Sestri Levante stays down by the sea; the GPX does not. Right after the start, the road leaves the coast and climbs through Casarza Ligure towards Passo del Bracco. That is the day’s main work: almost 600 m up, with bends, woodland, scattered houses and brief openings back towards the Ligurian coast. After the pass, the route drops inland past Carrodano and Borghetto di Vara. The Cinque Terre are not on the line itself; they sit beyond the hills. After Riccò del Golfo, the road tips down into La Spezia.