Sentiero Azzurro

Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail) is a 12 km hiking route in Cinque Terre National Park, linking the five main villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. It’s walked as a day hike, typically taking about 5+ hours end to end.

The route is split into four signed sections (SVA2/route 592-1 to 592-4). The most famous piece is 592-1, “Via dell’Amore,” between Riomaggiore and Manarola: about 1 km and commonly treated as the easiest segment; it’s been closed since 24 September 2012.

For the longer stretches, terrain stays coastal and stepped, with the biggest climb concentrated in the segments between Corniglia and Monterosso. The Corniglia→Vernazza section (592-3) is about 3.5 km and rated moderate to difficult, while the Vernazza→Monterosso section (592-4) is about 3.8 km and also rated moderate to difficult, with a long time on foot (no less than ~2 hours for that segment).

A Cinque Terre Trekking Card/checkpoint system applies for certain portions of the trail in peak periods, and the only trail in the park requiring a fee is the Sentiero Azzurro. Expect checkpoint access checks along the way rather than an open-access free trail.

This path has a long local history as a walking route connecting the villages on foot. Over time it became formalized as “Blue trail” (SVA2) within the park trail network, with section numbering used for navigation and maintenance planning.

The trail is prone to closures driven by unstable ground and landslides; breaks in the route are common enough that starting plans should allow for reroutes or alternative ways back between villages (including using the local train service).

More information: Wikipedia, Vernazza: what to do, where to eat, events, what to see, Walking along the Cinque Terre's Sentiero Azzurro (“Blue Trail”)