Italy, a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. Its capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major cities include Florence, with Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s “David” and Brunelleschi’s Duomo; Venice, the city of canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital. People mainly visit Italy for its rich culture, cuisine, history, fashion and art, beautiful coastline and beaches, mountains, and priceless ancient monuments.
It’s all about the places you want to explore, be it walking the trails around the Julian Alps or Dolomites, cycling along the spectacular Dalmatian coastline of Croatia, or Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy. Our self-guided Italy walking holidays take you to the famous Amalfi Coast and the Sorrentinian Peninsula, the Cinque Terre, Sardinia, Piedmont, Umbria, Piedmont, Tuscany, the Alps, and the Dolomites.
Travel between India and Italy is currently restricted. If, however, you would like to plan a holiday – be it walking, cycling, touring, or snow holiday – we are accepting bookings for 2021 as normal, with the added bonus that prices for our summer holidays remain unchanged from 2022.
Some of our most popular Italy walking holidays take place on the Amalfi and Sorrentinian coasts. Hiking on the Amalfi Coast offers a stunning combination of sea, picturesque coastal towns, and mountains, an abundance of both culture and nature. The landscape is varied and offers ever-changing views. It can be typically Mediterranean, intoxicating with its wild perfumed herbs, with myrtle shrubs, thyme, rosemary, and mastic trees, or almost alpine with meadows and bare rocks.
The Ligurian Coast: Walking on the Ligurian coast, known as Italia’s ‘Flower Riviera’, will enchant you with its unique coastal and forest trails. It stretches from the French border to Tuscany and offers wooded slopes plunging towards the sea, where fishing villages of tall, sorbet-colored houses nest in small bays and coves. Fish and seafood dominate the local cuisine, as do rare white wines such as Sciacchetrà.
The Dolomites :
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley. Known for its endless sceneries of pastures surrounded by jagged peaks and vertical walls, the Dolomites will reveal to you some unique landscapes. The Alta Via route is known as the classical path revealing the best sceneries and iconic peaks of the region, and each of its stages reveals areas of exceptional natural beauty, history, and genuine local culture.
Sardinia
The island of Sardinia has long been known for its sandy beaches and clear sea and is immensely popular as a summer retreat. Only recently its many unspoiled natural and cultural treasures have gotten the right attention from nature lovers and walkers. It is still possible to wander its many spectacular trails, enjoying the peace of a real hiker’s paradise.
The Alpe Adria Trail
The Alpe Adria-Trail connects the three regions of Carinthia, Slovenia, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in a total of 43 stages and circa 750 km. On our Slovenian holidays, you will walk along some of the best parts of the trail from the heart of the Slovenian Alps to the beautiful sunny wine region on the Italian border. You’ll cross a stunning mountain pass, and follow the emerald-green Soča River as it carves its way through the gorgeous Trenta Valley. You’ll trek the Italian-Slovene border along a mountain ridge, before descending into the Italian wine country.
The Alps: Our Tour du Mont Blanc itineraries will lead you from France to Italy and Switzerland, taking in the best sections of the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit.
Piedmont: Walking through the Langhe region, you will explore the varied landscape of the unmistakable line of rolling hills covered with vineyards as far as the eye can see. These are the lands where the world’s finest and most expensive wines are made and there are plenty of opportunities to sample some of them in the numerous wine stores all located in historic buildings along your route.
Umbria: The historic path from Assisi to Spoleto takes you in the footsteps of St. Francis through Umbria, the green heart of Italy. The villages you visit on the way have preserved their own identity and you will feel like the time has stood still for centuries.
Tuscany: Follow the wine trails of Tuscany on foot through the wine region of Chianti, nestled between the beautiful cities of Florence and Siena. Or take a walk that combines the famous towns and villages such as Siena and San Gimignano with beautiful hamlets such as San Miniato, allowing you to discover the very best of the Tuscan Via Francigena in a single trip.
Like all our holidays, our walking holidays in Italy revolve around three key ingredients: unspoiled scenery; hand-picked accommodation of character where you’ll receive a warm welcome; and delicious regional cuisine. We’ll ensure you enjoy your walking holiday to the full.
We take great pride in our route guides, updating them constantly so that you have the most current information and can enjoy the richest possible holiday experience. Walking at a pace that suits you, you can rely on them to steer you from A to B, and fill you in about places of interest and local culture along the way.
Not being part of a group means you can stay in intimate hotels and guesthouses, and gives you so much freedom. Freedom to choose your start date, the length of your holiday (feel free to add extra nights) and your travel route – we’ll happily book a bespoke travel package for you, either by air, by rail or by ferry.
We’ve built up a wealth of experience since we started in 1984. Whether you’ve got a query or wish to book a holiday, you’ll deal with friendly experts who share a passion for travel and who have stayed in our featured hotels and walked our routes. They’ll be delighted to answer your questions and help you plan your perfect holiday.
Generally easy walking with few ascents / descents, but perhaps the occasional long day.
Easy-to-moderate walking with some ascents / descents, and occasional longer days.
Moderate walking on varied terrain, with some long days and regular ascents / descents.
Moderate-to-challenging walking on more rugged terrain with significant ascents / descents on most days. Compass skills may be required (check the individual holiday).
Challenging hikes, featuring long days with significant ascent / descent on challenging terrain. Compass skills may be required.
Choice of easier or harder routes, so that you can tailor most days to your requirements.