Are you planning a walking holiday in Italy? Would you like to know where the best places for walking in Italy are? Our guide to walking in Italy gives you the facts & information you’ll want to know.
With its temperate Mediterranean climate and its varied geography, Italy provides some of the best scenery in Europe for a walking holiday. Although walking and hiking are not as developed as in some other European countries, there is continual investment by the authorities in the development of walking trails and other facilities to help increase the number of tourists who come to Italy every year for walking holidays.
Mountain walking in Italy
Italy has two major mountain ranges: The Italian Alps and the Apennines. Of these two, the Alps are more popular with walking enthusiasts both from Italy and abroad. The Dolomites, which are a section of the eastern Italian Alps, are particularly popular for walking holidays as there are relatively good walking trails which are for the most part well marked. The Alps in the Piedmont region of North West Italy provide similar walking experiences although these are less visited and perhaps the choice of trails is slightly smaller.
Walking in national parks in Italy
Italy has a number of quite vast national parks with an interesting array of wildlife and some quite good walking trails. Probably the most popular park with walking tourists in Italy is the Grand Paradiso national park in the north of Italy which has a good walking infrastructure and a good variety of well marked walking trails.
Volcano walking in Italy
Italy is home to some of the most famous volcanoes in Europe, and while the prospect of walking to the top a volcano may not initially seem like a great walking experience, there are a lot of extras that make for an interesting volcano walking trip. There are two volcanoes on the Aeolin Islands called Strombodi and Vulcano, both of which have marked walking trails to the top. Mount Etna in Sicily is actually a dormant volcano while a trip to Mount Vesuvius could be combined with a sightseeing tour of ancient Pompeii.
Coastal walking in Italy
Italy has thousands of kilometres of coastline and some beautiful beaches which means there are some fantastic scenic walks to be had. Two of the best places for coastal walking in Italy are the Amalfi coast and the Cinque Terre in Liguria.
