The Lardarina is the long brick staircase that zigzags up the cliff from the railway station to the entrance of the village. It is the only direct way up on foot — 382 steps in 33 flights — and the climb takes a fit walker around fifteen minutes. The shuttle bus from the station saves you the effort if the heat or the rucksacks are against you.
For a first-time visitor it is the right way to arrive. The staircase forces you to slow down, the gradient gives you time to register the terraces and the dry-stone walls on either side, and the reward at the top — stepping suddenly into the cool of Via Fieschi — feels properly earned.