The Inside Track

How best to see Italy’s dreamy Ligurian coast? Follow the ancient cobblestoned paths that wind from town to town.

- By Gina DeCaprio Vercesi

IN GENOESE DIALECT they're called crêuzenarrow cobblestoned paths that cross the hillsides along Italy's dazzling Ligurian coast. These centuriesold mule tracks were originally used by farmers to transport grapes, olives, and lemons grown on terraces cut into the steep, mountainous landscape. Today locals use the trails to walk into town from the rural interior. As I discovered late last October, hiking them makes for an enchanting way to experience the Portofino Peninsula, a rocky promontory about 15 miles east of Genoa.

Although it certainly sees its share of visitors primarily to the stylish town of Portofino-the peninsula tends to be overshadowed by the Cinque Terre, which I first visited after graduating from college in 1995 and returned to on my honeymoon a few years later.

At that time, the five villages tucked improbably into cliffs above the sea had barely registered on the tourist radar.

Since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, the region's popularity has exploded-especially during the summer-and it has begun to sag beneath the pressure. Crowds, many arriving by cruise ship, clog the snug streets and queue to hike the oncetranquil trails, namely the Via dell'Amore, the coastal path connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola. After a landslide forced its closure a dozen years ago, the path recently reopened; reservations are now required.

But just an hour's drive north on this same stretch of coastline, known as the Riviera di Levante, labyrinthine crêuze recede into the lush quietude of the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino, a 2,610-acre swath of protected land, and link the towns of Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino, and Camogli. There I found not only respite from the fray but also a much less impactful way to visit the area.