Hiking in Monterosso – Colle di Gritta

Trial number 1 and 10

24^th of August 2013

There are many trails that criss-cross along the mountains of Cinque Terre allowing one to be creative with the combination of trails.

Colle di Gritta can be accessed by hiking up trail number 10 to St. Antonio on the headland Punta Mesco, or by walking trail number 9 to reach Santuario di N. S. Soviore and thereafter joining trailing 1 to connect to trail number 10.

To save myself the hike up the mountain, I caught the bus from Fegina to the fork in the road called Bivio where the main road splits into a road leading down to Fegina and the other to Monterosso. At this point I joined the trail into the forest from behind the hotel parking lot. The bus ride costs 2€ and is money well spent as it is quite a hike up from town to this start point.

Start of the Colle di Gritta trail

The trail started with a short climb into the pine forests but the scent of the pine needles and the joy of been in nature gave me the energy needed for the ascent. In autumn, the forest is filled with people searching for mushrooms as it is an ideal habitat for porcini’s to grow. However, the forests are also inhabited with cinghiali, wild boars, and at first I was a bit apprehensive that I would encounter one of these animals but I only met friendly hikers along the route.

Hiking into the pine forests of Colle di Gritta with views of the smaller towns in the valley behind Monterosso

I truly enjoyed this hike. The entire walk took 2 hours. It was not strenuous as most of the trail is along level ground with only two demanding ascents.

I stumbled upon a fallen log on which I enjoyed my lunch and the panoramic view of the Ligurian coastline. However, a little further along the trail one can find a picnic bench shaded by pine trees.

The views are incredible with vistas of the valley dotted with tiny towns, the bay sheltering Levanto and of course beautiful Cinque Terre.

Who said life can’t be all sunshine, flowers and butterflies

There was always something to experience along this trail with its diverse array of views and vegetation, from pine forests to open rocky clearings covered in shrubs.

Views of Levanto from the trail

When I descended from the pine forests into a rocky clearing I came across a fork in the road where the path to the right (trail 14 or 22) lead down to Levanto and would take 1 hour 30 minutes. To continue to St. Antonio and Monterosso, one will need to keep to the left and continue along the path leading onto the ridge.

Walking along Colle di Gritta towards St. Antonio

Walking along the ridge towards St. Antonio I enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. The lizards scurrying across the path, butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, and the sheer quiet music of nature that makes the effort of embarking on a hike worth every bead of sweat.

View of Monterosso descending on trail 10