Soggiorna
A trail that climbs from the inland of Bonassola towards the hilltop villages of Pastorelli and Montaretto, passing through the location that gives the trail its name, Salto della Lepre.
Verified Data
- Start and End: Bonassola → Pastorelli → Montaretto
- Trail Code: 661 (Liguria Hiking Network / CAI La Spezia section)
- One way or loop: one way
- Kilometers: 3 km
- Elevation Gain: +330 m / −35 m
- Difficulty: E (hiking)
- Travel Time: 1h30 (uphill), 45 minutes (return)
- Responsible Authority: CAI La Spezia section (REL/CAI network)
- Last Verification: 2026-07-24
The Route
The trail climbs steadily from the village of Bonassola towards the inland, reaching the location that gives the trail its name, Salto della Lepre, before arriving at the villages of Pastorelli and Montaretto. The elevation gain (+330 m in just 3 km) makes it a challenging trail despite the E classification, with an uphill travel time nearly three times that of the descent.
Before You Leave
- Bring hiking shoes and water: the ascent is steep and lacks supply points.
- Consider the return: from Montaretto or Pastorelli check if connections to the coast are available, otherwise plan to retrace the same trail.
Getting there and when to go
Starting point. Bonassola has its own station on the Genoa–La Spezia line, a few minutes from Levanto: the trail starts from the village, so the whole walk can be done without a car.
Costs. The trail is freely accessible and there is no ticket.
Best time. Spring and autumn. With over 330 m of height gain concentrated in 3 km, in summer the climb is demanding during the hottest hours.
Accessibility. Natural ground and a constant gradient: not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs, and to be weighed carefully if you are not used to walking.
If it rains. The steep climb on natural ground becomes slippery on the way down, which is the trickiest part of the return: in bad weather it is better to avoid it.
For the way back. As noted above, check in advance whether there are connections towards the coast from Montaretto or Pastorelli: if not, the return is on foot along the same trail, downhill (about 45 minutes).