Around Lake Garda
With our free "Cartina delle passeggiate ed escursioni" (walking map) given to us by the Tourist Bureau, we set out for a hike up to the summit of Monte Baldo. The European method of hiking/walking in mountains is take a cable car up and then explore the trails around the top and walk down but we have always done the opposite. Hike up and take the cable car down...hoping to elevate our heart rate and burn more calories (a losing battle). The map detailed the walking options with numbers and, supposedly, it would take three hours to reach the top. There were at least nine different options for walking on Monte Baldo alone.
We worked our way up on an excellent foot path, sweat flying in all directions, "Buon giornos" to all the people strolling down, watching out for the multitudes of mountain bikers, also on their way down, sharing the path. You can even book a mountain bike and have it delivered to the top of Monte Baldo, receive a map with an itinerary and either descend or explore paths around the mountain. How much simpler could they make it!
. It was possible to finish the "official" Cinque Terre primarily going up and down through the little towns, or veer onto the high road climbing through vineyards and hills from Portovenere surrounding the Gulf of La Spezia. We decided to hike from Portovenere to Colle del Telegrafo, following castle walls, with its beautiful views of the coast even though Portovenere isn't one of the five official Cinque Terre villages. One of the trails began in the center and climbed up a long flight of stone stairs along the old fortress into the hills. The views stretched to La Spezia in one direction and the hills of the Cinque Terre in the other. Through Campiglia, a pine forest, down steep stairs to Riomaggiore. Without getting too lost, there was still time to walk a section of the trail (not as narrow) from Manarola to Corniglia FS Station (train station) and wait for the train back to Santa Margherita. The trails are very well marked but sometimes I miss a blaze (a bright red or orange mark on a tree or rock showing the direction). If you ever hike a distance without seeing a blaze, do a fast reverse and circle around until the trail is obvious.
