April 2008

Travel guide to find walking package tours in the southern Italy

Browse the guide by: | Worth a visit | Travel Ideas |

Places worth a visit

The Mezzogiorno (southern Italy), is litterary different in respect to the Northern one. It's formed by Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, and Sicily.

Insular Italy includes two major islands (Sicily and Sardinia) plus a great number of archipelagoes and minor islands.

The territory is different

  • Hill
  • Country
  • Sea
  • Ancient towns
  • Little islands

Worth a visit

  • Campania and the Amalfi coast, famous for the presence of art, history and nature.
  • Sicily and its 2 volcanoes: Etna and Stromboli
  • Apulia and Gargano, the heel of the Italian "boot", rich of natural parks.
  • The national park of Abruzzo, the region with the highest density of natural parks of Italy.
  • Sardinia and the "Grand canyon of Europe".
  • Italy's volcanoes: Vesuvius, Mt. Etna and Stromboli

Travel Ideas

Trekking in the National Park of Abruzzo - A 7 days self guided tour available from June to September

  • Day 1: individual arrival in Civitella Alfedena
  • Day 2: excursion to Lago Vivo
  • Day 3: excursion to Gole del Sangro and Lago di Barrea
  • Day 4: excursion to Val di Rose
  • Day 5: excursion to Camosciara and Pescasseroli
  • Day 6: excursion to Monte Marsicano
  • Day 7: Departure

The spur of the Mediterranean - A 8 days self guided hiking trip

  • Day 1: Individual arrival in Bari, visit of the city, transfer in Ostuni and accommodation
  • Day 2: Ostuni – Hermitage of San Biagio – Transfer in Alberobello
  • Day 3: Valle d’Itria: Martina Franca – Locorotondo and Alberobello
  • Day 4: Matera and National Park of the Murgia
  • Day 5: National Park of the Gargano and Monte S.Angelo
  • Day 6: Foresta Umbra – Transfer and visit of Vieste, return in Monte S.Angelo
  • Day 7: Gargano promontory – Hermitage of Pulsano – Bari
  • Day 8: transfer in Bari and departure

8 days Self guided Trek - Naples, Capri Pompeii and the Amalfi coast - A medium difficulty trekking available all the year

  • The tour begins in Naples where you'll stay for the first 3 nights.
  • From here you will take the ferryboat to Procidia and for Capri in the gulf of Naples.
  • Visit to Pompeii and then to Agerola.
  • From there you can explore Amalfi, Positano and Ravello.

8 Days Self Guided Walking tour - The Aeolian Islands and MT Etna - A medium difficulty trip available from April to October

  • Day 1: Arrival and accommodation in Catania, visit of the city
  • Day 2: Transfer to the Aeolian Islands, trekking on Lipari island. Night in Lipari
  • Day 3: Hydrofoil to Vulcano, hiking up to the crater and tour of the rim. Night in Lipari
  • Day 4: Hydrofoil to Stromboli. Trekking to 400 mt to see the "Sciara del Fuoco"
  • Day 5: Relax in the morning and trek on the top of the volcano at the sun set
  • Day 6: Hydrofoil to Milazzo and transfer to the southern side of Mt Etna. Short walk, dinner and night
  • Day 7: The summit craters of Mt Etna (3350 mt).
  • Day 8: Transfer to Catania airport.

Regions
Travel Tips

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Hiking on Italy’s volcanoes - Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius

Mount Etna erupting 2006
Browse the guide by: | Worth a visit | Travel Ideas |

Places worth a visit

In the south of Italy there are the most impressive volcanoes of the world: Mount Etna, Mt Vesuvius and Stromboli.

Mount Etna is Europe's largest volcano and one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

Etna lies near the eastern (Ionian) coast of Sicily and occupies a surface area of around 1200 km2 with a perimeter exceeding 135 km.

Its summit height varies frequently in function of eruptive activity.

Mt. Vesuvio (Vesuvius) is probably the most famous volcano on Earth, and certainly one of the most, if not the most dangerous.

It is also notable for having produced the first eruption of which an eyewitness account is preserved, in AD 79.

The situation is still more peculiar as Vesuvio is not the only volcano looming above that area.

There is, on the other side of the city of Napoli (Naples), the caldera of Campi Flegrei, renowned for some cataclysmic ash-flow forming eruptions.

There is also the historically active volcanic complex of Ischia.

Ischia is an island lying off the Gulf of Napoli, 35 km west from Vesuvio. The island is volcanically active and may well erupt in the future.

The Aeolian Islands lie off the northeastern coast of Sicily.

The archipelago consists of seven islands. Lipari, the largest of the islands, is also the most populated and the administrative center of six of the seven islands

  • Alicudi   
  • Filicudi  
  • Salina   
  • Lipari    
  • Vulcano
  • Panarea
  • Stromboli

Stromboli is one of the few volcanoes on earth that display continuous eruptive activity.

Most of this activity is of a very moderate size, consisting of brief and small bursts of glowing lava fragments to heights of rarely more than 150 m above the vents.

