Monterosso to Colla di Gritta

We started our stay in Monterosso al Mare with a hike to Soviore, on to Colla di Gritta, then back down to Monterosso.  Today, we're going to approach Colla di Gritta a different way, walking through Monterosso, hiking north toward Levanto, then turning east along the ridge around Monterosso and following it to Colla di Gritta from the other direction.

We step out and admire the beautiful sunrise over Monterosso and the Mediterranean, then descend into the streets to cross over to the northern end of the village.

Sunrise

Passing by the northern end of the village

We start to follow the road up with great views back at Monterosso.

Looking back as we ascend

Soon we leave the road and follow a path up the hill.

Path heading up

Along the way, we get views of the sea and the coast stretching south from Monterosso to the other four villages of Cinque Terre.

Views of the sea

Looking down the coast

We reach the top of the trail, with one direction proceeding north along the coast to Levanto and the other to the east on the ridge around Monterosso.  We turn east (right) and continue up the ridge. 

 

Trail choices at the top

Continuing up to the ridge

Looking down at Monterosso

We follow the trail up and down the hills along the ridge, with glimpses of Monterosso on the right and Levanto on the left as we proceed.

Continuing along the trail

Views of Monterosso and Levanto

Looking back at the start of the trail  (the far peak)

The trail reaches several steep up and down sections, then descends into Colla di Gritta.

Steeper sections

Final steps to Colla di Gritta

At Colla di Gritta, we can return to Monterosso's new town (road to the right) or old town (road straight ahead).  We decide to return to the old town and follow the road to the path between Monterosso and Soviore, hiking the stretch from the road back to town.

Follow the road

View of Monterosso and surrounding hills

Upon reaching town we head straight down Via Roma to Pan e Vino and reward ourselves with two sandwiches:  mortadella and stracchino and the Pan e Vino special (anchovies).

Our rewards

We've enjoyed another fun, local hike and have left many others (and perhaps the same again) for later visits.