The Finalese Plateaus: San Bernardino, Le Manie & Caprazoppa

The territory of Finalese is one of the most beautiful and characteristic places in the western Liguria.

Between the coastal centers of Finale Ligure, Finalpia, and Noli, as well as the villages of Orco and Feglino, a series of limestone plateaus rise, supported by enormous vertical cliffs separated by deep and narrow valleys. The summits of the plateaus rarely exceed 400 meters, but the environment is wild and spectacular.

Departure from Porta Testa, Finalborgo.

We begin with an uphill asphalt road that leads to San Bernardino. Leaving the asphalt, we take the flat Cucco path marked by a trail sign and a first smooth section with some ups and downs. The path intersects the Trail Ca del Vacchè, a 2.7 km single track.

We continue with the Antica Iulia Augusta. A technically challenging uphill route characterized by rocky sections. We return to the asphalt to reach the Briga Sinistra trail, which runs between ancient walls and old buildings from Manie to the eastern side of Finalese.

A true enduro route with fast sections, rocky passages, and breathtaking views. After a coffee break in the beautiful Piazza dei Cannoni in Finale Ligure, we resume the tour. We continue on asphalt towards Gorra and on to Borgio Verezzi. We tackle the final path of our tour, the Trail X-Men. Designed and built partly on an existing path, while keeping in mind the goal of allowing a special EWS event to pass through, it was used for the first time in 2017. It remains one of the most used trails in the area.

Thanks to the red earth, when dry, it guarantees perfect grip. Technical, rocky in parts, but fast and fun.

Arrival at Finalborgo, Porta Testa.