CINQUE TERRE TRAIL RUNNING ADVENTURE

CINQUE TERRE TRAIL RUNNING ADVENTURE

The Cinque Terre, or “the five lands” as they translate literally, are comprised of lovely pastel colored villages wedged into vertiginous 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 in 2023 for this once in a lifetime trip to the remarkable "five lands" of Italy! Dates: March 26-31, 2023 Prices:1,953 EUR