NOLI – CAPE NOLI – GROTTA DEI FALSARI (Cave)

ITINERARY: NOLI – ST. LAZZARO’S CHURCH – ST. MARGHERITA’S CHURCH – DE ALBERTIS’ HERMITAGE – BRIGANTI’S CAVE – CAPE NOLI – WITCHES TOWER – ST. MICHELE’S CHURCH – NOLI

By car (from Finale Ligure’s train station FF SS): take the national road Aurelia (Strada Statale 1) towards Savona to reach Noli (9 km).

By the time you are crossing Noli, join the second fork to the left (it actually is the first one where you can turn to with a car) to arrive to the square “Piazza Lorenzo Vivaldo Vescovo” where you can park.

Car route’s total length: 9.2 Km

Trail classification: trail of historic, naturalistic and geological interest

Level: Moderate

Duration: 3 h 30 min              Length: 7.5 Km               Elevation gain: 290 m

Starting from the square, you take the street called “Via XXV Aprile” where you can find (at the very beginning) numerous trail marks: we suggest to follow the trail mark “Passeggiata Dantesca”.

Travel over “Via XXV Aprile” to find a rising staircase that goes through some villas. The trail starts past the villas. The panorama offered by this itinerary is very pleasant and evocative.

Trail mark: vertical signage “Passeggiata Dantesca”

The trail is well signalled and easily walkable. It mostly goes uphill.

The trail starts in a cobblestone street, along a dry stone wall.

Ignore the first deviation (about 300 m after) to find, just a bit beyond it, the ruins of the Lazaretto and St. Lazzaro’s Church.

Just past these two buildings, there a deviation: ignore it and keep going straight on to reach, in 600 m, the ruins of our itinerary’s second church, St. Margherita’s Church where the landscape fully opens revealing an outstanding view over the cliffs and the gulf of Noli.

Going further on, the trail passes by the ruins of another building (we suggest to not visit it since it doesn’t represent anything of interest and may result dangerous) and then it joins a bigger trail: turn left to easily and quickly reach the Captain De Albertis’ Hermitage. Back to the crossroad you keep going on (on the right, and not where you were coming from before). After 200 m you are going to run into another fork: turn left to reach the magnificent cave called “Grotta dei Briganti”. During this stretch, the trail mark changes.

Trail mark: red ball

This stretch goes steeply downhill and quickly reaches he cave. It is possible to enter the cave by a marked little tunnel over the cave. We recommend paying attention inside the cave.

Turn around and follow back your steps to get back to the last fork.

Trail mark: vertical signage “Passeggiata Dantesca”

Back to the fork, you keep going uphill for  1 Km to another crossroad : turn left to reach Cape Noli.

 Here you can enjoy once again a spectacular view over the coastline from West to East (sometimes it is even possible to see the Corsica island). This spot is called “Semaforo” and a big unpaved road starts here going towards “Le Manie”. Walk on this road for about 100 m and then turn left into a narrow trail that goes through the trees. The trail mark changes again.

Trail mark: red X

The trail is easily walkable and mostly on flat ground.

This is a little stretch of the trail “Sentiero del Pellegrino” . Past the wooded area a tower rises down on your left side, it’s the Witches’ Tower “Torre delle Streghe”. It was a sighting tower built in 1582 (take the little deviation on the left to reach it). Back on the main trail you keep going straight on  for 250 m to run into another crossroad: you can go to the left to the summit of the cliff for a panoramic view over the sea then you have to go back to the crossroad and follow the indications for “Cian de Strie” and “Cian du Feru”, getting back onto the trail mark “Passeggiata Dantesca”.

Trail mark: vertical signage “Passeggiata Dantesca” and “Cian de Strie” and “Cian du Feru”

This stretch, 700 m long, crosses the woods and reaches the ridge of St. Michele’s Hill.

Ignore the first deviation on the left and go towards the big unpaved road. Now, keep staying on the left and follow this road for about 20 m then turn right into the trail that goes uphill with a signal that says “Noli”. Just a few meters later, go left and keep going uphill.

Trail mark: “San Michele”

This stretch is well signalled and goes downhill.

Ignore the fork signalled to “St. Lazzaro’s Church” and the trail starts to descend the hill going towards Noli.

Our next goal is the Church of St. Michele, probably built at the end of the X century.

Next to the church, the trail starts to go steeply downhill ending into a staircase and then into the paved road in Noli. Walk along the road and by the Church of St. Paragorio and keep going straight on to reach the square “Piazza Lorenzo Vivaldo Vescovo” were you parked your car.

PUOI SCARICARE LA TRACCIA GPS DELL’ITINERARIO QUI:

(Come scaricare tracce GPS).

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