Eruptions that produce lava flows occur at very irregular intervals that may vary from a few years to more than 15 years.

Travel Ideas

Naples, Capri and the Amalfi coast - 8 days Free guided Bike tour
A 135 km medium difficulty tour available from March to October

  • The tour begins in Naples where you'll stay for the first 2 nights.
  • Then you'll leave Naples to visit Hercolaneoum, Mt. Vesuvius and the achaeological sites of Pompeii.
  • After having reached Vetri sul Mare, a complete tour of the Amalfi coast: Amalfi, Positano, Ravello and Sorrento where you'll take the ferryboat to visit the isle of Capri.

Naples, Capri Pompeii and the Amalfi coast - 8 days Self guided Trek
A medium difficulty trekking available all the year

  • The tour begins in Naples where you'll stay for the first 3 nights.
  • From here you will take the ferryboat to Procidia and for Capri in the gulf of Naples.
  • Visit to Pompeii and then to Agerola.
  • From there you can explore Amalfi, Positano and Ravello.

The Aeolian Islands and Mt. Etna - 8 Days Self Guided Walking tour
A medium difficulty trip available from April to October

  • Day 1: Arrival and accommodation in Catania, visit of the city
  • Day 2: Transfer to the Aeolian Islands, trekking on Lipari island. Night in Lipari
  • Day 3: Hydrofoil to Vulcano, hiking up to the crater and tour of the rim. Night in Lipari
  • Day 4: Hydrofoil to Stromboli. Trekking to 400 mt to see the "Sciara del Fuoco"
  • Day 5: Relax in the morning and trek on the top of the volcano at the sun set
  • Day 6: Hydrofoil to Milazzo and transfer to the southern side of Mt Etna. Short walk, dinner and night
  • Day 7: The summit craters of Mt Etna (3350 mt).
  • Day 8: Transfer to Catania airport.

The Etna Tour -  7 days Free guided Bike tour
A medium difficulty tour available all the year

  • The tour begins in Nicolosi. the base point to visit the Volcano.
  • The itinerary continues with the visit of the little towns at the feet of the mountain: Ragalna, S. Maria di Licodia, Biancavilla and Adrano in the west side.
  • After the trip goes to the east side of the volcano visiting the cities of Bronte (Italian capital of Pistacchio productions) and Castiglione di Sicilia (The cradle of Sicilian red wine).
  • Then you'll reach the Greek town of Giardini Naxos (just under Taormina) along the flow of the Alcanatara river.
  • The tour ends in Nicolosi with an excursion on the summit craters of the Etna.

Volcanoes

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Travel advices to walking tours in the Apennines mountains in Italy

Browse the guide by: | Worth a visit | Travel Ideas |

Places worth a visit

The Apennine is a mountain range stretching 1000 km from the north to the south of Italy.

The mountains are mostly green and wooded. In their western slopes there are most of Italy's historic cities.

The range can be divided into 3 parts: northern, central and southern.

  • The northern Apennines are divided into three parts: the Ligurian, Tuscan and Umbrian Apennines.
  • The central Apennines are the most extensive portion of the chain

The main regions of Appennines are:

  • Liguria. The main place is the Cinque Terre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is formed by 5 coastal villages in the province of La Spezia.
  • Tuscany is one of the best touristic region of Italy. It's famous for its cities like Florence, Siena, Pisa and their surroundings (Chianti, Hills, Towns).
  • The Emilia Romagna is one of the richest Italian regions. The capital is Bologna, rinome for its cuisine tradition. Worth a visit the cities of Piacenza, Ravena, Modena, Ferrara and the Delta del Po river park.
  • The Abruzzi region is for 80% a natural park. It's the region with the highest density of naturla parks in Italy. Worth a visit are the Abruzzi national park, the Gran sasso and Majella.

Travel Ideas

  • [Guided or Self Guided] The Chianti region: From Florence to Siena
  • [Guided or Self Guided] Siena and Val D'Orcia
  • [Self Guided] Vandelli, the Dukes road

Via Romea, the Pilgrim's way
An easy 8 days hiking tour from April to October

  • Day 1: arrival in Bologna
  • Day 2: Transfer to Tolè – Castel d’Aiano
  • Day 3: Castel d’Aiano – Rocca Corneta
  • Day 4: Rocca Corneta – Fanano
  • Day 5: Fanano - Ospitale
  • Day 6: Ospitale – S. Marcello Pistoiese
  • Day 7: Transfer to Pistoia and Florence, visit of the city
  • Day 8: Florence, departure

Trekking in the National Park of Abruzzo
A 7 days self guided tour available from June to September

  • Day 1: individual arrival in Civitella Alfedena
  • Day 2: excursion to Lago Vivo
  • Day 3: excursion to Gole del Sangro and Lago di Barrea
  • Day 4: excursion to Val di Rose
  • Day 5: excursion to Camosciara and Pescasseroli
  • Day 6: excursion to Monte Marsicano
  • Day 7: Departure

Parks and Nature

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