Carol Sachs
In Genoese dialect theyre calledcreuzenarrow cobblestoned paths that cross the hillsides alongItalysdazzling Ligurian coast.
Today locals use the trails to walk into town from the rural interior.
Related:This Underrated Region in Italy Is a Less-crowded … At the airport in Milan, sheets of rain fell from gunmetal skies.
Rapallo as seen from the water.Credit:Carol Sachs
Bright and delicate, the sauce had the unmistakable perfume of Genoese basil.
The eveningpasseggiatawas under way.
I wandered the rain-washed streets, relishing the rhythm of daily life in a small Italian town.
From left: Inside Hostaria Vecchia Rapallo; spaghetti with clams at Portofino’s Ristorante Lo Stella.Carol Sachs
But the Bristols concierge, Paola Arata, said the seas were too rough for the boat to run.
Over breakfastcrusty bread with prosciutto and a white peachI decided to trek from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino instead.
On a side street a few steps from the towns port, I found the footpath to Portofino.
From left: A stairway at the train station in Camogli; a café on Via della Repubblica, in Camogli.Carol Sachs
Cement stairs quickly gave way to a cobblestoned mule track that led through groves of chestnut and holm oak.
On this autumn Saturday, I found it delightfully uncrowded.
The next day, roiling surf again foiled my plans to visit San Fruttuoso.
From left: Revello Focacceria, in Camogli, Italy; the lounge at Rapallo’s Grand Hotel Bristol.Carol Sachs
Fortunately, the parks 50 miles of trails provided plenty of alternatives.
This time I took the train to Camogli, a fishing village on the peninsulas westernmost edge.
Legend has it that Camoglis multicolored houses once served as beacons for fishermen returning from the sea.
The pool at the Grand Hotel Bristol.Carol Sachs
Shops lined the walkway, doors thrown open to the salt-tinged breeze.
Shed learned about the park from friends, she told me.
When I mentioned that I was from New York, she expressed surprise.
The train station in Camogli.Carol Sachs
A lot of Italians dont even know about the hiking here, she said.
AtDai Muagettiwhich in Ligurian dialect means in the small wallsI paused for a macchiato.
Cloistered within the dense Mediterranean scrub lay crumbling remnants of bunkers and barracks.
On the path to Camogli.Carol Sachs
A signpost between swaths of gorse and wild thyme marked the rugged descent to Punta Chiappa.
Gripping a chain handrail, I switchbacked toward the sound of the sea.
From left: A trail marker on a stone wall in the village of San Rocco di Camogli; a cobblestoned trail in Portofino.Carol Sachs
From left: Hikers taking a break in San Rocco di Camogli; late-season surf in Camogli.Carol Sachs
From left: Boats in the port town of Santa Margherita Ligure; the harbor at Portofino.Carol Sachs
