Trail Blaze
Walkers won't have difficulty finding great places for day-hikes and longer treks in Italy. There are few fences keeping you out of places, and most everyone will know of an ancient trail their parents used to go to market, or a trail passing by their favorite forraging spots (these, as you might expect, are described rather vaguely). You'll find trail blazes all over Italy like the one you see on the right.
There are long distance walking trails in Italy, of course, but there is also a reawakening of the spiritual pathways like that of the Via Francigena, the "Frankish Way" from Canturbury to Rome.
And there are planned treks, like the ones proposed by mapmaker Giovanni Visetti. These are free, planned treks with detailed maps that you can do at your own pace. Each trek is mapped and elevations are graphed so that you know exactly what you're getting yourself into.
Walking and Hiking Trails in Italy
The Valcamonica - Great trekking, great rock art.
La Via Francigena - Spiritual walking on the pilgrimage trail to Rome.
For those looking for an off the beaten track pilgrim trail in Italy, here's a guide with map to the Cammino di San Benedetto in the Lazio region.
Hiking the Cinque Terre - Rick Steves says everyone has to do it. So there! Writer David Downie describes some of the top treks on Wandering Liguria, some of them off the beaten track:
- Classic Cinque Terre Coast Walk
- Hiking the Cinque Terre, from Montenero to Volastra and Corniglia
- Hiking the Cinque Terre, from Riomaggiore to La Madonna di Montenero
- Vineland Paradise: Hiking the Italian Riviera's Cinque Terre
A Path to Lunch - Walking trails and trekking in northern Tuscany and southern Liguria.
Walking in Umbria - Follow Bill Thayer in search of history in Umbria, 2000 kilometers of it.
Camini d'Italia - Italian tourism is making an attempt to get tourists to spread out over all of this fascinating country of Italy (just like Wandering Italy) and one of the efforts is to show people the walking paths that lace the boot. This is a good start.
La Via Della Costa is a new route up the Ligurian coast that ultimately takes you to Santiago di Compostela. 350km in 12 stages.
Hiking Campania is a fabulous new site that includes not only maps and descriptions of walks and treks in Campania but a blog with a very evocative voice about walking and the cultural interactions you can have on an Italian walk. There are also guided walks available.
The province of Firenze (Florence) has set up a great site with trekking maps of the natural protected areas in the region: Aree naturali protette e sentieri in provincia di Firenze (in Italian).
Walking Vesuvius - It's not all that easy. in 2009, the Giro d'Italia Bike race climbed the volcano.
Strada del Vino Colli di Candia e Lunigiana - A walk, mostly along the Via Francigena in the Lunigiana. What I like about it is that it's titled "A walk among marble and lard."
Wikiloc is a great resource for the "Best Hiking trails in Italy".
Italy magazine does a great job with Puglia On Food: Hitting the Trails in the Gargano Promontory.
Like markets? This Venice Rialto Walk explores the geographic heart of Venice, Italy.
Giovanni Visetti: Hiking Guide and Mapmaker - a good resource for walks and walking maps, especially along the Amalfi coast and the Island. of Capri.
Giovanni's spectacular maps will not let you down; his most popular you've probably heard of: Path of the Gods, Capri, Campanella, S. Costanzo, Valley of the Mills - Amalfi, Sirenuse Trail, Monte Faito, Sorrento. You can access them here with associated QR codes.
Wandering about in Rome: TRASTEVERE - a good account of wandering through one of Rome's most interesting neighborhoods. Our own map of Trastevere will lead you to some good eats, drink, and more.
Walks on the Wild Side - A writer walks Basilicata, the region around the instep of Italy's "boot".
Walking with St. Francis - Walking around Assisi, in the footsteps of St. Francis.
The Via Francigena in Europe - What you need to know about the pilgrimage route from Rome to Canterbury. Also see, The Via Francigena in "The Valley of the Abbeys" from Initaly.com and our own Map of the Via Francigena.
Planning a Trip?
Here are some travel planning tools that are especially useful if you're planning your first or second trip to Italy.
- Travel Planning Timeline: Learn what you need to plan when.
- What Will an Italy Vacation Cost?: Tools for budgeting your Italian vacation.
- Unplanned Attractions: Save time for the good life in Italy.
