CTT takes you to the trails.

We used the extra time during the recent months of partial lockdown to reopen abandoned local trails. Last week, we completed our latest volunteer project: the direct route from the village of Groppo to Monte le Croci. Back in 2018, we cleared the final 300-meter stretch connecting Trail ex6A to Monte le Croci, and over the past month, we reopened the remainder of the route—from Groppo to Trail ex6A. The full route consists of four sections: the Rie’ Trail, Costela Bassa, Costela Alta, and the Monte le Croci Vertical climb. Starting from Groppo on the SP51 road, the Rie’ Trail is located about 150 meters from Cantina Cinque Terre, heading towards Volastra. It begins as a stone staircase leading through cultivated olive groves. Upon reaching a renovated farmhouse, the path turns left onto a wide grassy track and then crosses a stream. The path then turns right, following a narrow stone trail between a dry-stone wall on the left and the stream on the right. The final step of a short staircase is a large boulder jutting out over the stream—known in the local dialect as “Ciapun” (big rock)—which serves as a landmark for residents describing this trail. The path crosses the stream again and ascends a staircase through a dry valley flanked by terraced fields, now overgrown with Mediterranean scrub and pine trees. The final flight of stairs veers right, crossing an abandoned field. After passing an abandoned farmhouse, the path continues levelly through a cluster of tree heaths, then turns left onto another staircase of short, narrow steps. After a U-turn, the path continues up more stairs—wider and longer than the previous ones. The final stretch follows a dirt path winding through mixed woodland. The Rie Trail ends at Trail No. 530 (a dirt track), near an electric fence designed to keep out wild boars.

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