Blog

Jackie’s latest guest article for US online magazine Sixty & Me looks at some of Tuscany's hidden gems. The region is world-famous for its major cities such as Florence, Pisa and Siena, but the smaller hilltop towns and villages have unique charms, centuries of...

Sardinia is known around Europe for its wonderful coastline and turquoise waters, but head inland and the island offers so much more than soaking up the sun on the nearest beach. Here are five of our favourite reasons to visit.

Derbyshire’s Peak District National Park was the UK’s very first national park, created in 1951, and now covers more than 555 square miles. Crisscrossed by miles of footpaths and cycle trails, and with moors, dales and spectacular views, it’s a wonderful...

Victoria's High Country, located in the north east of the region, is a breathtaking destination with a mix of rugged landscapes, outdoor adventures, rich history and fantastic food & wine.  Here are five reasons why you should be planning a visit soon!...

Jackie's latest guest article for US online magazine Sixty & Me looks at how to enjoy travelling in Italy without the crowds.  Cities like Venice are now charging day-trippers, and the popularity of sites in Florence and Rome can lead to long queues if you...

Italy's most famous pilgrim trail is known as the Via Francigena. This ancient route connected Canterbury in the UK through France and on to Rome and was undertaken by pilgrims more or less from the 4th century onwards. Originally this epic journey would...

The last stop on our The Island of Corsica tour is in the wonderful Restonica Gorge which, in addition to providing some glorious hiking, also gives us time to explore the pretty town of Corte, the former capital of Corsica. The town has a charming historic...

2024 will see us returning to the border area between France and Italy, hiking in two stunning National Parks which are home to a unique cultural and natural heritage. On the French side we hike in the Mercantour National Park and on the Italian...

Explore Colle di Val d’Elsa - Italy's Crystal City About Colle di Val d’Elsa Colle di Val d’Elsa is a town which sits right in the centre of the region of Tuscany, a little to the north west of Siena.  Unusually for a Tuscan medieval town it has an...

Explore Cuneo - Italy's gateway to the Maritime Alps About Cuneo Cuneo is a small, elegant city in Italy's north western region of Piedmont which, for centuries, has been the gateway to the Maritime Alps and on into France.  It has almost 1,000 years of...

Explore Aosta - a Roman town at the foot of the Alps About Aosta Aosta is a mountain town with over 2,000 years of history. It sits at 583 metres above sea level and is surrounded by magnificent alpine scenery, overlooked by some of Europe's highest peaks: Mont...

Jackie's latest guest article for Sixty & Me looks at some of her favourite spots in Tuscany taking the visitor away from busy tourist centres. With a little thinking outside the box you can experience the pleasures of Tuscany without the crowds,...

Explore Pontremoli, an evocative town in Tuscany's unknown Lunigiana region About Pontremoli Pontremoli is a picturesque town which sits at the confluence of two rivers, the Magra and the Verde, and is the northernmost town in Tuscany.  It is the perfect...

Get off the beaten track at charming Maratea in southern Italy About Maratea Maratea is jewel of a coastal town, set high above the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy’s Basilicata region, with views to rival those of the Amalfi Coast. The nearest airport is 200km away...

This year the neighbouring cities of Bergamo and Brescia in northern Italy have joined forces and won themselves the title of Italian Capital of Culture 2023.  The region of Lombardy, where they are located, suffered hugely during the first...

Stopping by a castle or palace on holiday in Italy is a great way to learn about the history of the region and the country, and it will often come hand in hand with some eye-popping views. Many of our tours visit some of Italy’s most spectacular castles, fortresses,...

If you’re an Italophile in search of new vistas and experiences, make sure the Abruzzo is near the top of your list. While the central Italy Abruzzo region is one of the country’s least well-known, its landscape and unique atmosphere certainly make it one of...

Beechworth is one of north east Victoria's best-preserved gold-rush towns and a charming place for visitors to the region to spend a few days.  Our Hiking around Beechworth weekend takes place from 14-16 April 2023 and includes two...

For those of you in Australia next March looking for a little alpine adventure, then look no further than our Hiking the Victorian Alps long weekend from the 8th - 13th March. This is a Level 5 itinerary, but peppered as always with fabulous...

Thanks to Covid, 2022 was the first year we have been able to run our fabulous new island tours in Sardinia and Corsica.  These long-awaited departures finally took place in September and the feedback from the Hedonistic Hikers who took part has been...

Following on from our Blog last month about how easy and fast train travel is in Europe, and how much better for the environment, this month we take a look at three of Italy's most interesting scenic railways, and show how you could extend our Italian walking...

Anyone joining our Tuscan tours from August to October, with a plan to spend time in Siena, has a rare opportunity to see the stunning marble mosaic floors in the city's famous cathedral.  Most of the year this beautiful floor is covered with protective layers,...

