{"id":6910,"date":"2022-05-19T20:25:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T19:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=6910"},"modified":"2023-05-25T17:26:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T16:26:21","slug":"hiking-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-in-italy","title":{"rendered":"Hiking in Italy: From the Apennine Mountains To Volcano Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At\u00a0Walks of Italy we are all about exploring on foot! And with some of the best and most diverse landscape in Europe, hiking in Italy\u00a0is one of the best ways to really see the land, meet the people and \u2013 quite literally \u2013 get off the beaten path. You can find breathtaking hikes in Italy from the Alps to the Appenines, the coastline to the islands. Don\u2019t know where to start? Here are four (plus some!) of\u00a0our favorite, slightly lesser known hikes in Italy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-in-italy\/#Portofino_to_San_Fruttuoso_Liguria\" >Portofino to San Fruttuoso (Liguria)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-in-italy\/#The_Greenway_Lake_Como_Lombardy\" >The Greenway (Lake Como, Lombardy)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-in-italy\/#Montagna_della_Majella_Abruzzo\" >Montagna della Majella (Abruzzo)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-in-italy\/#Volcano_Trail_Campania_and_Sicily\" >Volcano Trail (Campania\u00a0and\u00a0Sicily)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Portofino_to_San_Fruttuoso_Liguria\"><\/span><strong>Portofino to San Fruttuoso (Liguria)<br \/>\n<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_16807\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16807\" class=\"wp-image-16807 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Portofino.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking in Italy\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1154\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16807\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">After about a 15-minute climb up,\u00a0look back where you came from to take in the view of Portofino.\u00a0Photo by Gina Mussio<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Cinque Terre is not the only hiking in Italy (like we&#8217;ve mentioned <a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/all-around-italy\/trekking-in-italy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>) and it\u2019s definitely not the only hiking in Liguria! You\u2019ll find some of the best views of the coast along the trails of the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino, a large park that protects the Ligurian coastline and the extensive network of paths.<\/p>\n<p>San Fruttuoso, the tiny town famous for the underwater statue of Jesus directly off of the small beach\u2019s coast, the Christ of the Abyss, is only accessible by foot or ferry, but of course we suggest the hike! Take a ferry to Portofino then follow the trail the roughly two hours to San Fruttuoso. There you can reward your hard work with a swim, a gelato or a mozzarella, tomato, and pesto sandwich.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Greenway_Lake_Como_Lombardy\"><\/span><strong>The Greenway (Lake Como, Lombardy)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6918\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSCN1460.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6918\" class=\"wp-image-6918\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSCN1460.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSCN1460.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSCN1460-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Greenway follows six miles of Lake Como, enough to show you all of the angles of this beautiful lake. Photo by Gina Mussio<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The greenway follows the beautiful lake for about six miles between Colonno and Cadenabbia. Though it\u2019s not particularly challenging \u2013 most of the walk is flat \u2013 you can choose to do small stretches of it between cities. Try the path from Lenno to Tremezzo, about 1.5 hours and admire the olive trees, sail boats, and enormous villas reminiscent of ancient Roman rule, easier to imagine as you walk the path that follows traces of the Antica Strada Regina, the antique connection road built by the Romans.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Montagna_della_Majella_Abruzzo\"><\/span><strong>Montagna della Majella (Abruzzo)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6915\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/574438303_a416460098_z.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6915\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6915\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/574438303_a416460098_z.jpg\" alt=\"The Manjella covered in snow. Photo by Vito Manzari\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6915\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Majella covered in snow. Photo by Vito Manzari<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Majella National Park will open your eyes to the too-often ignored Apennines, the Alps smaller sister, not to mention some of the last true wilderness left in Italy. This relatively young park (it was established in 1998 to protect the wilderness area) is nearly 100 square miles of some of the Apennines most impervious mountains and canyons to trek through. If you\u2019re feeling motivated go for the Monte Amaro, the second highest peak in the Apennines at 2,793 meters!