There were many different hiking options around Portovenere. 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.

This entire section of the Ligurian coast is surrounded with stone walls around vineyards, built without any cement and steep terraces dropping all the way down to the sea. The Cinque Terre is a National Park and Protected Marine Area... honestly, it is drop-dead gorgeous. The entire area was beyond description...