

• For information on the swimming zones: Click here (in Italian)

The area can be reached by bus, ferry or train, with stops at Camogli and Santa Margherita Ligure. Information can be obtained from the Santa Margherita Ligure Tourist Office:

• Santa Margherita Ligure Tourist Office:
  At: Via XXV Aprile 4, 16038 Santa Margherita Ligure (GE)
  Tel: 018 529 291
  e-mail
• For diving information, Tel: 0185 289 649
• For more information, see the Portofino Protected Marine Area website: Click here

Riserva Naturale Regionale di Rio Torsero 

This regional nature reserve close to Ceriale, is famous amongst palaeontologists for the abundance and variety of its fossils. The reserve is home to a museum where these finds can be examined. Trails in the park include the 10 Km Ceriale to Poggio Grande route, taking in areas of natural beauty that are equally interesting from a historic point of view.

The park can be reached by train; there are stops at Albenga and Ceriale. Further information can be obtained from the park's tourist information office:

• Riserva Naturale Regionale di Rio Torsero
  At: Via Aurelia 224 (Savona)
  Tel: 0182 993 007
  Website 

Alta Via Dei Monti Liguri

This is a 400 Km excursion route linking Ventimiglia and La Spezia. Paths are well marked out with red and white markers and routes can take from a few hours to several days to traverse. The scenery changes dramatically along the way and there are marvellous views over Corsica and the Alps.

Sports that can be practised in the park include hiking, horse riding, mountain biking, climbing and paragliding.

• Alta Via dei Monti Liguri  
  e-mail
  Website  (English and Italian)

Outdoor Sports in Liguria

Golf

Liguria is well equipped for golf enthusiasts of all levels, with a total of five courses across the four provinces. Golf was initially played in Italy in 1903 and there is now an Italian Golf Federation with a branch in Liguria.

• Italian Golf Federation (in Italian)
• For more information, see the AngloINFO INFOrmation Page: Golf in Italy

Climbing (Arampicata)

There are good free-climbing opportunities at Monte Pietravecchia which features calcareous rock walls. There are also climbing routes with steel cables and stepways to assist climbers. There are other alpine trails in Punta Martin and Monte Penello and in the winter months, ice axes and crampons are needed for climbing the northern face of Monte Aiona. Details of trails can be found on the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri website. Imperia also has its own regional branch of the Italian Climbing Federation.

• Italian Climbing Federation 
  At: Via del Terrapieno 27, 40127 Bologna 
  Tel: 0516 014 890
  Website (in Italian)

Cycling (Ciclismo)

There are regional and provincial branches of the Italian Cycling Federation (Federazione Ciclista Italiana). See the Federation website for details. 

• Italian Cycling Federation
  e-mail
  Website 

The Federation also organises cycling races throughout the year. 

• For the Italian Cycling Federation calendar of races (pro and amateur): Click here

Experienced mountain bikers may wish to ride along the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri, although it must be remembered that these routes are primarily designed for walkers so paths are not ideally suited to mountain bikers. Bike riders are asked to limit their speed and never to leave the marked trails.

To reserve bike excursions in the Cinque Terre national park, go to the information office in any of the five villages.

• For a comprehensive list of mountain bike routes throughout Liguria as well asl other useful information: Click here (English and Italian)

Tennis

The first Italian tennis club was the Bordighera Lawn Tennis Club, founded by English residents in 1878. There is now an Italian Tennis Federation of which there are regional branches in each province of Liguria.

• Italian Tennis Federation

There are many tennis courts in the region, some of which have free entrance and floodlit courts.

• For a list of tennis courts, see the Liguria Tourism portal: Click here (Select "English", then select "Finding", then select "Sports Complex")

Sailing (Vela)

The first sailing club in Italy was founded in Como in 1852 and the first in Liguria, the Regio Yacht Club Italiano, was founded in 1879 in Genoa. A list of sailing clubs in Liguria is available from the Italian Sailing Federation (Federazione Italiana Vela - FIV).

• For the FIV website for the Liguria region: Click here
• For additional information, see the AngloINFO INFOrmation Page on Sailing in Liguria

Walking & Hiking (Escursionismo)

There are good walking/hiking opportunities in the Cinque Terre and Levanto areas. As well as in the parks mentioned above. The tourist office in Levanto can provide hiking information as this is the main hiking centre of Liguria. 

Close to the sea there are "beginner" hikes and further inland there are more challenging hikes.

• For more information, see the Club Alpino Italiano website: Click here (in Italian)

Whale watching (Avvistamento di Cetacei)

The Romans called the Ligurian coast the Whale Coast. It is home to a variety of sea mammals including blue dolphins and sperm whales, protected thanks to the creation of the Pelagos Marine Sanctuary which stretches from the Côte d'Azur to Tuscany. There are many companies offering whale watching excursions to raise public awareness of whale and dolphin conservation. 

• Ask at tourist offices for details or see the website Whale Watch Liguria

Further Information

• A good source of information for outdoor pursuits in the Liguria region is the official Liguria Tourism portal 
• See the AngloINFO INFOrmation page, Sailing & Boating in Italy
• See the AngloINFO INFOrmation page, Local Tourist Notes for Liguria

0305mb