Cinque Terre trails really can be deadly
 

I just read in my newspaper that a local man died recently after falling on one of the Cinque Terre trails while vacationing in Italy. He was 30 years old and apparently in good physical condition. Evidentily he just slipped. I know the guide books say people do die on those trails, and the trails do have signs warning of the danger, but it really hits home when you pick up the local paper and see that someone who lived near you actually died. I'm posting this because we all need reminders at times. I know that I personally sometimes sort of shrug off these types of warnings as being overly dramatic or at least overly cautious. Guess not.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, what is/are the safety hazard(s) associated with the Cinque Terre trails in question? Are they narrow ridges, does the ground gives way? rocks?

Gosh...we walked the entire length of the Cinque Terre trails (end of Sept '03)...except the section between Vernazza and Corniglia which was closed for repairs, and had absolutely no problem. The section between Monterosso and Vernazza was the longest and most difficult...and we really had no problem at all. Other than it was HOT. (Write this down. TAKE WATER!!!!! LOTS OF WATER) The sections between Corniglia and Riomaggiore are paved and (nearly) flat. And close togeather. Piece of cake.


Could you get injured? Or die? Of course. I fell off my bike and ended up inthe ICU for 4 days. Massive brain contusions, 3 broken ribs, broken clavicle, punctured lung. And I was just riding along, minding my own business. OK, ok...I was going into a hair-pin curve at about 25 mph and took a header. Whatever. Stuff happens.

(I'm 60, BTW....and Deb is 54)

Just to calm those who get the picture from this post that the trails must be drop-off cliffs that scream "danger", forget it. Sure, danger always lurks on any hike, but this is not what one would normally call a dangerous trail.
I'm trying to remember how many spots where if somehow you tripped and couldn't stop you'd die. Not many, that's for sure. Has anybody ever been walking down a sidewalk in a major city, lost their balance and fallen down to into the street to be struck and killed by a truck or car? -- yes, I'm sure -- probably a lot more than have died on the Cinque Terre trails.

This was a very tragic way to die indeed..I remember that a lady died few years ago on the same trail between Monterosso and Vernazza..

But this is life..Anything can be dangerous, walking in the street, driving a car, taking metro or train, aiplanes etc..
You never know when is your time to go ... Just enjoy life to the fullest and hope for the best..

I've done the trails a bunch of times myself and only one spot from Corniglia to Vernazza did we hit an extremely narrow patch. Never once did I think I'd die, though I was certain the group of German trekkers with their massive rucksacks and walking sticks were gonna push me aside! Just kidding... most people on the trails are so stunned by the beauty that you spend your afternoon saying "buongiorno," "ciao" "scusi" and "prego." It's all very friendly. :)

But, I think that the combination of the sheer number of hikers these trails get, plus the annual erosion from winter months, make the trails harder to keep up and dangerous in some areas. That's often why they close the trails.

I wouldn't change my plans to visit the area because of this one report... I think it's a fairly rare ocurrence.

Just be very very careful on the trails, wear good hiking boots with a lot of tread, and bring lots of water. You're in much more danger of getting dehydrated than falling.

Interesting that you should post this as I just mentioned today, in another thread, about the woman who slipped and fell to her death when we were in Cinque Terre in late April of 2002 (likely the same incident that kismetchimera referred to.)

There were numerous stories about actually happened but most of them seemed to focus on the fact that she <i>allegedly</i> wasn't wearing good hiking shoes (some people said she had been hiking in heels...likely not true, but also probably not totally out of the question.)

Chatters, the southernmost section, between Manarola and Riomaggiore, isn't dangerous in the least. It's a short flat easy trail. The section between Corniglia and Maranola, had a few <i>kind of</i> dicey spots that I recall, close to Manarola, but was still easy for the most part. The section between Vernazza and Corniglia -- which is where the woman died when we were there -- is probably nothing to be concerned about for 95% of the hike, but there are some spots where you just have to be a little more cautious. I haven't done the section from Monterosso to Vernazza since 1987, so I don't remember enough about it to comment, but I seem to remember there were a few dicey sections on it.

One mistep, even in a city, can be fatal. If you were walking along a narrow sidewalk in, say, Florence, with trucks hurtling by and happened to step off the curb at the wrong moment, you could lose your life. You just have to be careful where you're walking.

Thanks for clarifying for me this situation. Hopefully the good advice on preparation for the trails will help somebody heading that way. By the way, I hiked the Rock in Castellane, France (steep and rocky!) and on my way up saw a lady (heard her talk German) on sandals with heels. I gave her a lot of credit, but that is one foolish way to ruin a vacation.

Chatters

It's been a few years but I seem to recall a couple of stretches where we strongly suspected the seaward edge of the trail to have an overhang, i.e. a place where the supporting soil underneath had eroded. Isabel, I agree that warnings from time to time are appropriate. Such overhangs are quite common for seaside trails, and so it is a good habit never to trust the immediate edge of the trail, no matter what kind of shoes you're wearing.

The trails between Rio Maggiore and Corniglia are very easy...and the view is magnificent..

Last summer we walked from Manarola to Corniglia and stopped at the little rocky beach in between..It was so much fun..