The wrong shoes could cost you €2,500.
Visitors to Italy’s Cinque Terre National Park and Marine Protected Area this summer will face some restrictions put in place for traveler safety, to preserve the environment, and to alleviate crowding in the popular hiking trails.
The national park is a series of hiking trails linking several scenic villages perched on the hills high above the Ligurian Coast. The peak visitation season for the region runs from Easter through the end of June, so local officials have added some additional measures to help manage crowds.
During peak season, some of the park’s most popular hiking trails will have one-way systems to help quell crowding and improve safety on the narrow paths. The Sentiero Verde Azzurro will be one-way from the village of Monterosso to the village of Vernazza from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on select days. The allowable direction of travel will begin in Monterosso—a direction more than two thirds of visitors have chosen according to tracking data on previous visitors.
The one-way system will be active April 19-21, 25-27; May 29 and May 31; and June 1-2. Visitors should check the park website for trail restrictions before visiting.
Travelers also need to purchase a Cinque Terre Trekking Card prior to entering the park. The card has a fee ranging from €7.50 to €15 depending on the popularity of the day.
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Path of Love
Cinque Terre is also expecting a boost in visitor numbers after the reopening of the famed Via dell’Amore, or “Path of Love” trail, which reopened last year after a decade-long closure related to a landslide. The trail connects Riomaggiore and Manarola, and has a separate booking system. Entry is €12.50, and includes a Cinque Terre Trekking Card and entry to the Castle of Riomaggiore. Hikers can purchase the pass online or at the park booths, but visitors per hour are limited to 400, so hikers may wish to book in advance.
Wearing the Right Shoes and Other Park Guidelines
Officials in the park have also stepped up enforcement of footwear restrictions that were introduced in 2019. To hike the trails, closed, waterproof shoes that cover the ankles and have an anti-slip sole are required. Officials will be monitoring the trails for inappropriate footwear, and hikers found with footwear outside the requirements will be issued fines up to €2,500.
In addition to ensuring adequate footwear for safe hiking, officials also recommend the hiker’s clothes and equipment match the length and difficulty of the hike, and encourage hikers not to attempt trails that are beyond their ability. Hikers should also carry a small first aid kit, refrain from hiking on their own, and turn back if they encounter adverse terrain, conditions, or weather, or have reached the limits of their endurance.
Other guidelines provided by park officials are more universal, such as not leaving trash on the trail, not leaving the trails, and not disturbing or removing any plants or animals found in the park.
Park officials also hope to spread the visitor numbers to other, less popular parts of the park to reduce crowding. Other sections of the Sentiero Verde Azzurro outside the Monterosso-Vernazza corridor will remain accessible in both directions throughout the summer season. The other trails in the national park will also not face the directional or visitor number restrictions, and could provide a less crowded visitor experience. Officials estimated last year that some 4 million visitors concentrated in an area around one square kilometer—just 3% of the overall footprint of the park.
The five towns that make up the Cinque Terre region have a combined population of just 4,000, but draw millions of visitors each year, many arriving on boats or tour buses from visiting cruise ships from nearby ports in La Spezia or Genoa.
