Napoleonic routes in Beigua Park

Access

General information

Tour: Access from picnic area Pian di Stelle (a few km above Alpicella)
Signposts:Red and yellow markings, typical of the Ligurian FIE
Typology of route:partially circular
Recommended period: June, July, August, September
Sun exposure:south
Objective Danger:none

Introduction

Following the Napoleonic routes in Beigua Park: 2 loops to rediscover the past...

Description

From the Pian di Stella picnic area (1230 m), below the summit of Beigua, are the starting points of the two Napoleonic paths (illustrative panel highlighting the 'echoes of a forgotten battle', focusing on the war event of April 1800 and the uniforms of the two armies). You start with the yellow one going up to the right. In 5', there is an important fork and you go left, following the path between the different symbols (Personally, although more than one will disagree, I am fond of the FIE method of signalling, which has an unbeatable advantage... if you have to walk along a square and find yourself on a triangle, you are definitely wrong and you realise it straight away, whereas with the flags or the Valle d'Aosta yellow arrows, if you miss a fork with numbers, you risk realising it much later...). You walk quietly through a dense beech forest and, shortly afterwards, find another crossroads. The Napoleonic path has a branch-off here (signpost for Monte Ermetta) and you turn right over a grassy hill. In a few minutes, another diversions (signposted)  to the right leads shortly to Monte Veciri (1264 m - 35' from the start - memorial stone No. 3: on the importance of the post and the firearms of the battle) with a beautiful view, limited by the mist. The remains of a defensive post can be seen, with a series of stones piled up. Not far away, the Beigua Cross stands out. One turns back at the last fork and bends to the right. You lose a few metres of altitude in a plateau (to the right, a battered reminder of a hunter). In 20', you are at the cross of the Ermetta (1267 m - wind rose, CAI box with summit book and memorial stone no. 4: on the movement of troops and the white weapons of the battle). The panorama is vast, but here again limited by poor visibility... We retrace our steps and return to the junction (25') from where the branch-off had started (the route is a little convoluted). We now turn right and pass a wooden cross, while at subsequent crossroads we keep to the left (10' + 5'). You thus return towards Monte Beigua. There are a few ups and downs until returning to the beech forest. There should be a shortcut that leads directly to the red-coloured Napoleonic path, but it cannot be seen. In 45', you find the Croce del Beigua, where you break for lunch. Then, in another 15', you return to the starting point (2h30/2h45 tot.).

Now you follow the red Napoleonic path, on the sea side. You walk along the fence and then tackle a wide track. A digression to the left, NOT marked on the terrain (!), leads to the Costa la Corma,1192 m, with a view towards the sea (cippus No. 1: point of confrontation between opposing troops and the friezes and buttons of the uniforms). At the end, turn back and continue on the main track (20'). In 10', a short diversions to the right takes you to the top of the Becciavè rock (a bit of attention!) that towers above the woods... Further on, you cross the road for Alpicella a couple of times and then begin the ascent to the left to return to the starting point. Another (signposted) fork is encountered: to the right for Cippo no. 2 (another point of encounter and the Austrian and French flags), while to the left is the way back. For the time being, we choose the path to the right, which quickly leads to the crest of Monte Cavalli 1114 m, an excellent panoramic viewpoint, from the signpost panel (1h). Note that the red trail is also a little convoluted and it is necessary to make some detours to reach the points of interest with the various reports. Turn back and re-enter the forest, tackling the steepest section that finally leads back to the car park (35'  -  2h/2h15 tot.)
In short: dif. T/E , difference in altitude 50 m for the yellow path and almost 200 m for the red one. Fair weather, a little mist in the morning and not very high temperatures...
On the way out by car, leave the motorway at the Varazze exit and from the town go up to Alpicella and continue to the picnic area. On the return journey, continue on to Pra Riondo, Piampaludo, Vara inf. (the road past the Dan church has been reopened), Passo del Faiallo and Masone (where you can return to the motorway).

The two paths described above are well marked even if you have to make special variants for all the milestones (however, the signpost for milestone no. 1 is missing). So no problem for those who are particularly accustomed to walking on trails, but perhaps those who are less experienced (or simply a little inattentive) may miss some of the points of interest. The trails were recently opened by the Beigua Park Authority (early September 2014), which has also prepared a publication on the trail and related historical events (34 colour pages for only 2 Euro). It is certainly an interesting booklet to read, even if it is not easy to find...

The pdf file with several photos is available at the link:
http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/VieNapoleonicheNelBeigua.pdf

Other info:
http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/esc.htm

http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/gite014.jpg

The new newsletter An Idea for the Weekend:
http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/nuova_pagina_24f.htm

Photos :
  http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/anno2014.htm
  http://www.cralgalliera.altervista.org/altre2014.htm

NB: In the case of an excursion, always check with FIE, Cai, any park authorities or other institutions, pro loco, etc, that there have been no changes that have increased the difficulties! No liability is accepted. This text is purely indicative and not exhaustive.