Marola - Campiglia circular route

This circular route starts in the small village of Acquasanta, located along the road from La Spezia to Portovenere, at the fork for Campiglia. Here, you will walk on Via Caporacca, in direction of Campiglia. When you reach the widening, you will leave Via Caporacca and follow Via Castellana, going in the same direction – at first, you will be walking beside the paved road, and then on the other side of the stream. After about 600 meters, you will be back onto Via Caporacca and, when you reach a sharp bend, you will start climbing up a stairway on the right. After a short stretch running along the stream, you will start climbing up the stairway leading to Campiglia, crossing a white road at 309 meters above sea level taking to the Coregna quarries. Once you have reached Campiglia, take the AVG/AV5T in direction of Portovenere, walk in front of the church, and take the trail close to the restaurant called “Il Piccolo Blu”. 

Keep walking on this trail, passing by the old mill and the former sports field. Here, you will go back onto the paved road, but you will soon leave it to go back on the trail up to the area called Bocca dei Cavalin. Here there is an important fork: the paved road goes downhill to the left towards Acquasanta, while the AV5T (Alta Via delle 5 Terre, or High Route of the 5 Terre) continues seaside with a trail leading to Portovenere. Your path follows the AVG (Alta Via del Golfo, or High Route of the Gulf), taking the military paved route of Castellana on the left – holding a central position with respect to the other two ways.

Once you have reached 370 meters above sea level, you will take the path on the left. After a few sharp bends, it will lead you, following a very steep short stretch, to the Rifugio Castellana (Castellana Lodge), currently closed but offering spectacular views. You will walk along a stretch of the ridge with a view of Campiglia and reach the fork with route 529 to Marola. At first the trail follows a stretch in the woods and then skirts a Portoro marble quarry. Ultimately, once the trail has reached a place named Piano (270 meters above sea level), it becomes a very scenic stairway following the hill ridge that will take you to Marola. At 95 meters above sea level, you will take the Salita del Mattone, a paved road that, turning left, leads you to the houses of an area called Pianello. This trail then becomes a stairway taking you through the village of Marola and leading to the intersection with Viale Fieschi, close to Porta Marola, at the Navy base. If you go left, on Viale Fieschi, you will soon reach Acquasanta, your starting point.