Walking in Italy
By Joanne Lane A walking holiday through Italy can provide a welcome break from endless Renaissance churches, other tourists, pigeon feeding, hotel hunting, busy train stations and endless crowded piazzas. It`s also a way to explore the countryside, meet some locals, taste traditional fine cuisine and discover your own sleepy towns and tiny churches. There are seasides, fishing villages, volcanoes, snowy mountains that become alpine regions in the summer months and gentle hills with vineyards and olive groves to trevass. The Italians themselves sometimes get in on the act and local walking groups are organised from small towns. Some can be little more than strolls, long lunches and a chance to gossip but also very informative with local insight and a wealth of characters to accompany you. In Certaldo, a small town in the heart of the Tuscan countryside less than an hour by train to Siena and Florence, the Cooperativa Girasole group walks regularly through Autumn and Spring, produce guides and excellent walking maps to the region. Certaldo is often described as the belly button of Tuscany, with easy acess to the surrounding towns and the Chianti region. The landscape here is delightful with softly rolling hills, the golden light the region is famous for, medieval towns and churches, vineyards and olive groves and a wonderful friendly farming people to interact with. A popular walk from Certaldo to Volterra can be accomplished over several days. The first part of the route is the walk to San Gimignano, a medieval town with famous towers, following the ancient trade route between France and Rome. The route follows a ridge overlooking Certaldo, past old villas, farming land and the sanctuary of Pancole which was built to commemorate the site where the Virgin Mary appeared and cured a mute. From San Gimignano the walk continues to Castel Vecchio, one of the best remaining of San Gimignano`s once belt of 14 outlying defensive castles. The walk passes through olive groves, vineyards, delightful tiny medieval brick towns with names like San Donato and Montauto, stone churches, fields of sunflowers and fantastic views of the towers of San Gimignano. A tower, church, well and other constructions remain of this former Etruscan settlement and community of over 100 families. The walk ends in Volterra, a town with Etruscan, Roman and medieval ruins famous for its alabaster industry. This region is full of wine pickers in September, hunters in the winter months, hay bundles in the summer months and sheep farmers. The farmers are friendly and welcome any conversation, particularly those that can fumble something out in their own language. Come armed with a few phrases. Only two hours by train from Certaldo is the beautiful Cinque Terre coast, renowned for its famed walk linking the five fishing villages that clutter the coves perched on ridges or hidden in ravines below steep terraced coastlines. The towns are full of narrow stone alleyways, Genovese style churches, small markets, fishing boats, gelatarias and tourists. The Cinque Terre coast is only a day walk of several hours but can be extended by stopping to explore the markets and streets of each town or by taking the tracks that link the villages inland up through the dry walling vineyards. Here olive groves, terraced vineyards and villas overlook the jewelled Mediterranean below and the tracks are far less populated with other walkers. Fishing and wine cultivation are major sources of income and occupation here. Although most people seem to spend their time fixing nets or sitting talking in the afternoon sun. The wine harvest in September-October is especially colourful and at night the seafood restaurants fill with local specialities and wines. South of Rome, the Amalfi coast has a similar feel to the Cinque Terre with towns clinging to steep hillsides, amazing coastal views and wonderful walks. But the key differences are in the architecture with Moorish and Arabic influences and southern hospitality. The locals here are a friendly blend of museum guards who give free coffee, old women that guide newcomers to their hotels and cafe owners who sit and chat to their customers. But the volcano craters of Mt Vesuvius are of much interest also and the city of Pompeii below which was immortalised when Vesuvius erupted and smothered it, preserving the wajjy of life, buildings and streets. Pompeii is only a day trip from the Amalfi coast or from Napoli and can be explored on foot over several hours. From here a bus services the craters above. The volcano is now inactive and walkers can traverse the craters with or without guides. The other volcano option in Italy is Mt Etna in Sicily. This volcano is the largest active volcano in Europe and periodically blows, billowing clouds of ash down to the town of Catania below and marring the sky. When it is inactive, the snowy slopes are used for skiining or walking. The bottom craters are usually inactive and can be explored without restriction. The upper craters are usually off limits although hikers can climb nearby. The views over the surrounding landscape are fantastic with views of the sea and inland Sicily. The Sicilians themselves are equally fantastic and most days won`t pass without conversation with old men on buses or on the streets, grandmothers intent on feeding anyone they can, granita bars (iced tea) and friendly fish market sellers. For those that like to explore the mountain regions the Appi Apuane and the Dolimiti in northern Italy are a popular option during the summer months when the snow melts and the region becomes an alpine region with flowers, lush green fields, peaks and crater lakes to explore.
WHEN TO GO
In every season in Italy it is suitable for walking. In winters the southern coastlines and Sicilian mountains are still relatively warm and sunny. In summer the Dolimiti and Appi Apuane slopes clear of snow and are perfect for alpine hiking. In autumn and spring the Chianti and Tuscan regions are flowering and budding with crisp mornings and clear views.
WHERE TO STAY
Italy has an abundance of hostels, agriturismo`s (working farms) and hotels. In Certaldo where the walk through San Gimignano and on to Volterra starts, Fattoria Bassetto, a former Benedictine monastery and then working farm has been converted into a lodge for independent travellers with dorm and private rooms. This is a perfect base for some of the walks around Chianti and Tuscany and only an hour each way by train to Florence and Siena. Fattoria Bassetto has a website www.fattoriabassetto.com. Abetone has numerous lodges for accommodation and the HI youth hostel, which is open all year round. The management can recommend good walking routes, provide maps and information on hiking.
The Amalfi coast has numerous lodging facilities, but can be booked up in season. In Atrania A`Scalinatella comes recommended with private and dorm facilities (scalinatella@amalficoast.it).
Sicily has a variety of cheap and up market pensiones. The alternative Agora Hostel (agorahost@hotmail.com) in Catania is popular with independent travellers. Catania is the base town to Mt Etna. Taormina, only an hour away by train, is a smaller but more expensive option for accommodation. GETTING THERE AND AROUND
There are airports near all these walking regions. From most airports is a service of buses and trains. The effectiveness of this travel depends on the region. For example a train services the Cinque Terre region but buses are the best mode of transport on the Amalfi coast and the only way to get into mountainous regions. For the small Tuscan towns there are local buses however private transport can be more convenient. GUIDES AND MAPS
To contact the Certaldo walking group email girasolecstac@tin.it or write to Centro Servizi, Turistici Aristici Culturalia, Via Cavour 32, 50052 (FI) Certaldo, Italia. Ph/Fx 0571 664 935. Walkers are advised to do their own research into these routes and to purchase maps. Lonely Planet`s Walking in Italy is a good guide, plus walking maps often available in local tourist information centres. BOOK HERE |
