“Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.” James E. Starrs
I always assumed that line did not apply to me. Living between Levanto and the Cinque Terre, which is to say between the mountains and the sea, a bike ride here means real effort, and I am more the contemplative type. Then, a few years ago, my colleagues, well aware of my non-athleticism, roped me into an all-or-nothing test: a newly launched pedal-assist e-bike rental service in Levanto, and I was to be the guinea pig, to prove they suit absolutely everyone.
The night before, I fretted. Would I make it? Would I faint halfway? Would I hate it? I need not have worried. I had a wonderful afternoon, rediscovering an area I know intimately but had never seen quite this way, and, best of all, feeling the pure joy of doing it by bike, without the sweat. A pedal-assist bike is not a scooter, mind you, and the next day my legs certainly knew they had worked, but what satisfaction.
This is also, I should say, exactly the kind of low-impact, slow way of travelling I love: quiet, close to the land, and a gentle escape from the summer crowds.
Route one: Levanto to Vernazza, via Soviore and Reggio
The first tour took me to my own village, Vernazza. We set off from central Levanto in the afternoon, following the route of a local stage of the Giro d’Italia up towards the Shrine of Our Lady of Soviore, high above the Gulf of Monterosso. Hairpin after hairpin, through Mediterranean scrub scented with broom, with the valley of Levanto and its colourful medieval villages below and the coast of the Riviera, and even France, on the horizon. Beautiful Liguria.
Soviore is special to me: it was my first home. I paused to visit the Marian sanctuary, revered by the people of Monterosso since the fourteenth century, its wooden Madonna so beloved that, during an eighteenth-century restoration, the building materials are said to have been passed hand to hand in a human chain from the port of Monterosso up to the church, 466 metres above the sea.
From the Passo del Termine began a glorious descent with a sea view and a vertical panorama of Vernazza that leaves you speechless, down to the Romanesque Shrine of Our Lady of Reggio, where I once spent endless days revising for my university exams. A few local curiosities: it is said that D.H. Lawrence, who lived nearby, attended a wedding here and asked why Christ had not returned among these olive trees; on the square stands the oldest cypress in Liguria, some eight centuries old; and the water from its fountain is, for the people of Vernazza, quite simply the best in the world.
The descent from Reggio into Vernazza is a daring one, but slow down and savour it. In the village we visited the wonderfully scenographic vineyards of CheO and tasted their wines, made by a family I admire for rebuilding after the 2011 flood. We came home by train, a detail I loved.
Route two: Levanto to Bonassola and Framura
Buoyed by the first ride, I did it again in the other direction, with friends. Heading this way, the view back over Levanto is exceptional, framed by green scrub and deep blue sea, and lovely Bonassola soon appears round a bend, its Madonnina della Punta peering out to sea.
We stopped near the quarries of Rosso di Levanto, the red marble prized since Roman and Etruscan times and exported across the Mediterranean and beyond; you will find it in the floor of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in St Petersburg and in doorways in La Boca, Buenos Aires. From the quarries the route runs gently down to the sea and on to Framura, where we stopped at the twelfth-century church of San Martino and the Carolingian watchtower, and admired the view from the terrace of the hamlet of Costa. Do not miss the stepped alley down to the hamlet of Setta: flowery balconies, washing in the sun, cats, the very essence of Liguria.
At Framura’s pretty harbour we took the lift up to the walking-and-cycling path along the old railway line, and glided between tunnels with the sea flashing past, back to Bonassola and its calm (do not leave without seeing the church of Santa Caterina). A perfect Ligurian day.
Useful information: e-biking from Levanto
I did these rides with EbikeIn in Levanto, whose guide, Matteo, runs several tours daily to the Cinque Terre and towards Bonassola, providing the bikes, helmets and guiding. The meeting point is their base on via dell’Orologio in Levanto; arrive five or ten minutes early for the briefing on the pedal-assist system.
Their tours (prices and times change with the season, so check the current ones) usually include options such as:
- an easy, family-friendly ride towards Bonassola, a couple of hours on the flat, with a taste of local white wine and focaccia
- a “wine tasting in the vineyard” ride, arriving at a cellar overlooking the bay to taste the owner’s wine, cheese, focaccia and olives, returning in the sunset light
- a longer half-day adventure taking in two Cinque Terre villages (Vernazza and Corniglia) and three hilltop sanctuaries, with the coast seen from above
- a “Monterosso at sunset” ride, timed to the season for the best light
- an e-mountain-bike option for the Ligurian backcountry, off the beaten track
After a few rides along this coast, I can confirm it: e-bikes really are for everyone, and it is easy to get addicted.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, especially if you are not a keen cyclist. Pedal assistance flattens the steep hills of this coast, so you can reach panoramic sanctuaries and hilltop villages, and quiet corners the crowds miss, without exhausting yourself. It is also a low-impact, slow way to travel, and guided e-bike tours from Levanto make it easy for beginners.
No. Pedal-assist bikes do much of the hard work, so riders of very different fitness levels can enjoy the same route, though it is not effortless and you will feel your legs the next day. Choose a tour matched to your level (easy flat routes exist), wear a helmet, and take it slowly on the descents.
Local operators such as EbikeIn, based on via dell’Orologio in Levanto, rent pedal-assist bikes and run guided tours to the Cinque Terre and along the coast towards Bonassola, providing bikes, helmets and a guide. Book ahead, especially in high season, and check current tour options and prices.
Two stand out: up to the Soviore sanctuary and down to Vernazza (via the Passo del Termine and the Reggio sanctuary), and the gentler coastal run to Bonassola and Framura, finishing along the spectacular old-railway cycle path through the tunnels. Both can be combined with a train back, and with a wine tasting.
Spring and autumn are ideal: mild temperatures, softer light and fewer crowds. Summer is hot and busy, so ride early or late in the day. Whatever the season, the sunset rides towards Monterosso and Bonassola are especially lovely.
Further reading
- My village, where route one ends: Vernazza
- The wine you taste along the way: Cinque Terre winemaking and CheO
- My home region: the Cinque Terre and Liguria
