Update on the accessibility of the Park’s trail network
The Park Authority has appointed a company that is currently carrying out important interventions to mitigate risk and restore access on the Vernazza-Corniglia stretch of Sentiero Verde Azzurro (SVA).
(Manarola - Sede del Parco, 10 Apr 18) Workers are making special efforts to remove unstable rock blocks, empty the rockfall protection nets, and rebuild dry stone walls, without even pausing on holidays in order to make up for time lost because of the bad weather. Trail reopening is planned for the next weekend.
The SVA stretch from Vernazza to Monterosso is instead accessible, and so are the other trails of Cinque Terre Park network: over 120 km of trails by the sea and on the mountains.
As acting president Vincenzo Resasco underlines, "Weather conditions in the past few months, besides making numerous dry stone walls fall down, also made it impossible to constantly work on the SVA stretch, where the most significant interventions were needed".
Ensuring the safety of these paths - which are very fragile, created for agricultural purposes and used today by tourists in significant numbers - requires an uninterrupted effort from the Park. "We are carrying out a plan of interventions to provide constant trail maintenance, in collaboration with the farms and associations, too, that protect the land all year round" explains Resasco.
Besides working on the infrastructures, the Park is committed to enhancing the trail network and managing the flows, in view of the long weekend of 25 April, too. "As we did during the Easter holidays, too, we will increase surveillance on the trails thanks to the Volunteer Ecological Guards, the Italian Alpine Club and the Mountain Rescue, jointly working with the Park staff" says Resasco. "The partial non-accessibility of the SVA stretch must not put off hikers, as the Protected Area has an extensive trail network, that makes it possible to appreciate the whole territory on paths of every kind and level, enjoying unknown views and historical-natural points of interest.
Our purpose is to specifically address active and aware tourists, that are best suited to appreciate the protected area's outdoor opportunities and to understand the fragility of our vertical landscape".
To take advantage of this wealth of possibilities, adequate clothes, shoes and preparation are needed: check the Hiker's Handbook at http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/Edettaglio.php?id=37080. The Cinque Terre Hiking Guide (http://mappe.parconazionale5terre.it/plus/index2.html) is also a useful resource, as it provides the technical details for each trail, together with information on the points of interest, photo galleries, and a comprehensive map of the itineraries. It is available in form of app, too: "Pn5t plus" can be downloaded on smartphone and tablet rom Apple Store and Google Play.
Buy Cinque Terre Card online at https://card.parconazionale5terre.it
