Hiking in Portofino National Park

Источник: www.putevye-istorii.ru

The southern part of the Portofino Peninsula is occupied by the Portofino National Park. It is a mountainous, forested area of land with rocky shores and rare bays.

The highest point of the peninsula is Monte Portofino, 612 meters. The south-east corner of the peninsula is elongated and pointed. There, on a sharp cape, the town of Portofino is nestled around a secluded, almost inland bay.

There are numerous trails through the park. All the trails are marked. On the trails you will see from time to time posters with a trail map. You can also buy trail maps in the nearest resort towns. For example, I saw it on sale at Rapallo station (the same place where railroad tickets are sold).

The longest route of the park starts in Camogli and finishes in Portofino. It is 13 km of mountain trails with a descent to the Abbey of San Fruttoso. It is marked with two red circles. It usually takes 5 hours to complete.

We took two routes: Ruta - San Fruttuoso - Portofino and Ruta - San Rocco - Camogli. Both times we went up from Rapallo by bus to Ruta - the highest situated town on the peninsula - and from Ruta we already entered the park.

The road from Rapallo to Ruta is very scenic. The bus takes a serpentine road up high into the mountains, so you can see the whole Tiguglio Bay and Rapallo. On the way it stops in small mountain villages and, after passing the mountain pass, arrives in Ruta and from there it descends to Camogli.

Route: Ruta - San Fruttoso Abbey

From the bus stop in Ruta you have a view of the Gulf of Paradiso and Camogli.
To get from Ruta to Portofino National Park, you have to go up to the church. To the left of the church there is a narrow path that goes uphill and becomes a trail. The houses end and the forest begins.

For the first time we decided to walk along this route: go up to the old lighthouse (Semaforo Vecchio), then through the Narrow Stones (Pietre Strette) and Molini to descend to the Abbey of San Fruttoso, and then take a boat along the southern coast to Portofino or directly to Rapallo.

The path is well-maintained, sometimes lined with stones. Sometimes the steps are carved into the rock. There are ivy-covered trees and mossy boulders all around.
After overcoming the ascent, we take a narrow path to the Old Lighthouse. Now it is a flat area with benches and a small house with a tower.

From there, the trail goes downhill. The next point is the Pietre Strette (Narrow Stones). This is a cluster of boulders, rock outcrops in the middle of the forest. Several trails approach this place. Here you can find a well equipped stop and benches. There is drinking water (aqua potabile).

From here you can go west to Camogli, or east to Portofino or Santa Margherita. We choose to go south and go to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso.

The trail goes sharply downwards and narrows. From the gloomy, liana-covered forest it leads to an open slope, then deepens into the forest again. We cross a stream, then walk along the slope of a ravine, passing a waterfall.

On the descent meets a house with a table on the veranda. You can have lunch here if you wish.

At last we see a squat, square tower, the Doria Tower. And immediately behind it a small bay opens up, with a few houses and the Abbey of San Fruttuoso ashore.

And another disappointment awaited us. From the Abbey of San Fruttuoso we planned to go further to Portofino or Rapallo by boat. But it turned out that there are no more ships in the right direction today. We can sail only to Camoglia.
We unfolded the map, thought, sighed heavily and decided to walk to Portofino.
We climbed up the path above the bay and followed the slope along the southern shore. Right above the bay we found a helipad.

At first the path climbed through a dusky, overgrown forest, then as it gained altitude, the forest changed to shrubbery, so that you could enjoy magnificent views of the sea and the cliffs. In some places the steps were cut into the rock, and in one place there were even chains for safety. The chains allowed us to climb up to a viewpoint on a freestanding peak.

At last there were some houses and vineyards in front of them. The path changed to a road.
And the long, steep descent began. Some silver olive trees grew on the slopes, and we could see the remains of terraces where something had once been cultivated, but now they were overgrown with grass and would probably soon flatten out and return to the original state of a bumpy slope without any terraces.