The Italian territory is a true trove of inestimable treasures: each region boasts a rich heritage of natural, artistic, architectonic beauties, in addition to many tradition and an excellent local cuisine.

Exploring the bel paese from north to south, from east to west, means discovering numerous sceneries and regional peculiarities, that can surprise even the most disenchanted tourists.

Choosing a walking holiday in Italy is the ideal way to fully appreciate and get to know every "bit" and, among the many trekking routes scattered throughout the area, you will surely find what is right for you!
Discover the itineraries for the best hikes in Italy recommended by Slow Active Tours.

Itineraries in Puglia: the most beautiful treks

Our journey cannot but starting from the loved Puglia, where our project was born. This beautiful region in the south encloses within its boundaries varied landscapes and cultural traditions changing from a town to another. Thanks to its mostly flat territory and to the minimal differences in height, it is the ideal place where to experience an easy walking holiday in Italy!
Among the hiking trails in Puglia that we propose to you, you will have the opportunity to choose the ones that excite you the most, depending on whether you prefer to walk along the wonderful Salento coasts, or among the picturesque towns in Valle d’Itria or along the ancient trail of the southern Via Francigena.

  • The Wonder Puglia: walking the Southeast Coast is an easy tour starting from Lecce, the Florence of the South, where you can admire churches and palaces, whose architectonical beauty has no equal. From the Salento chief town, you will move towards the suggestive Otranto through an itinerary that retraces the very ancient history of these places. From Otranto to Leuca almost the whole trail develops along the Adriatic coast, with some passages and overnight stays in the inner areas in the surroundings, down to the southernmost point in Puglia. Towers, castles, “pajare” and “masserie” (the ancient peasant and farm constructions), and breathtaking panoramas will enrich your walk towards the south.
  • The Puglia Walking Trip: Itria Valley and coastal dunes mainly develops in the Apulian hinterland, in the green heart of Valle d’Itria. It is one of the most fascinating hiking trails in the South of Italy, discovering the fairy “trulli” in Alberobello, UNESCO heritage, and of the typical white nuances of Ostuni, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca, wandering fearless among the suggestive alleyways. Spending two nights in masseria in the splendid Natural Park Dune Costiere, you can enjoy incredible naturalistic paths and taste the local specialties.
  • The southern Via Francigena goes from Lecce to Leuca and allows you to retrace the steps of the ancient pilgrims, crossing the towns of the Grecìa Salentina, where the knowledge of Griko, a Hellenic dialect characterising the folklore of this part of Puglia, is still handed down. It is the perfect route for those looking for unusual and surprising walking holidays in Italy.
  • The Walking and Wellness in Puglia, lastly, combines active holidays and wellness in an absolutely regenerating experience. You will immerse yourself in a tour to discover the wonders of Salento, in southern Puglia, having the possibility to enjoy a relaxing stop at the spa centre in Santa Cesarea: this tour is a true rebirth!

From Puglia to Basilicata

Two adjacent regions bounded by a common ancestral soul, Puglia and Basilicata can be visited during a unique and suggestive tour.

  • The Beautiful South: Sassi, Trulli and Baroque is a complete tour that crosses the whole heel of Italy, perfect for those who want to visit as much as possible during a walking holiday in southern Italy. You will start from Matera, 2019 European Capital of Culture and worldwide famous city for the typical old town enclosed within the so called “Sassi”. From here you can travel towards the heart of Puglia, discovering flavours, traditions and monuments along simple walking trails interspersed with some public and private transfers, so as to get in touch with the locals.
  • The Walk the Camino Materano tour follows the ancient Via Peuceta and leads from Bari to Matera. You will encounter Roman and medieval roads, sheep and cart tracks, castles, caves, sanctuaries and rock churches, surrounded by an ever-changing natural landscape of olive groves, vineyards, steppes, oak and pine forests, canyons and cultivated fields.

Hiking itineraries in Sicily

A walking holiday in Sicily shows the countless wonders and diversity of the Sicilian territory, and offers different itineraries that can be combined with each other.

  • The tour Along the Magna Via Francigena trail: from Palermo to Agrigento on foot reveals the ancient road system of the Roman Empire. It is a little more challenging tour than the above-mentioned ones, but it is absolutely worth to walk through it. It develops in the Sicilian hinterland and crosses many towns rich in history and traditions. The Baroque of Palermo, the Arabian, Byzantine and Norman heritage in the provinces, the Greek temples in Agrigento and the delicious cuisine are just a few of the many reasons why visit this splendid region!
  • The Western Sicily Walking Holiday is a hiking tour full of surprises. Enchanting landscapes, protected natural reserves, dreamy beaches and mouth-watering food specialties: this and much more is awaiting you in the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea!

Walking in Campania: panoramas overlooking the sea

Some of the most famous locations in the world are in Campania, the homeland of pizza and excellent food. Naples and the Amalfi Coast undoubtedly are among the most worldwide popular destinations and a walking holiday will allow you to catch every single detail.

  • Walking the Amalfi Coast is an authentic sensory tour, in which scents, colours, flavours and incredible panoramas give absolutely unique suggestions. From Salerno to Amalfi, through suggestive paths and picturesque hamlets, you will have the opportunity to live a dreamy experience, immersed in what we can define as the Mediterranean atmosphere par excellence.
  • Naples, Vesuvius and the Amalfi coastal trails, besides the landscapes of the Amalfi Coast, will allow you to discover all the secrets of one of the most loved cities by the international tourists: Naples. Among the proposals for Southern Italy, this is one of the tours not to be missed if you want to appreciate the most authentic soul of the South.
  • The divine coast: walk from Amalfi to Sorrento follows a walking trail in a land that has inspired poets and painters, where majolica, citrus groves and paths overlooking the Gulf of Naples contribute to make these panoramas true postcards.

Itineraries in Italy: discover the North on foot

Thanks to the latest novelty in our tours, we can move to the north of the Italian peninsula. We first walked from Emilia-Romagna to Tuscany, and finally we explored Liguria, region rich in typical landscapes, between sea and mountain, like a colourful painting to be explored to the most hidden corners.

  • The Trekking on the Way of Gods: from Bologna to Firenze retraces the ancient Via Flaminia Militare which connects two splendid historic cities. Here your time will be marked by the glimpse of small villages, “sacred” mountains, abandoned Apennine passes, valleys and rivers.
  • Discover Liguria: Cinque Terre walking holiday: small harbours and hamlets characterised by thousands of colourful houses, the sea breeze caressing your face during the walk. Here you spend the night in 3 locations on the Eastern Ligurian Riviera: the beautiful Camogli, Bonassola and the enchanting Monterosso a Mare, one of the beautiful Cinque Terre.
  • In Walking the Cinque Terre & Portofino - Central Based the lush nature frames the landscape with the Mediterranean Scrub, olive trees and citrus groves: the combination of all these elements will give you a sense of harmony during a typically Italian holiday. Staying every night in Sestri Levante, it will be easy to reach the Cinque Terre, Portofino and Portovenere. Walking along the Ligurian paths will be a pleasure that has no equal!

Discover the beauties of Italy with our proposals of easy walking holidays: our tours are designed down to the smallest detail to let you savor all the authenticity of a slow journey, and equip you with all the tools to travel alone or in a group. We can also create a customised itinerary on request, contact us for a quote!