On the final evening of our Tuscan Harvest tour we dine in one of very few restaurants in Italy to have 2 Michelin stars. The restaurant is called Arnolfo and is in the centre of Colle di Val d'Elsa, a small town more or less half...
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...
Having dinner one evening in Ljubljana a while back, before our walking tour in Slovenia and Friuli, we noticed local bars selling Orange Wine and it was the first time we had seen it. Of course we had to try it and find out more about where and how it is made,...
At Hedonistic Hiking we are starting to think more and more about train travel within Europe. If you're beginning to make plans for travel in 2023, and you'll be visiting more than one country, then take a moment to consider letting the trains take the strain. Train...
A Marriage Made in Heavenly Piedmont Towards the end of August and into September the region of Piedmont sees the harvesting of its precious hazelnuts. This is a region already world-famous for its wines and exquisite white truffles, but the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe...
Saturday 16th July saw us exhibiting at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival in the Business Design Centre in London. We were part of the Italian National Tourist Board stand for the event and talked to visitors from far and wide about our hiking...
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,...
With the Italians being such expert winegrowers, it is no surprise that they also produce many delicious Aperitifs and Digestifs, blending age-old, closely-guarded secret recipes of herbs, roots and spices which are loved the world over. We've...
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...
On our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour we pass through a wine producing area on the Tuscan coast known as Bolgheri. Today this is truly one of Italy's wine-growing success stories, but fifty years ago the region was considered a swamp zone and not in any...
As the summer in Italy beckons, restaurant menus across the country will start to list the ever popular "Semifreddo" dessert. The name literally means "half cold" but it's a good description as a Semifreddo does not feel as cold in your mouth as an ice cream....
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,...
If you've never joined one of our annual Palio tours in Siena in August, your ideas about this horse race might be a little sketchy. As the race has been cancelled for the last two years due to Covid restrictions, 2022 promises to be more exciting than ever...
This amazing cheese comes from a small alpine area in the northern part of Lombardy, known as the Valtellina valley, close to the border with Switzerland, and its name is Bitto Storico. It is only made in the summer months between June and September when the...
The art of truffle hunting and extraction in Italy has been recently added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which aims to celebrate and preserve important cultural practices. The tartufai - truffle hunters as they are known in Italian - first...
Jackie has recently been interviewed for the US Podcast "Calm the Chaos", which is hosted by professional Life Coach Deborah Voll. Deborah's podcasts aim to inspire and motivate women in mid-life to find new purpose and passions in their lives and go for their big...
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...