Looking for your next chocolate fix? While your inner sweet tooth may instinctively point you in the direction of Switzerland and Belgium, head a little further south and you’ll find yourself in the gloriously chocolatey region of Piedmont! Although best known for its...
The Giro d'Italia is a multiple-stage bicycle race held each year in Italy. Along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, the Giro forms a key element of the cycling world's Grand Tours. It is usually held during late May and early June and we often...
It’s hardly news that we need to be active if we want to enjoy a long and healthy life. In a world where most of us spend more and more time sitting in front of a computer, the importance of devoting a big chunk of our leisure time to active pursuits is fast gaining...
This year Barbara Bayliss will notch up an incredible 19 tours with Hedonistic Hiking. As our most prolific hiker, she kindly agreed to be interviewed for our newsletter and here's what she had to say: Could you define what it is that brings you back to...
Anyone who has been on one of our gastronomic walking holidays in Italy will know that they are planned with military precision! In fact the timing of the tour itself is also a big consideration – we want you to experience each region at its finest and also enjoy the...
If you’re toying with the idea of a walking holiday, whether in Italy or elsewhere in Europe, the important thing is to pick a tour that’s right for you. With mountains, lakes and a good scattering of national parks, there are plenty of hiking holidays in Italy to...
Although most of our tours are around 7 or 8 nights, we know that very often a week in Italy just isn’t quite enough … there’s always seems to be another hike to do or sight to see! In fact many of our guests, particularly those who travel from Australia or the...
The third installment of Hedonistic Hiking's Blog contributions to the US Sixty & Me online magazine offers six tips on enjoying a walking holiday if you are over 60. If you're sitting on the fence and wondering whether to jump off to join an...
Nothing quite illustrates the atmosphere of Christmas in Italy as effectively as the saying ‘Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con i vuoi’. In other words, ‘Christmas with the family, Easter with who you like’. But while family rules, food comes a close second: eating is what...
Podere Patrignone is an ‘agriturismo’ in the heart of Chianti Classico country – a mix of holiday rental villas (5 apartments and a large villa) and their organic olive oil. Is it owned by close friends of Hedonistic Hiking, Simon and Verity. The oil comes from 600...
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...
Step out on a walking holiday in Europe and you can be sure of seeing sights and landscapes that remain out of the reach of many holidaymakers. In Italy, these veer from dramatic mountain backdrops and rural vineyard vistas to the magnificent seascapes that stretch...
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...
Start looking into taking a food and wine holiday in Italy and the first thing you notice is the differences in cuisine between one region and another. With culinary traditions in Italy largely shaped by a region’s geography, history and climate, a food and wine...
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...
The number of people taking a solo holiday each year continues to rise. While many of these are taking once-in-a-lifetime adventure tours, special interest trips such as solo walking holidays are fast becoming a popular option. The simple fact is that if your friends...
Keeping your cool on a walking holiday in Italy One of the questions that pops up repeatedly from our guests is when is the best time to go walking in Italy. No-one wants to walk in sweltering heat, but some mild sunshine is always welcome! All of our walking...
This month I finally had the chance to visit FICO Eataly World just outside the city of Bologna. Billed as "The World's Largest Agri-Food Park" the site has 22 hectares of fields and stables, 40 farming factories, 45 restaurants or eating stations and a market space....
Volterra is one of the oldest towns in Tuscany having a history which can date its earliest settlements to the 8th century BC. Founded by the Etruscans, who named it Velathri, the town lies on the top of steep hill in the centre of the...
Italy’s best hiking routes: planning your holiday One of the questions that crops up time after time is which is the best region in Italy for walking. Not surprisingly, there’s no simple answer. Italy is hugely varied, not only in terms of landscape and geography, but...