Little Green Tracs

Hiking the Alta via dei Monti Liguri

The Alta via dei Monti Liguri (also known as the High Trail or Ligurian Alta Via, or AV for short) is an ancient high altitude route that links the two Ligurian coasts, passing through the Tyrrhenian-Po Plain watershed of the Alpi Maritime and of the Ligurian Apennine mountain chains.  The Alta Via follows the tracks of the ancient trails once devoted to trade and sheep breeding, from the town of Ventimiglia (on the French Italian border) to Ceparana just south of Cinque Terre and near Sarzana in 43 well-marked stages that cover a distance of 440 km.

 


Given the region and characteristics of the trail, this is an ideal itinerary for those who are not interested in mass tourism, but interested in exploring the Ligurian wildness and mountains. Walkers, hikers and pilgrims alike will pass by unique mountain flora and fauna, witness peculiar geological formations and spectacular geomorphologic structures, as they stroll through typical alpine mountains and precious great forests, medieval villages that intersect ancient salt roads.

The trail passes through the Regional Natural Park of Beigua , the Natural Park of the Ligurian Alps , the Regional Park of Marcarolo of Tabernacles and the Regional Natural Park dell'Aveto . The point of maximum altitude reached by the High Street is the Monte Saccarello (2201 m).

The Alta via dei Monti Liguri is also part of Italy’s national hiking trail called "Sentiero Italia" (the Italian Trail, or Si). It is part of two important European long distance trails the E1 and E7.

For pilgrim hikers wanting to walk the Camino de Santiago from France to later connect with the Via Francigena in Italy, this is one option to consider.

Connecting the Camino in France to the Via Francigena in Italy

Not all pilgrims and travelers would cross into Italy via Gran San Bernardo. For those people traveling from Santiago de Compostela in Spain by land there were some more direct routes through France, one could take. These include:

A.    Crossing into Italy from France at Colle di Monginevro, descending the Val di Susa, and passing by Torino to connect with the Via Francigena at Vercelli.

B.    Taking Ligurian coastal route from Menton in France and/or Ventimiglia in Italy, and following it to Spezia and reconnecting with the Via Francigena in Sarzana.

A more detailed summary of both options follows:

A.    Crossing the Alps at Colle di Monginevro (Montgenèvre to Vercelli)

Paul Chinn and Babette Gallard, authors of the Lightfoot Guides describe this route as:

“The majority of the route follows a combination of small tracks and roads, showing a high degree of local knowledge, while the signs are painted at regular intervals on trees and street furniture”

Pilgrims traveling from Santiago would first arrive in Arles and then travel northeast along the Via Dormitia (now known as the GR653D) and reach Montgenèvre. It takes another long seven days or fourteen shorter days to reach Vercelli where you can connect with the official Via Francigena route to Rome.

For current guides and maps, please visit the following links:

Guides:
Monica D'Atti & Franco Cinti "Guida alla Via Francigena" ISBN 8889385650

Maps
La-Via-Francigena.-Cartografia-e-Gps (new ed. 2010)

For more information on this route, please visit the following sites:

1.    Via Colle di Monginevro (Montgenèvre/Susa from France)

2.    Via Domitia GR653D at Montgenèvre

B.    The Coastal Routes

Pilgrims traveling by land from Santiago and not wishing to cross the Alps would again first arrive in Arles but then travel southeast along the Via Aurelia (now known as the GR653A) and reach Menton before crossing into Italy.

Today there are actually two possible options available for modern day pilgrim hikers. One is to the take the newly opened coastal route the 350 km La Via Della Costa consisting of 12 long stages from Sarzana to Ventimiglia that weaves in an out of towns such as La Spezia and Levanto, later skirting around Cinque Terre and through Genova, along sometimes busy roads and sections at times. The route recently opened and what you should expect are some sections to be incompletely signed. Accommodation however is plentiful but expensive in some places.

Alternatively, consider taking the scenic 440 km mountain ridge route consisting of 43 short stages called the Alta via dei Monti Liguri, also known as the High Trail of the Ligurian Mountains. This trail is the work of the CAI and is well signed and well used. Accommodation is a mixture of refugees, small bed and breakfasts and pensions. 

In reality for those, wanting to tackle either way, a combination of both routes might be required or considered and thus one should plan for 3 weeks to complete this section.

For more information about this section, please visit the following links:

1.    The La Via della Costa

2.    The Alta Via dei Monti Liguri

3.     Via Aurelia GR653A

 
Final Note:

Paul Chinn and Babette Gallard recently completed a pilgrimage with their packhorse, Nellie, tracing an intersection route connecting the Camino de Santiago in France to the Via Francigena in Italy. Their journey started in Arles on the Camino de Santiago and continued to Montgenèvre and then to Vercelli to connect with the Via Francigena. From Vercelli, they continued to Sarzana, returned along the coastal and alpine routes to Menton, and then back to Arles. They plan to publish two books:

LightFoot Linking the Chain:
Vol One - Arles to Rome - Via Domitia/Via Francigena
Vol Two - Rome to Arles - Via Aurelia/Via Francigena

The new guides will follow the Via Domitia and Via Aurelia in France that will include variations and deviations where necessary and desirable. You can follow their progress and initial accommodation information (prior to the publication) by visiting their blog.

Omnes Viae Romam Perducunt – All Roads lead to Rome

At one time all roads did in fact lead to Rome. The road system of the ancient Roman Empire was quite extraordinary. Roads went throughout most of the UK in the west, to the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers which is today Iraq in the east. The roads went as far north into central Europe from the Danube River and far south as North Africa. All these roads radiated out of Rome, the capital. So no matter which road you took, it would ultimately end in Rome.

The expression “All Roads lead to Rome” is attributed to the Milliarium Aureum or Golden Milestone, a gilded bronze monument erected by the Emperor Augustus Caesar near the temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient Rome. All roads began from this monument and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured relative to that point.

However, the expression “All Roads lead to Rome” is also an ancient proverb. It means loosely “one can take different paths to the same goal.” In other words, it means that the journey you choose to take - is yours alone. The expression has a broader and higher meaning that surpasses the simple and obvious meaning that all roads did in fact physically arrive in Rome. Instead, the proverb suggests whatever path or road we take, by whatever means, we will arrive at the same destination. 

With this in mind, it is important to remember that the Via Francigena was a broad network of paths, trails and roads that went to Rome; not a single fixed route but a series of different routes that changed over time.

The official route in Italy that exists today is just one a many ways one could travel to Rome. For example, many other trails and paths connect with the official Via Francigena including the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrim path. There are other places (maybe, one dozen somebody told us once) where pilgrims would cross the Alps into Italy other than Gran San Bernardo. Moreover, there are half as many ways to cross the Apennines Mountains in order to reach Tuscany. And through Tuscany and Lazio, there are a number of alternative paths one can take in order to reach Rome. And there is a series of other trails that originated from the east via the Tiber River and from the south that made their way to Rome.

In the following blog entries, we will highlight and discuss some of the more interesting alternative routes one can consider; those that are actually navigable today and those that maybe should be remain left for another time.