Six day guided and supported running tour in the scenic and culturally rich Cinque Terre of Italy. Enjoy comfortable lodging above the sea while running the amazing trails through vineyards, steep, terraced slopes and ancient villages in the Cinque Terre region of Italy. Check out the Trip Itinerary HERE.

Exploring the Wonders of the Cinque Terre

​The Cinque Terre, or “the five lands” as they translate literally, are comprised of lovely pastel colored villages wedged into steep rock promontories over the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.  “The Five Lands” are the coastal villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  Each village has a unique spirit and due to the steep and harsh terrain which was for centuries only accessible via small cobbled mule trails, the Cinque Terre can feel as if it’s lost in time.  This relative remoteness with its steep slopes and cliffs and secluded bays is what makes the Cinque Terre such a special place, and why it’s now a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.  On our tour, we will explore the marvelous terraced terrain of vineyards and the ancient paths that are being restored by local trail runners and our friends at Cinque Terre Trekking.  These trails link the five lands and carry intrepid explorers in trail running shoes out of the Cinque Terre and all the way to Levanto in the north and Portovenere and La Spezia to the south.  We’ll run high above the Mediterranean on dizzying trails that look down hundreds of feet to the sparkling waters below.  We’ll explore ancient villages and old churches and monasteries.  We’ll also run through the remarkable terraced vineyards with their terrazzamento or system of meticulous, ancient dry stone retaining walls which prevent the precious soil from being washed down into the sea.  With vineyards come wine, and we’ll sample the best wines in all of Europe and learn the craft from local winemakers.  While in the Cinque Terre we’ll stay in comfortable lodging along the sea and take in the night life each evening while sampling the delicious local cuisine.  We visit the five lands during a slower time of the year in which we’ll be able to really get a feel for the local culture and avoid the industrial tourism that takes place in more busy times of the year.  This tour will be an amazing mix of awesome and challenging trail running on rugged and almost impossibly steep trails with a relaxing and rewarding dive into the lovely culture, cuisine and creativity of the people who call this astonishing area home.  Join us for this once in a lifetime trip to the remarkable "five lands" of Italy!

Duration/Mileage:  6 days (5 days of running) / 60 miles
Difficulty:  Intermediate to Advanced- This tour includes some exceptionally rugged and very steep trail, long climbs and descents, many rock steps, challenging trail navigation in places, no access to support vehicle, language barrier.  Very steep trails and slopes could induce acrophobia in places. There will he access to refreshments in local villages we pass through.  Days are kept relatively short to maintain the Intermediate designation.

We stay in lovely and well appointed hotels during this tour. Our hotels are located perfectly to enjoy all of the amenities of the locations we're staying as well as the beautiful harbors and coastlines. We'll be staying our first night in the lovely port town of Portovenere and the remaining 5 nights of the tour in the perfectly located village of Manarola. Our hotel in Manarola becomes our "home away from home" with great access via the wonderful train system along the coast to all of the other Cinque Terre villages. Located right on the harbor, we'll enjoy Manarola's spectacular sunsets every evening.

Transportation:

There are no major airports in the Cinque Terre region. The three primary airports to fly into that provide easy access to the Cinque Terre are Pisa, Genoa and Milan (in order of closest proximity). Milan offers the most flights from the most carriers and the lowest cost, while Pisa and Genoa offer small airports, closer proximity, and quick entry and exit.

From Milan Malpensa Airport (https://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en/) to La Spezia:

• From the airport you will take the Trenord R28 (https://www.trenord.it/en/) into Milan to the Milano Centrale train station.

• From Milano Centrale you will take the Trenitalia Intercity or Trenitalia Frecce (https://www.trenitalia.com/) to the La Spezia Centrale train station.

• Once in La Spezia, there are several hotels near the train station and you are within walking distance of all of the downtown services and waterfront. If you need to get around the reliable ATC

Buses can take you - https://www.atcesercizio.it/en/

From Pisa International Airport (https://www.pisa-airport.com/en/) to La Spezia:

• From the airport you will take the Pisamover (https://pisa-mover.com/en/) to the Pisa Centrale train station

• From Pisa Centrale you will take Trenitalia (https://www.trenitalia.com/) to the La Spezia Centrale train station

• Once in La Spezia, there are several hotels near the train station and you are within walking

distance of all of the downtown services and waterfront. If you need to get around the reliable ATC Buses can take you - https://www.atcesercizio.it/en/

From Genoa City Airport (https://www.airport.genova.it/en/) to La Spezia:

• From the airport you can take an AMT bus #AIR (https://www.amt.genova.it/amt/trasporto-multimodale/linee-bus-provinciali/) to the Genova Sestri Ponente train station or walk 5 minutes to the train station

• From Genova Sestri Ponente you will take the Trenitalia (https://www.trenitalia.com/) to La Spezia Centrale train Station

• Once in La Spezia, there are several hotels near the train station and you are within walking distance of all of the downtown services and waterfront. If you need to get around the reliable ATC Buses can take you - https://www.atcesercizio.it/en/

Some lunch items will be available at breakfast each day before our run.  Adventure Running Co. will provide some lunch items for you to prepare before heading out for the day.  You should also bring some snack items you enjoy for the trail.  Most days, we will be able to find refreshments and food in villages along our route. In fact, on last years tour, our entire group sat down for lunch in a village along the route every day except for the last day and it was wonderful! Midday pasta break anyone? Yes! 

The breakfast spread will be very European and provide food items not usually associated with trail running snacks in the U.S.  Our hotel provides a very good breakfast and should meet all runner needs. Our wonderful hosts will prepare eggs to your liking, pancakes and perfectly prepared espressos. If you have any specific running foods you prefer, please bring them.  Specialty supplements or nutrition systems aren’t provided by Adventure Running Co. and you should bring your own supplies if you have any specialty items you use regularly.  You should also bring your own electrolyte and energy drink mixes if you would like these for the trail.  These types of specialized items will be difficult to find in the Cinque Terre and we won’t be able to bring a lot of snacks and drink mixes with us on the plane. 

Breakfasts will be provided by our hosts each morning.  Dinners will be the responsibility of each runner and we will take advantage of local cuisine for dinner each evening. 

What's Included:

Guides, all breakfasts, all lodging during the tour, support vehicle, group gear, first aid, trail passes, additional tour activities, permits, fees, reservations and licenses.  Adventure Running Co. will cover some of the train transportation costs during the tour.  Group gear includes cookstoves, dishes, cutlery, camp chairs, water, firewood, portable hot shower, massages (massage gun), maps, group first aid and satellite communication devices for emergencies and staff communication.  Not all group gear is provided or needed on our lodge based tours.

Trip does not include airfare or other transportation to and from the departure site, lodging before or after the tour, dinners or personal or custom trail snacks.  Dinners will be out on the town sampling wonderful Cinque Terre cuisine. Specialty supplements or nutrition systems are not provided by Adventure Running Co. nor are alcoholic beverages.