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Volcano_Trail_Campania_and_Sicily\"><\/span><strong>Volcano Trail (<\/strong><strong>Campania<\/strong><strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/strong><b>Sicily)<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_6911\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/5607649346_b2e9b5f243_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6911\" class=\"wp-image-6911\" src=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/5607649346_b2e9b5f243_b.jpg\" alt=\"Photo by gnuckx (flickr)\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/5607649346_b2e9b5f243_b.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/5607649346_b2e9b5f243_b-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6911\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The tallest volcano in Italy, Etna&#8217;s peak is almost perpetually covered in snow. Photo by gnuckx (flickr)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Though not often considered, volcanoes make great hiking destinations! Italy has four main ones to choose from: Vesuvius, Stromboli, Vulcano and Etna. Tour all four in one whirlwind hiking vacation (it\u2019s possible) or choose just one to focus on, each is completely unique in level and landscape.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\">Mount Vesuvius<\/a>, near <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/things-to-do\/guide-visiting-pompeii\">Pompeii<\/a> and just six miles east of Naples, is a relatively easy climb at about 4,200\u00a0feet, rewarding you with an amazing view over Naples Bay. It takes about 30 minutes, making it the shortest of the four volcano hikes.<\/p>\n<p>With a ferry to the island of Stromboli (3,030 feet) you can check out the Stromboli volcano on the Sciara del Fuoco hike, a much more demanding hike than the breeze of Vesuvius. It takes about two and a half or three hours. You\u2019ll also have to go with a guide but once at the top you can take in the volcano\u2019s activity (usually about every 15 minutes), the view and the immense craters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Insider&#8217;s Tip:<\/strong> Discover even more hikes near Pompeii with this list of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/hiking-on-the-amalfi-coast\">top Amalfi Coast hikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>From Stromboli you can head to Vulcano Island, aptly named after the Volcano that formed it, also called Vulcano. This 1,640-foot volcano is often ignored but perhaps the most scene-setting of them all, a very steep forty-five minute hike is accompanied with the smell of sulfur and the constant steam and other gasses that continually shoot into the air. After this difficult hike, soak in one of the many thermal baths on the island \u2013 a natural benefit to hiking a volcano!<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for something a bit tougher go straight to Sicily to tackle Etna, the highest volcano in Italy. The volcano tops off at 11,000 feet, similar to the peaks of the Alps, though hikers are only allowed until 9,500 feet since the explosions. Nevertheless Etna\u2019s volcanic activity is already visible from about\u00a06500 feet up at the\u00a0Crateri Silvestri. Though you can get to the two craters by bus, try using it as the starting point in your walk\u00a0for a first glimpse of Etna\u2019s volcanic activity. The entire Etna trek\u00a0takes at least six hours, though it can be done with a mix of bus, cable car and walking instead.<\/p>\n<p><em>Whether you\u2019re hiking or visiting incredible cities in Italy, we want to help you experience it like a local. Check out our full offering of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/\">blogs<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\">walking tours<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0guaranteed to help you get so much more out of your travels in Italy.<\/em><\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/all-around-italy\/hiking-in-italy\/attachment\/pinterest-sample-86\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9966\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9966\" src=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pinterest-sample-86.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking the Cinque Terre is one of the most amazing things to do in Italy. Find out all about how to hike around the country on the Walks of Italy blog. \" width=\"600\" height=\"849\" \/><\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At\u00a0Walks of Italy we are all about exploring on foot! And with some of the best and most diverse landscape in Europe, hiking in Italy\u00a0is one of the best ways to really see the land, meet the people and \u2013 quite literally \u2013 get off the beaten path. You can find breathtaking hikes in Italy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":6912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[106,94,75],"ppma_author":[161],"class_list":["post-6910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-hiking","tag-pompeii","tag-sicily"],"authors":[{"term_id":161,"user_id":40,"is_guest":0,"slug":"ginamussio","display_name":"Gina Mussio","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9497ce1b0417babd82886ad23b18998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Mussio","first_name":"Gina","job_title":"","description":"Gina is a Midwesterner living in Lombardy, Italy where she writes about Italian culture, travel and food. She is a bilingual primary school teacher by day, forever interested in developing cross-culture communication skills across languages. Gina loves touring Italy's beautiful and tiny borghi with her family and exploring Italy's culture through its culinary history."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6910"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18142,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6910\/revisions\/18142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6910"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=6910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}