Italy Hiking and Trekking Tours

What an amazing experience walking the Via Francigena. Walking from Orvieto to Bolsena was interesting, especially when I arrived at a crossroad and the directions were not clear. However, when I called the emergency number, the gentleman on the other end was extremely helpful and wouldn't get off the phone until I was back on the right track and had entered Bolsena. The rest of the journey was clearly marked. Signs were everywhere. I did it as a self-guided tour and at no point did I feel threatened by anything, nor scared nor anxious. The accommodation was as expected but, most importantly, it was clean.

The hotel is in an excellent location with fantastic views, comfortable rooms and good showers, very helpful and friendly staff and adequate food. Breakfasts were as you would expect, the evening meals in the hotel were a little uninspiring and basic but pleasant enough. The walks were challenging but not overly so, although I would have preferred some walks higher up in the mountains, away from villages. The tour leader was friendly and helpful, accommodating various needs and requests.

Great week discovering mountains of Tuscany Accommodation was great; going back in time, with comfort. Food outstanding. A family atmosphere all around. Great hikes, some more difficult, but it was all detailed in notes. Loved the Medieval walled city of Lucca, on day off.

This was a lovely tour, enjoying the beautiful Italian countryside around Lake Como. Taking local transport and stopping in villages for refreshment brought us closer to the community. The walks were expertly led by our guide, Nigel, who provided lots of appropriate information about the area and plenty of other anecdotes. For other "gluten-free" travellers, I can say that eating out in Italy is easy and that the organised picnic lunches were great. The evening meals at the hotel offered three choices for each course, one of which was (or could be made) g.f. The hotel didn't provide g.f. bread for breakfast so it might be an idea to bring something suitable to supplement the, otherwise extensive, choice of items.

Trip 1: Ivrea to Pavia Enjoyable hike, but after 3/5 days of flat rice fields, the scenery was a little monotonous. Hikers should be warned about the lack of hills and changing scenery. Hike 2: From Bologna to Florence Excellent hike, amazing scenery and challenging terrain with plenty of climbing. My only issue was with the Guibo navigation app. It only showed one trail option, did not operate well in wet conditions, and was actually wrong on more than one occasion. Fortunately, I came across other hikers who had better apps that showed all trail options and roads.

We had a wonderful week walking the quieter part of the Amalfi Coast, seeing the coastline, beaches, small villages, wooded areas & climbing down a LOT of steps but they were worth the effort & aching legs to arrive in wonderful places! The hotel is lovely with very welcoming staff & the food is traditional home made Italian which is really nice! We enjoyed the little extras too like the pizza making & tasting evening, the kitchen tour & a visit to the local cheese maker (THE best ricotta cheese we have ever tasted!) We didn't want to leave!