By far, the most popular hike in Italy connects the 5 villages of <a href="https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/cinque-terre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cinque Terre</a>, along the coast of southern Liguria. Some parts of this trek might have "easy" labels, but you should still take them seriously. Climbers report how they mistakenly thought this was an easy stroll, then ended up exhausted.

See the original in Fodor's <a href="https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/cinque-terre/experiences/news/italy-wants-to-fine-you-2824-for-making-this-footwear-mistake">Hiking footware in Cinque Terre\</a>
<h2>Hiking in wrong foot ware</h2>
Cinque Terre region has finally clamped down on the wrong foot ware.  Too many tourists have tried and failed to climb the challenging trek up in the hills that connects these villages. And flip-flops are the reason why so many have needed to be rescued. Many people find it almost impossible to climb down a steep path wearing these.
<h2>Fines for rescue</h2>
The volunteers of Club Alpino Italiano, the hiking organization responsible for saving hikers, have been called to help. But this is a huge demand on their resources, so  Club Alpino Italiano has start issuing fines. The new fines run anywhere from 50 Euros to over 2,000 Euros for the rescues, depending in how much the rescue has cost the organization.
<h2>Visitor education</h2>
Cinque Terre has started a public information campaign educating visitors about this issue, and about proper hike preparation. Club Alpino Italiano has charged fines for rescues since April of 2019.  This hugely popular region is expecting 750,000 cruise ships visitors to land on its shores this season (2019), almost double from last year.

In conclusion, flip-flops are great fun on the beach, but bring proper hiking boots for this trek. You also need plenty of water, sunscreen lotion and a wide brimmed hat.
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