I did a search on this subject and could not find the post I was looking for. We will be staying in Camogli and taking the train to the CT. Should we start the hike in Riomaggiore(sp) and work our way to the north? And can the whole hike be done in one day? Thanks!

Hi Lewis. Yes, one *could* do the entire hike in one day. <BR><BR>The advantage I see to going south-to-north would be that the two most spectacular segments would be your final two, so you'd be building up to them. <BR><BR>On the other hand, the two most spectacular segments are also the most strenuous, so if you went north-to-south, you'd get the hardest hiking out of the way first. For what it's worth, I also feel that the views of Vernazza, Corniglia, and Manarola are somewhat better when coming from the north.

Thanks capo! Sounds like we should do Monterosso and Corniglia for the 1st day and do the other 3 the following or another day. What do you think of a day trip to the Piedmont area from Camogli? Barolo, Alba...etc?

You're welcome, Lewis. <BR><BR>By the way, the order -- from north to south -- is Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, so maybe you mean from Monterosso to Vernazza for the first day? <BR><BR>Sorry, but I've never been to the Piedmont area, so I can't help you with that.

I suppose it is sort of a toss up which direction to go. We went south to north as you mention. We stayed in Manarola so walked to Riomaggiore and back the first afternoon (a very short and easy walk). The next day we went north from Manarola to the other three. While Capo makes some good points, things I liked about our direction was that there are about a million steps on the south side of Corniglia. I prefer walking up steps (going south to north) rather than walking down steps. Also, while the northern most portions are the most strenuous, I welcomed the very last stretch going north being all downhill into Monterossa. If we had started there going south, we would have started the hike with a very strenuous uphill climb. One further point: starting in Manarola put us in Vernazza for lunch -- which is a great stopping place for lunch, reserving the last segment for after lunch. If you started in Monterossa, Vernazza would come too early for lunch. But these are all minor points. It's a great hike anyway you look at it.