Italy is a popular travel destination not only for those who appreciate the days on the sandy beach, but also for hikers. The hiking season is mainly in southern Italy. In contrast to Central Europe, when high-altitude tours are no longer possible in the German-speaking countries due to the onset of winter (or skis and skins have to be strapped on), the temperatures in the south are ideal for hiking.
The landscape is very different due to the great north-south expansion. So are the demands on the hiker. In the north, in the Italian Alps and in South Tyrol, there are good maps and marked hiking trails, as they are also common in German-speaking countries.
In the south the situation is completely different: Marked hiking trails only rarely exist. The markings are often difficult to read and the paths are sometimes overgrown. For decades there has been no usable hiking map material for this purpose. The topographic maps of the IGM (Istituto geografico militare) are difficult to obtain, some have not been updated for many years and are not available in electronic form. In some cases there is local map material published by tourism organizations or the Italian Alpine Club.
So in the south you have to find your way with hiking navigation devices. The best are the maps of the Open Street Map, on which a number of hiking routes are entered (but which are not always accessible).
In the last ten years there have been initiatives of the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) to rename and maintain hiking trails, especially in the national park areas - without a usable network of hiking trails there is no sustainable, ecologically compatible hiking tourism.
National long-distance hiking trails
- Sentiero Italia - The long-distance hiking trail leading through the whole of Italy has meanwhile been recorded at least on the OSM hiking maps and is marked differently in the terrain.
Other long-distance hiking trails
- Grande Traversata delle Alpi - The long-distance hiking trail leads from Molini di Calasca in the Valle Anzasca along the western Alpine arc to Viozene in the Ligurian Alps
- Via Alpina, Network of hiking trails along the Alpine arc between Trieste and Monaco
- Alta Via dei Monti Liguri along the watershed on the mountain range Liguria
- Grande Escursione Appenninica in the Tuscany
- Sentiero del Brigante in Calabria
Route suggestions by region
Northern or Northern Italy
Trentino-South Tyrol - (Trentino-Alto Adige), with the autonomous provinces South-Tirol and Trentino
- South Tyrolean Waale and Waalwege
- Dolomites high trails: In the Italian Dolomites, ten long-distance hiking trails have been marked, in which the Dolomites can be hiked through in several days.
- Dolomites high path 1 or Alta Via delle Dolomiti n.1 leads from the eastern Dolomite group to the south
- Dolomites high path 3, Alta Via delle Dolomiti n. 3 or "Path of the Chamois", runs alongside the main ridge of the eastern Dolomites
- Friedensweg (Dolomites), the "Sentiero della Pace" is a long high path along the former Italian-Austrian front line of the First World War
Veneto - (Veneto)
- Calà del Sasso: Italy's longest staircase with 4444 steps was built in the Middle Ages to transport tree trunks and was restored as a hiking trail.
- Carnic high path, along the ridge of the state border between Italy and Austria (Carinthia)
- Strada delle 52 gallery, Hiking trail on an Italian military road from the 1st World War to the Pasubio
Friuli Venezia Giulia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
- Alpe Adria Trail: the long-distance hiking trail Alpe Adria Trail leads from the Grossglockner massif in Carinthia by Slovenia up to the Adriatic
- Carnic high path, along the ridge of the state border between Italy and Austria (Carinthia)
- Rilkeweg, the "Sentiero Rilke" between Duino and Sistiana, in the region in which Rainer Maria Rilke wrote the ten Duinese elegies.
Lombardy - (Lombardia)
- Sentiero del Viandante (Lierna)
- Adamello high trail no.1: partly difficult alpine high trail in the Lombardy - Trentino area
- CoEUR - In the heart of Europe's roads, different paths between the routes of the Way of St. James and the Via Francigena
- Dorsal del Triangolo Lariano, Lake Como - high altitude hiking trail
- Sentiero di Leonardo da Vinci, between Milan and San Bernardino
- Via Spluga, Long-distance hiking trail on historical paths over the Splügen Pass between Thusis and Chiavenna
Piedmont - (Piedmont)
- Alta Via Val di Susa: high alpine mountain hiking trail along the Susa valley through the Cottian and Graian Alps.
