Italy’s Cinque Terre is famous for its sunny-coloured, cliff-clinging villages linked by vertiginous walking paths.
The hiking routes draw thousands of visitors in spring and summer, to the extent that the Cinque Terre national park authorities have had to introduce safety measures.
With the upcoming Easter holidays expected to be particularly busy, officials are tightening regulations.
Cinque Terre trails will have one-way systems on busy days
During peak season, one-way systems are often implemented on popular stretches of the Cinque Terre’s hiking routes.
The Sentiero Verde Azzurro winds all the way from Monterosso al Mare to Riomaggiore, passing through Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola on the way.
On the days predicted to be the busiest in April, May and June this year, the Monterosso-Vernazza leg of the trail will be one-way from 9am to 2pm.
During this time, walkers will only be able to go from the town of Monterosso towards Vernazza, the direction that 70 per cent of visitors choose according to people counts done in previous years.
The one-way system will be active 19-21 and 25-27 April, 1, 29 and 31 May, and 1-2 June.
“This measure, already successfully tested in 2023 and 2024, is aimed at improving the use of the trail and ensuring the safety of visitors by avoiding dangerous intersections and congestion along a particularly narrow and steep path,” the Cinque Terre national park authorities say on their website.
It also aims to protect the ancient dry stone walls that run along this section of the path.
To enter the park, hikers also need to purchase a Cinque Terre Trekking Card, which starts at €7.50 per day or €15 on peak days.
Cinque Terre hikers will undergo footwear checks
Park authorities brought in a ban on open or smooth-soled footwear (like flip-flops) in 2019.
Inappropriate shoes can cost a would-be hiker a fine ranging from €50 to €2,500.
In the latest online guidelines for visiting the park, officials now say checks will be carried out to ensure walkers are properly kitted out.
Cinque Terre ‘Path of Love’ caps visitor numbers
In 2024, the famous Via dell’Amore or ‘Path of Love’, reopened after being closed for over a decade by a landslide.
Known as the most romantic walk in the world, it connects Riomaggiore and Manarola.
As one of the most famous stretches of the Cinque Terre coastline, the Via dell’Amore is massively popular with visitors.
To curb overtourism, there is a booking system for those who want to walk the path.
The number of visitors allowed on the path each hour is capped at 400, and walkers have to book their tickets online or purchase one at the park’s ticket booths.
The tickets cost €12.50, which also includes the Cinque Terre Trekking Card and entrance to the Castle of Riomaggiore.
Other hiking routes are ‘less congested and equally panoramic’
As well as bringing in restrictions, park authorities are seeking to reduce overcrowding by reminding visitors that there are plenty of other routes to explore.
Other sections of the Sentiero Verde Azzurro will remain passable in both directions this summer.
The same goes for the rest of the park’s hiking network, which includes over 130km of routes between the coast and mountain ridges.
“It is a wide and suggestive network, which offers valid alternatives that are less congested and equally panoramic,” park authorities say.
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