Michelin classifies sites and restaurants with a simple three-star system: sites are either “interesting”, “worth a detour” or “worth a trip”.
Please note that this is not simply a way of saying “good”, “better” and “even better”: 3-star attractions such as Florence and Venice are good in different ways from a picturesque fishing village.
A similar point could be made about hikes. Most people who travel to their hiking destination by making a trip of several hours expect to be wowed.
Even a detour of several hours raises our levels of anticipation: we would enjoy such a trip in different ways from the way we enjoy an “interesting” two-hour stroll from our holiday town to the next village on the coast.
My personal opinion about three-star hikes resembles my take on 3-star restaurants. There is a place for them, I am grateful they are there if only to define the standards of quality.
For every-day purposes, however, they are not all that relevant. Whether or not your holiday is a success (whether or not you and your loved ones enjoy the trip) is not proportionate to the number of three-star attractions you can cram into a fortnight.
Holidays and even one-day away trips are like a good piece of music: they should not line up a series of ever louder crescendi but provide a pleasant ebb and flow with different motives, moods and tempi.
That is enough metaphors for one post. What I am trying to say is actually quite simple: the hike to Santa Croce in Alassio will not give you an attack of Stendhal Syndrome (the urge to burst in tears in the presence of seemingly otherworldly beauty and perfection). But it will make, if you already happen to be in the area, a pleasant way of spending your morning.
It offers scenic panoramas of near-by Alassio …
… and, near the chapel itself, of the Gallinara island opposite Albenga (where Saint Martin – yes, the one with the beggar and the coat – lived for several years as a hermit in the 4th century).
The hike to Santa Croce in Alassio also features interesting bits of architecture from various periods: ancient as in these remains of a Roman road …
… medieval as in this “Saracens’ tower” (look-outs from where to spot raiders approaching the coast) …
… and surrealist-hallucinatory, like something from a 1920s experimental movie by Dali or those crazy German expressionists.
And the 11th century chapel of Santa Croce itself … well, it is probably not worth a journey of several hours but certainly “interesting” enough for a brief visit.
Where to Start the Hike to Santa Croce in Alassio
To go on this hike, turn left behind the front court of Alassio’s train station into the busy main road (the Via Aurelia where you will also be able to buy sandwiches and other provisions).
After about a quarter mile, turn left into Via Airaldi Solva and follow this road through many twists and turns to its end where it meets the Strada Panoramica Santa Croce.
Turn right and, if you want to know why the road is called Strada Panoramica, look right towards Alassio every now and then.
The Panoramica will take you all the way to the Chiesa Santa Croce.
For your way back, you have different options. You can either just turn around and walk back, perhaps using a different road from the one that brought you here, the Strada Romana Santa Croce one level below. (Don’t miss the turn: it’s right behind you.) Or you can continue through the Roman archway into via Byron.
After another quarter mile, you will find a stairway on your right hand side that will lead you into a maze of residential streets and, ultimately, down to the Via Aurelia and towards the marina on its far side.
Cross Via Aurelia and take the path down towards your left. Yes: that may be counterintuitive since the harbour is located slightly on your right, but you must zig left before you can zag right because that is the only way to the marina.
Only walk on the hard shoulder of the Via Aurelia if you are prepared to end your life right there and then.
Stop at the marina for a drink or a snack. Alternatively, you can also continue further down the beach promenade …
… for another 15 minutes or so until you reach Alassio where you have a far wider choice of cafés and restaurants.
Alassio used to be a very fancy resort in the 1950s. It no longer attracts people like Hemingway and Anita Ekberg but is still busy enough and positively sizzling in the summer months.
If you want to do this walk in summer, it is best to leave early and to wrap up before lunch. This was our plan, too – before we got stuck in a train tunnel for three hours due to a technical problem and arrived in Alassio at around 12. At which time we had only two alternatives: either to abandon the hike or to walk through the midday sun.
This is not a long walk (at approx. 2 hours) and neither is it specifically arduous, thanks to its rather gentle climb. However, this hike to Santa Croce in Alassio was nevertheless a fairly exhausting experience.
At least now we know why we avoid hiking after noon at this time of the year.
