This ten-day Walk like an Italian journey links five neighboring areas, each with its own unique character and charm.
The itinerary takes us through a variety of contrasting landscapes including:
- the elegant parks, piazzas and palazzi (palaces) of Parma;
- the rugged coastal trails and little towns of Cinque Terre National Park;
- the marble mountains and secluded villages of the Alpi Apuane range;
- the cultivated countryside around hill-top Volterra, Tuscany;
- the peaceful villages and mountains of Elba Island.
As the landscape changes, so does the cuisine. Each place we visit has its own culinary style reflecting its climate and terrain, and as the food changes so does the wine. Your guides will help you discover the local specialties, and introduce you to favourite wine-bars and eateries along the way. In this way the hikes are complemented by the meals, and the meals are complemented by the wines. It all adds up to a rich, sensory experience of Italy’s landscape and culture.
The distances between each place are remarkably short. The itinerary has been carefully designed to minimize travel-time while maximizing the experience of Italy’s regional diversity. Each day there are short and long hikes to choose from. While you walk you need only carry a light day-pack.
More about the accommodation:
The first night of the tour is a taste of life in one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, Parma - home to historic buildings, precious art, excellent cuisine and stylish citizens. Our accommodation here is a 4-star hotel in Parma's historic city centre.
For nights 2 & 3 the group will be accommodated in a small, family-run hotel in Corniglia, the quietest of Cinque Terre National Park’s famous five villages.
Pietrasanta is an old town with a rich artistic heritage situated at the foot of the Apuan Alps, north Tuscany. For nights 4 & 5 we’ll stay in stylish apartments in the town's historic, car-free centre.
Our accommodation for nights 6 & 7 is a boutique 4-star hotel in Volterra, a hilltop town in central Tuscany surrounded by defensive walls, with a history stretching back beyond the Roman era.
For the last two nights of the tour we’ll stay in a lovely 4-star hotel in the laid-back seaside town of Marciana Marina, Elba Island.
