Joanne's long walks: Cammino verso Assisi (Via della Costa) Day 2: Sestri Levante

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Cammino verso Assisi (Via della Costa) Day 2: Sestri Levante - Moneglia

After yesterday's "warm-up hike" of only 10 km, today things started getting real!

We set off from Luna Blu Beach, where we left off yesterday afternoon, along the waterfront and across the town of Sestri Levante to Riva, following the cycle path parallel to the main road. After a brief stop for a slice of cheese focaccia in Riva, we made our way around the back of the shipyard and up the hill towards Punta Baffe.

... and up the hill...

... as the day grew warmer and warmer.

At Punta Baffe the trail splits: left, toward Mt. Moneglia, or right, signposted as the shorter route to Moneglia. But shorter does not necessarily mean easier, as we soon discovered! We chose to turn right and take the route closest to the coast, rather than heading up toward the mountain, but sticking to the coast, in Liguria, means going up and down over ridges, in and out of the valleys positioned at right angles to the coastline. This was partly because I wanted to take a different route from the way I went on my way to Rome, but also because it was signposted as the shorter route. The trail descended steeply toward Vallegrande, where we stopped at Nua Natua, a bar and restaurant literally in the middle of nowhere, to replenish our water supply. Down a little further, and we came to a cool creek lined with ferns and populated by dragonflies hovering mid-air and water-boatmen skimming over the water. I soaked my feet in the stream while dining on a boiled egg, a piece of cheese and an apple. It was a lovely resting spot, was lovely, but we had to get out of Vallegrande somehow, and this meant climbing up the hill...

... and up the hill...

... as the afternoon grew hotter and hotter!

There was no shade anywhere along the trail to Moneglia, unless you crouched down on the ground below a spindly pine or a colourful strawberry tree (corbezzolo): the only trees capable of clinging to the crumbly slate of the mountain slopes. The temperature must have been above 30°C in the afternoon, at least in this corner with its own particular micro-climate. We were grateful to reach the highest point of our hike (only 300 metres, though we felt as though we had climbed much higher!) and turn inland into the shade of the woods for the descent into the town of Moneglia.

We didn't stop for a swim this time, as we had an appointment with a friend for a ride home - we're still close enough to return home every evening, and this is what we plan on doing for as long as we remain in our own region, Liguria, in view of the fact that many of the more inexpensive accommodations such as hostels are closed this year and the convenience of hiking a route that is more or less parallel to a major train line!