Sitting to the northeast of Bologna in the Emilia Romagna region, Ferrara is often overlooked by visitors to northern Italy, despite being one of its most charming small cities. Awarded UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status for being a ‘superb example of a Renaissance...
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...
Writers Who Walk Following on from this month's Blog about Pilgrim Paths, I started to think about writers who have found, through walking, resolution to issues in their lives which seemed at the outset insurmountable. The inspirational on-foot journey's...
Bologna may lag slightly behind Florence and Rome when it comes to art treasures, but when it comes to food, the city is in a class of its own, rapidly gaining ground as the country’s food capital. Let’s just say it’s not called ‘la grassa’ (‘the fat one’) for...
For the first time in 2024 the prestigious Tour de France cycle race will start in Italy. The "Grand Départ" as it is known will happen in Florence on Saturday 29th June, from the historic centre of town. The first two stages will take place in the Apennines...
Historically, the wines of Corsica have not been widely known beyond its shores. The island is closer to Italy than it is to France in both geographical terms and in its language, as well as through many grape varieties which have Italian origins. Shining a light on...
Jackie's latest guest article for US online magazine Sixty & Me looks at the benefits of a mountain holiday over a beach break. If you're searching for inspirational views, silence and tranquillity and lots of fresh air, then you too might be an orophile...
Wine is an integral part of Sardinia’s history and economy, with archaeological discoveries pointing to a winemaking heritage dating back at least to Roman times and possibly even the Phoenicians before them. Grapes are grown all over the island and a good...
Following the announcement of new tourist rules for Venice this year, the platform for day-trippers to purchase the €5 fee to enter the city launched on January 17th, allowing visitors to make their payment before arriving in the city. The fee does not apply...
We're all more aware than ever of our carbon footprint, and much has been written about the contribution that clothing manufacturers can make to the planet's health. As we gear up for our 2024 season you might be thinking about sorting your hiking kit, so here are...
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...
Jackie's latest guest article for US online magazine Sixty & Me explores nine gastronomic reasons to holiday in Italy. From cured meats to gelato, discovering Italy's food culture will be a huge part of your trip, and it can be as educational as it is...
One ingredient we always try to have on our lunchtime picnic tables is a taste of local honey. It is delicious on bread, with cheese or drizzled on a fresh apple or pear, and wherever we are walking in Italy we try to find the best, locally produced,...
If you're looking for some festive fizz this Christmas you might like to search out a bottle of Italy's famous sparkling wine from the region known as Franciacorta. The vineyards are sandwiched more or less between Bergamo and Brescia in the Lombardy region in the...
Cathy Samson and her husband Paul took their first Hedonistic Hiking steps in the Italian Lakes in September 2023. In contrast to last month's interview with Chris Bell, who completed his 20th tour in 2023, we caught up with Cathy this month to check out the highs and...
Every town in Italy has a patron saint and each one has a day in the year dedicated to its celebration, known locally as the "Festa del Santo Patrono". Stumbling across one of these saints days unwittingly can have two outcomes. You might find it...
We are lucky to work in Italy when it comes to rustling up picnic lunches because the selection of ingredients is extensive, high quality and delicious. The picnic lunches on our hiking tours in Italy are the stuff of legend (even though we say so ourselves!)...
Palazzo Pfanner - Lucca Lucca is one of Tuscany's gems, encircled by impressive Renaissance walls, and is the first stop on our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour which runs in May. We have a little stroll around the 4 km walls as we arrive into the town, and...
In 2023 Chris Bell completed an impressive 20 tours with Hedonistic Hiking. First joining us in 2008, he has been a regular visitor to Italy ever since and many of our guests will remember hiking with him across the peninsula. And he's not stopping at 20!...
Autumn is the season when we start to see pumpkins appearing in Italy's shops and markets. In the UK and US they play an important part in our celebrations for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. In Italy, however, it is the pumpkins themselves that are...