Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On Land
From skyscraping Alps to rolling Tuscan hills, Italy's diverse geography provides a pleth-
ora of land-locked diversions. The Alps are alive with the sound of skiing, snowboarding
and mountain biking, while the vine-laced landscapes of Tuscany and Piedmont put the ro-
mance into cycling. Further south, the precipitous peaks of the Amalfi Coast harbour an an-
cient network of shepherds' paths, making for heavenly hikes.
Hiking & Walking
Italy offers thousands of kilometres of
sentieri
(marked trails). Most local and regional
tourist office websites have information about walking in their area. The
Italian Parks
(
www.parks.it
) organisation lists walking trails through each of the country's 24 national
parks, as well as providing updates on Italy's marine parks and other protected areas.
Another useful website is that of Italy's major walking club, the
Club Alpino Italiano (
www.cai.it
)
- follow the
rifugi
(mountain huts) link for information about trail routes and
accommodation. For comprehensive coverage of hiking routes across the country, pick up
Lonely Planet's
Hiking in Italy
.
