The photos and five-star reviews that have been pouring in from Italy this year meant that we weren’t that surprised to see it take one of our top places to go for hiking adventures. We just can’t get enough of Italy really, a country that sometimes feels as if it has been designed to perfection, with hidden pockets of prettiness that never fail to surprise and delight. Grazie mille to all our Italian friends who have helped us make this another top year for their beloved country. From Sicilians to Sardinians, Tuscans to South Tyroleans, they have supported our hikers across the Dolomites or along the Via Francigena, and fed them with fine fare along the Amalfi Coast or Via Spluga. To name but a few. If you want to work out where to hike in Italy, here are our most popular hiking holidays, in terms of bookings.
Walking the Amalfi Coast and mountains
Our collection of Amalfi Coast holidays is like a panetonne packed with the sweetest of ingredients. However, this rambling recipe is the one that comes out as the top place to go this year, an eight day self-guided tour starting in Bomerano and finishing in Positano. The bar of beauty is set high early on, with your second day’s walk taking you to Monte Tre Calli, the highest part of the trail, overlooking the Path of the Gods. After that, expect an array of exquisite daily trails, with classics like the Path of the Gods itself, the Maestra dei Villaggi and of course, the glitz, glam and gorgeousness of Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Positano. Our second most popular holiday in this region takes in many of these beauties as well as the island of Capri and Pompeii. The Amalfi Coast does get busy though, so check our blog Best time to go to the Amalfi Coast for more tips.
“We had a wonderful week walking the Amalfi Coast. The walks were well planned and you really got away from the crowds most of the trip. The accommodation locations were all great for walks, eating out and seeing the sights…All in all a fantastic trip.“ – Five-star review of the Amalfi Coast and Mountains from Walking Girls, Reading, UK.
Hiking around Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, covering a vast 370km² and stretching across three northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. Garda isn’t just famous for being glam, but also for its panoply of peninsulas. All of which create an array of trails where we have recently created three very different walking holidays. The first is in North Lake Garda, based in a hotel in Riva del Garda throughout, with highlights including the Strada del Ponale and Sentiero Busatte Tempesta. Another walking holiday on the northern shores also takes in Valle dei Laghi, Lakes Toblino and Molveno. And last but not least is our South Lake Garda holiday, where you spend three nights in the lakefront town of Peschiera del Garda, and a finale in Verona. All in all, Lake Garda has so much more to offer than most people realise and is, for many, Italia at its most bellissima.
Walking the Via Spluga
This six day, self-guided walking holiday wins our top dog holiday this year, as it’s also one of our most popular dog-friendly tours. Traditionally, the four-legged companions traversing this ancient trail would have been mules, but dogs are more than welcome on this 70km Via Spluga long-distance trail between Switzerland and Italy. Although this is most definitely alpine walking, it’s a moderate walking holiday, so you don’t have to push yourself or your pet to the limit. The highlight is the Spluga or Splügen Pass (2,115m) in the Lepontine Alps, connecting these two countries with the most beautiful of borders. After that, you descend through the forests and meadows of Val San Giacomo all the way to Chiavenna in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. For more information, see our bespoke blog.
“Absolutely stunning scenery…The walking length daily was perfect…we saw very few other walkers and on three of the days the walk was peaceful with stunning views, varying through pine forest, broadleaf woodland, river valleys, mountains, gorges and alpine villages. The hotels were of a very high standard and the half board option for food was excellent with high quality food…. the luggage transfer was seamless.” – Five-star review of the Via Spluga, Happy walkers, Crowthorne England
The Path of the Gods: Bologna to Florence
The Path of the Gods, or Via degli Dei, from Bologna to Florence really is a gobsmacker. Not to be confused with the one on the Amalfi Coast, this one takes you through the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and way off the beaten path into a landscape of five mountains, each named after a Roman god or goddess. You don’t need to worship anything but nature to really appreciate this walking trail, however, which is, thank the gods and goddesses, available from the beginning of April until the end of October.
“Our fifth fantastic walk with The Natural Adventure! Wonderful walk through glorious and historic countryside. Excellent accommodation and very good support from Marco who helped us to shorten some walks because of the heat and some foot soreness! Descriptions of the walks were accurate and useful for daily planning. The app works very well for navigation.” – Five-star review of the Path of the Gods from Ermie in Perth, Australia.
Walking in Puglia
Puglia’s walking trails pull off a perfect duet of both cultural and natural heritage. Walk between the two UNESCO towns of Matera and Alberobello, with their respective ancient rock churches and trulli stone houses, and then leave buildings and bustle behind to saunter through the coastal idyll of Dune Costiere Regional Natural Park. With plenty of sunset swimming spots along the way. Our most popular walking holiday in Puglia is Walking from Matera to Lecce, which takes you through Alberobello but also the wine region of Locorotondo and along the coast. Explore coastal grottoes one day and the Baroque beauty of Lecce the next.
“I appreciated your intelligent choices of routes to walk and towns to visit and your organisation of the entire trip. The app worked beautifully, the hotels were excellent, and the transport worked perfectly as well. It was an enjoyable and very efficient introduction to the places and pleasures of southern Italy.” – Old Dude (their name, not ours!), Chicago.
Where to hike in Italy for a proper pilgrimage
The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that opens up the sacred heart of Italy’s much worshipped interior. Originally, it was a route taken by the ecclesiastical elite between Canterbury, Rome and the sacred town of Santa Maria di Leuca. Today, it’s broken into various segments within Italy, and can be walked or cycled, the longest being between the magnificent walled city of Lucca and Rome, walkable over 22 days. Follow a soulful southern section between Rome and Terracina in the province of Latina, or seek out its northern nirvanas between Pontremoli, in the heart of the Lunigiana and Lucca. There is also a segment on Sicily. For more information, see our bespoke blog.
Walking in the Italian Alps
We have an adventurous array of hiking holidays in the Italian Alps and Dolomites, all of which can be seen here. One of our most popular long-distance walking holidays is the Alta Via 1 (AV1) Alta Via translates as high route, and the term is used a lot on Italy’s elevated trails, which is why they are often numbered. Alta Via 1 (AV1) is in the heart of the Dolomites, a world-famous landscape of jagged peaks, dramatic natural sculptures and some of the most spectacular alpine trekking. It’s 120km long with 11 stages, and we cover the highlights of the trail on this walking holiday over seven days. Experience the drama of the Dolomites from the likes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is enveloped by the peaks, hiking across Ritjoch saddle or through Fanes-Senes-Braies Natural Park, one of the largest protected areas in the Dolomites.
“Stunning adventure in the Dolomites! This is a brilliant tour and really well organised by The Natural Adventure… All the resources provided (maps, app, lift passes, etc) were very clear and so easy to follow through some breathtaking scenery. The routes were exactly what we were looking for – challenging but still really enjoyable and well worth the views from the tops… The accommodation was excellent throughout and much better than we expected. Luggage transfer was seamless for each hotel and the villages we stayed in were simply idyllic. If you want to experience the Dolomites, this is the tour for you!” – Pete and Lesley, Marple, UK on our Dolomites Alta Via Walking Highlights tour.
Although most of the holiday destinations in Italy mentioned above are our most popular in terms of hiking holidays, we have many other blogs that take you further afield. If you’d like more information on where to hike in Italy, check out our blogs: Loving the long-distance trails in Italy, Best day hikes in Italy and Most underrated places in Italy. And of course, our adventure specialists are always here to help you find the right hiking holiday in Italy for you too.
