Volastra: main paths’ crossroads.

Volastra is the main paths’crossroad of the Cinque Terre National Park.
From here you can walk down to Manarola in 30 minutes with the route n. 6 and to Corniglia in 1 hour and 20 minutes with the route n. 6d and n. 7a, or walk for 45 minutes on path no. 6 until you reach the ridge that links trail n. 1 which connects Portovenere with Levanto.
From Volastra, in 2 hours along the old dirt road of the sanctuaries, you may reach the sanctuary of Montenero dating 1300, situated above the village of Riomaggiore, from where you can enjoy an amazing sea view.Path n. 6 down to Manarola, is the old dirt road that for centuries has been the only way to reach the sea and rail, hauling heavy loads of wine were shipped to the buyer with freight trains.
For transportation you used the pack mules, so much so that even now the quantity of wine in wooden barrels is present in some measure, a sum roughly equivalent to twenty gallons and that is what each mule could carry on their backs.
Now thanks to the service of the National Park shuttle bus takes 10 minutes to reach the railway station of Manarola.
The trail 6/d and then 7/a that from Volastra reaches Corniglia is in our opinion is one of the most beautiful in the area.
The fact is developed by the first path in the middle of terraced hills even more densely planted vineyards of the Cinque Terre (Coast to Coast Installation and downstream of Wells), thanks to the presence of three monorails to help transport the grapes up the road.
After reaching the vineyards and small villages of Porciana Case Pianca and then begin the descent towards Corniglia with the route 7/a, through an area with terraced olive groves with a splendid view over the town below.
The entire route takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes takes place with a sea view that it is difficult to erase from memory.
Going up with the route. 6 to trail. 1 can be reached in about 5 hours Portovenere, the pearl of the Gulf of La Spezia with the archipelago of three islands, and from Manarola Portovenere you can return to using the ferry boats.