The path SVA between Monterosso and Levanto

Coming from Vernazza, the SVA follows the Fegina seafront to Monterosso, passes behind the “Gigante”, the famous statue of Neptune which leaned against the cliff overlooking the homonymous beach, to then cross splendid residences overlooking the sea, among which the villa of Eugenio Montale, poet and Nobel Prize winner, where he spent his summers in the Cinque Terre.
In the initial stretch the path is very steep and crosses a pine forest and the classic Mediterranean scrub, reaching a carriage road serving the Hotel Suisse Bellevue, in a splendid panoramic position above the Mesco cliffs.
The hard climb ends with a slight slope that in a few minutes leads to the branch to the archaeological site of Sant’Antonio del Mesco at 313 meters s.l.m.; here the friars acted as sentinels, alerting the monterossini, by lighting fires, when the ships of the Barbary pirates appeared on the horizon.
In fact, going up again for a hundred meters, one encounters an orthogonal turret used once for signaling, from where you can enjoy a unique point of view that allows you to wander around all five villages in the Cinque Terre National Park , enclosed by the promontory of the sanctuary of the Madonna di Montenero, protector of the village of Riomaggiore.
Leaving the archaeological site the SVA continues towards Casa Lovara, in an uncontaminated oasis recently recovered from the National Park and from the Municipality of Monterosso, with the ancient vineyards and olive groves to then reach Casa Massola, where in 1931 Guglielmo Marconi perfected his experiments shortwave radio broadcast between Le Vanto and Santa Margherita Ligure.
Once in Levanto, the path passes next to the medieval castle and with a long staircase joins the Pietra promenade, a stone’s throw from the beaches of the Municipal Casino.