- Giro di Viso, the circular hiking trail goes around Monviso, the highest mountain in the Cottian Alps
- Sentiero Frassati Internazionale di Pollone
- Tour Monte Rosa, the tour goes around the Monte Rosa group, the cathedral and the Mischabel group
- Via del Mercato between Locarno and Domodossola
- Away from San Carlo, the "Cammino di San Carlo" pilgrimage route follows in the footsteps of the travels of St. Charles Borromeo
Aosta Valley - (Valle d'Aosta)
- Tour du Mont-Blanc, Circular hiking trail around the Mont Blanc group on the territory of France, Italy and Switzerland
Liguria - (Liguria)
- Ligurian high path, the "Alta Via dei Monti Liguri" runs for 442 km on the ridge of the Ligurian mountains
Emilia-Romagna
Central Italy
Tuscany - (Toscana)
Brands - (Marche)
Umbria - (Umbria)
Lazio - (Lazio)
Abruzzo - (Abruzzo)
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Southern Italy (Mezzogiorno)
Molise
Campania - (Campania)
Basilicata - (Basilicata)
Apulia - (Puglia)
Calabria - (Calabria)
Sardinia (Sardegna)
Sicily (Sicilia)
Practical advice
The trail signs are red and white, mostly next to the Trail number the destinations and hiking times are given in hours.
classification
| Level of difficulty | CAI symbol | SAC scale | WV symbol | description | in terrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T: Itinerario turistico |  | T1 |  | Tourist hiking trail: The path leads along corridors, mule tracks and cart paths and is usually accessible without any particular challenges or risks. Can also be climbed without hiking boots and without special prior knowledge. There is no risk of falling. Accessible even in bad weather. |  |
| E.: Itinerario escursionistico |  | T2 |  | Excursionistic hiking trail: The path over mule tracks, forest paths or access paths to mountain huts can overcome greater differences in altitude and pose challenges in finding the path. Places where there is a risk of falling are rare. |  |
| EE: Itinerario escursionisti esperti |  | T3 |  | Hiking trail for experienced hikers: The path in mountainous or alpine terrain is difficult to walk, partly secured with railings, ropes or steps and the requirements for orientation in the terrain are increased. Good equipment for mountain hikers is a prerequisite. |  |
| EEA: Itinerario escursionisti esperti con atrezzatura |  | T4 / T5 |  | Via ferrata or alpine path: The path is demanding and can only be walked with increased challenges or risks. Aids such as helmets, ropes and climbing equipment must be used for the inspection. Rope safety must be mastered. |  |
cards
- Istituto Geografico Militare: topographical map material in the scales 1: 25,000 and 1: 50,000, available from the IGMI webshop; the time of the last update is given for each sheet.
- Fraternal Editore: topographic maps 1: 25,000 and 1: 50,000 as well as digital map material for the western Alpine arc in the area of the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, from the Valais Alps to the Graian Alps, the Cottian Alps and Maritime Alps to the Ligurian Alps.
- 4country: topographical and digital map app with coverage of South Tyrol - Veneto, Liguria and various national parks on the islands of Elba and Sardinia
- Tappeiner: topographic maps by Athesia Tappeiner Verlag, Bozen; Coverage of the South Tyrol
- Global map: topographic maps of various Italian national parks and hiking regions
- Stella Alpina: Hiking maps of the Gran Sasso and Monti Sibillini
- Tobacco: topographic maps 1: 25,000 and 1: 50,000 as well as digital map material for eastern northern Italy
literature
Web links
- Club Alpino Italiano: Website of the Italian Alpine Club, in Italian, in the lower area under Sezioni you can find the different regions. On the websites of the regional CAI you can often find finds of directions, maps and GPX trails, or maybe not ...
- Sentiero Italy, Website in collaboration with the CAI, OSM overlay - map
- Sentiero Italia, Directions of all stages
