It's a slower, more sustainable way to travel. You can reach the start of Italy's many trails by train or bus, and from there the journey continues on foot. You stop to take in the view, or simply to rest, then carry on towards your destination.
The Path of the Gods, which you can see in the photo, is surely the most famous trail in Italy. It links Bomerano (a hamlet of Agerola) to Nocelle (a hamlet of Positano), with breathtaking views over the Amalfi Coast, Capri and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
A trail I've walked myself, instead, is the Blue Path of the Cinque Terre, from Monterosso to Vernazza. The effort is repaid by a wonderful view over the Ligurian Sea, Monterosso and Vernazza — the latter appearing through the greenery at the end of the path, like a vision.
Wonderful nature
One of my very first trips to Northern Italy was to the Val Pusteria. When I stepped out of the car, I thought I'd landed in an Eden: towering mountains with sharp peaks in the strangest shapes, thick woods of deep green, and meadows of a lighter green, so smooth they make you want to run across them. It's a landscape so beautiful it leaves you speechless.
By now many people have discovered this corner of paradise, and rightly want to enjoy wonders like Lake Braies, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Tures Waterfalls and Lake Anterselva. My advice is to plan your holiday for a quieter time of year, so you meet only a few people along the trails or on the lakeshores.
The food is always excellent: canederli (bread dumplings), speck, cheeses, polenta, mushrooms and apple strudel are just some of the dishes to taste. Fine wines, too, and a warm welcome. Nothing is missing — so much so that, before the holiday is even over, you're already thinking of booking for next year.
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