Trekking from Chiavari to Leivi

Chiavari is a beautiful town on the sea, but on the hills behind it you can enjoy the peace of the countryside thanks to splendid trails in greenery. The hiking itinerary of the five towers is a ring and allows you to reach the overview I encountered some picturesque towers and chapels, as well as many olive groves. It's a quick but quite long walk and that you well connects with other paths on the Ligurian Riviera, like those for Montallegro and for Zoagli .

The start of the itinerary is right from the center of Chiavari, from where some pedestrian staircases lead to the castle and the ring road. These streets continue to rise towards RI tall and then the curl.

You can take different "CREUZE" in this first part of the route. That marked by the signs follows Via Ri Alto, the little busy road that goes up to the municipality of Leivi: in some places you walk just along the paved road, in others you cut on pedestrian stairways. My advice, however, is to go from the Church of San Michele di Ri Alto: to his right in fact a staircase comes down under a bow. Immediately after the arch a path on the left is in the woods and olive groves, allowing you to go up towards levy avoiding the road.

With this alternative itinerary you arrive so in peace to the curlo, where you relate to the official route of the five towers, marked by a red symbol with two horizontal stripes and one sideways (the symbol of "uneven" in mathematics). Obviously do not confuse the path of the five towers of Leivi with the nearby path of the Five bell towers around Zoagli, here described !

Here is a secondary asphalt road, which is abandoned soon following the indications that lead to the Church of San Michele (apparently the favorite holy of this first part of the route :) This old chapel is just picturesque).

Passed the old houses, the route forks, indeed Triforca: Change little, but since the path is called the five towers I recommend taking the pathmost to the right, which passes into the woods and leads to see a castle, which nowadays it is property Private.

Continuing in the woods, you will soon rejoice (near a convent) to the other trails from which we were separated in San Michele and you arrive shortly after to the church of San Bartolomeo di Leivi, after about five kilometers of walking and 260 meters of Height difference from Chiavari. The church of San Bartolomeo overlooks a square and also on the main road that goes around the hill of Leivi. Here you will also find a shop, a restaurant and a bowls, in case you want to practice this beautiful game or listen to the impregnations of the local players.
From the parking lot of San Bartolomeo, the signs for the Cinque Torri itinerary leads to A secondary road on the right. Following it, you then go to the woods.

In this part of the itinerary you must always be careful to follow the symbol of the Route of the five towers, because the path crosses several streets. Keep in mind that the purpose is to continue on the highest part of the Hill of Leivi, following the soft crest. At one point you go to the shoulders of the church of San Rufino, which can be reached to see the panorama and the Tower of San Rufino.

From the church of San Rufino a staircase drops to Chiavari, for those who want to shorten the path. To continue instead the path of the five towers, returns to the path and continue to a beautiful panoramic lawn, overlooking the Gulf of Tigullio.

Continue in the woods until you cross the paved road on which you have to walk for a few hundred meters to the bush of leivi. From the Bocco a secondary road goes towards San Lorenzo. After a few hundred meters, a sign clearly indicates the deviation on the left of the path of the five towers. It is a dirt road that passes in front of the panoramic chapel of San Lorenzo.

It is again in a beautiful wood, really luxuriant in spring, about 300 meters of altitude - the highest point of the itinerary. The dirt road then becomes a path when he starts going to Chiavari.

We continue to go down to Maxena, a fraction of Chiavari, to which you arrive by entering the beautiful panoramic olive groves. We move from the Church of Maxena, then, along a path and therefore a staircase, you arrive at Sampiedicanne, twenty minutes walk to the city from the center of Chiavari. In all, the ring path is about 14 kilometers long - a nice day full of walking.

However, along the descent from San Lorenzo to Maxena, they meet other paths. In particular, it can be diverted towards the hamlet of Campodonico. (An alternative is also taking the path that leads to the cove and at Montallegro ). Arriving in Campodonico then continue on a series of panoramic terraces that allow you to rejoice with the itinerary between Chiavari and Zoagli described here . Thus, with the path of the thank you, you can get into a spectacular way even on the sea promenade of Chiavari, and close the ring stretching a little but enjoying more beautiful views.

This itinerary is one of the many trails between Genoa and Tuscany, all paths and all described to this Page on trekking in Liguria . To travel the entire west riviera to the east, the next stage door from Chiavari in Lavagna and Sestri Levante .

good trip!

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