Often when we are visiting major cities at the start or end of our tours, we draw on the knowledge of licensed guides who can truly bring the city to life, or help us to focus on a particular building or artwork. We have worked with a number of...

We all know that mixing together the right travel ingredients produces a magical trip, but exploring two countries in one holiday makes for a double helping of enjoyment.  This year we have two tours which offer exactly this combination of cultures:...

For us at Hedonistic Hiking, Abruzzo is one of the most appealing regions of Italy because of its wild mountains and wonderfully resourceful people.  Its sparsley populated landscape makes hiking in this area a real pleasure, with spell-binding views,...

Our Austria and the Dolomites tour explores the delightful Tyrol landscape of both Austria and Italy, and we cross the border between the two on foot.  The historical Tyrol region today encompasses the far western side of Austria and the northern...

Jackie's latest Blog for the Sixty & Me US website takes a look at the region of Friuli in North East Italy and uncovers details of our tour from Slovenia's capital Ljubljana to Venice.  This is an area of Italy which is less well-known than...

Bright is one of the most charming country towns in Victoria's High Country and is the gateway to the snow villages up at Falls Creek, Hotham and Dinner Plain.  It sits on the banks of the beautiful Ovens River and has a rich gold-rush history....

National Parks are a natural home for us here at Hedonistic Hiking.  We are drawn to the unspoilt wild landscapes, the fascinating flora and fauna and the interesting history of these protected areas.  Here we take a look at three of our favourites. Parco...

You may think that finding a tourist-free region of Italy is improbable, or even impossible. Think again.  The Abruzzo, situated to the east of Rome, is one of the country’s true hidden gems. Gloriously green and bordered by the long sandy Adriatic coast, this is...

Last month saw the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte: Emperor of France, arguably one of the most able military leaders in history, and famous resident of the island of Elba which we visit on our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour.  Born...

The one thing you probably do know about Tuscany is that it’s one of the most visited regions in Italy, topped only by the Veneto, and also one of incredible beauty. Most visitors leave with memories of art-filled cities and medieval hilltop villages, and of...

Our new tours in the Grampians in central Victoria start and finish in the town of Ballarat, a destination well worth exploring for a day or two at the start or end of the trip. With its renowned wineries and exciting restaurant scene, Ballarat is now an established...

The Etruscan people occupied an area of Central Italy referred to as Etruria predominantly in the 7th and 6th centuries BC.  The region broadly covered modern day Tuscany, the west of Umbria and the north of Lazio and archaeological finds have been unearthed...

When we are hiking in Italy we are spoilt for choice when it comes to UNESCO World Heritage sites, as Italy has over 50, and almost all of our tours have visits to one of these cultural highlights.  So we are more than excited to now have a UNESCO World...

When we research our tours, we usually head off the beaten tracks and design routes which will take us where no other hikers are to be found.  Occasionally however, we connect to some of Europe's greatest hiking trails and experience just small sections of...

Travelling on foot gives you time to stop and explore the natural world and a number of our walks give us the chance to learn more about the earth's precious resources. Knowing what's underfoot can bring a whole new dimension to a hike, and often these natural riches...

Walking next to water is endlessly fascinating.  Rivers shape the landscape, affect the fortunes of those who live in their valleys and give life to a huge array of flora and fauna.  Many of our tours include hikes which trace the course of well-known rivers...

At Hedonistic Hiking we continue to reminisce about many of our best-loved places in Europe and we are looking forward to being back there in 2021!  Walking by water, whether it be the sea, a fast-flowing river or a perfectly still lake provides the...

For those of us for whom hiking in Italy is a dream activity, there is good news on the far horizon!  The Italian Ministry of the Environment and the Italian Alpine Club have joined forces to collaborate on the creation of the Path of the Parks - known...

One of the things we love most about Italy is its regional diversity. Flit between any of the regions and you’ll encounter a fascinating variety in food, language and customs. Not surprisingly, this is most pronounced in the border regions, such as the Alto Adige,...

While you may prefer to be based in the countryside, or in one of Italy’s smaller towns, Venice is one of those places you absolutely have to experience at least once in a lifetime. Overcrowded, yes, but still undeniably enchanting thanks to its romantic canals, and...

Great to see Hedonistic Hiking mentioned by Kendall Hill in his piece for Australia's Escape.  He hiked with us in September of 2019 on our Parma, Tuscany and Ligurian Sea tour and really appreciated the benefits of travelling slowly in...

We were delighted to be featured in this month's Choice magazine, Britain’s leading independent magazine for women and men over 50. Clive Nicholls joined us in May on our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour and saw for himself the joys of combining fabulous hiking...

This year, more of our tours than ever before take in some of Italy’s most spectacular gardens.  They include a broad collection ranging from one or two of Italy’s less well-known gardens to some of its most celebrated green spaces, including the gardens of the...

In many ways our tours are much more than walking holidays in Europe.  Alongside the excellent hiking we delve into the culinary traditions of the areas we are walking, but we also work hard to include cultural highlights too and all our hikes have...

In many ways our tours are much more than walking holidays in Europe.  Alongside the excellent hiking we delve into the culinary traditions of the areas we are walking, but we also work hard to include cultural highlights too and all our hikes have...

In May this year we were fortunate enough to be joined for a few days by family friend, Mike Waller, on our tour The Wilds of Abruzzo.  Mike works as Conservation Ecologist for the London Wildlife Trust and is something of an expert in...

We have specialised for over ten years now in tailor-made hikes for small private groups (minimum 8 people) along the Great Ocean Walk, Australia's world-famous coastal trail which is a three-hour drive east of Melbourne.  The route...

At Hedonistic Hiking we like to get off the beaten tourists trails and explore hidden gems which are usually ignored by the majority of other visitors. Saluzzo is just such a town, lying to the south west of Turin, in the shadow of Monviso, Piedmont's highest...

Right over on the Western edge of the Italian Lakes, where Lombardy meets Piedmont, lies the flawless and beautiful Lake Orta.  Much smaller than its closest neighbour Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta is tranquil, restful and has a picture-perfect island in the centre,...

One of the most memorable visits we make on our Slovenia and Friuli tour is to the clandestine Franja Partisan Hospital, buried deep within the Pasice gorge. It is a collection of wooden cabins, the first of which was built in 1943, which housed...

Anyone spending a few days in Southern Italy might like to take some time to visit the impressive Greek temples at Paestum.  This remarkable archaeological area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and lies about a mile inland, on the Mediterranean side, south of...

The Secret Splendours of the South The southern part of the Italian peninsula, even in 2017, is much less visited by tourists than the north and remains mysterious and often misunderstood. People might assume that there is not much there to attract the modern-day...

Rotonda is a small medieval town located in the heart of the Pollino National Park in Basilicata, with a population of around 3,500 people. In 2017 a change to the accommodation on our Southern Italy tour means that we will have the chance to spend more...

The first stop on our Wilds of Abruzzo tour is Tivoli, just on the eastern side of Rome, and a visit to the world-famous Villa d'Este and its astounding gardens. A UNESCO world-heritage site, this former palace of Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este...

We have updated the itinerary for our Medieval Umbria tour in 2017 to include a guided visit to one of Italy's most famous fresco cycles, painted by Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. The tour will now start and finish in the attractive town...

On a sunny day in September 1991, two German hikers enjoying a walk in the Ötztal Alps, close to the border between Italy and Austria, decided to take a short cut. They left the marked path and continued past a rocky gully filled with meltwater. Noticing something on...

Our brand new 2016 tour in France and Italy has got me thinking about salt!  This is because our route takes us along some of France's ancient salt roads from the Mediterranean over the Maritime Alps and into northern Italy. Since its discovery...

The Pollino National Park is the largest in Italy and straddles both the regions of Basilicata and Calabria, in the instep of the foot of Italy. It covers around 1,960 square kilometres and has the richest collection of flora and fauna in the whole of Southern Italy....

Giacomo Puccini, composer of some of the world's favourite operas, was born in the city of Lucca in 1858 and lived almost all of his life in this part of Tuscany. Born into an established musical family in Lucca, four generations before him had held the position of...

Ten things you may not know about The Palio If you've not yet joined one of our annual Palio tours in Siena every August your ideas about this horse race might be a little sketchy. As race day approaches (August 16) we thought you might like to...

The first tour of our Italian season took us to the wild landscape of Abruzzo, in the central Apennine region of Italy. Abruzzo is home to many National Parks but the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise itself is home to some very special...

The island of Elba sits opposite the coast of Tuscany, about 20km from the town of Piombino, where the ferry leaves to connect the island to the mainland. It has a population of about 31,000 residents but is incredibly popular with visitors during...

Very close to our headquarters at Porepunkah in north east Victoria lies the magical Mount Buffalo National Park. It was one of the first National Parks in the region to be established in 1898 and today covers some 31,000 hectares, encompassing the entire granite...

Our Italian Lakes tour starts in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. Whilst the Lakes and Italy's economic powerhouse Milan are perhaps best known to a global audience, the region is also home to some historic towns which are well worth a...

The great Gold Rush of the 1850's was revolutionary in changing Victoria's social and political landscape and many of the most historically important mining towns such as Beechworth, Bright and Omeo can be visited whilst on our walking tours...

Abruzzo is arguably one of the regions of Italy least known to foreign visitors. In spite of lying just one hour driving time to the east of Rome, the area is unspoilt and tranquil, home to stunning Apennine peaks, silent valleys and ancient villages. It is a...