Italy Hikes
Browse this page for some very spectacular hikes in Italy, with a General Description, Trip Tips and Hiking Tips.
Use the drop down sub menu under Hiking for other country locations.
ENJOY!
Bassa del Garda
Limone sul Garda, Italy
Lake Garda is probably the next most beautiful lake in Italy after Lake Como. It's striking beauty and landscape, dotted with historic villages makes it a romantic paradise.
The 360 square kilometres lake is about 2.5 hours drive West from Venice. On the Southern end of the lake is the little known picturesque historic town of Sirmione with an old fortress at the end of the peninsula. On the North-Western shore lies the lovely lakeside town of Limone sul Garda.
We did the Bassa del Garda Trail at Tremosine sul Garda, a moderately challenging trail with fantastic aerial views of the lake from above and across to the mountain range on the opposite side.
Every year in April, a famous trail running competition takes place here. The original route is 70 km long divided into 5 segments, from Salò to Limone sul Garda.
Trip Tips
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If you have a couple of days to spend at Lake Garda, we strongly recommend to stay at the equally picturesque towns of Sirmione or Limone sul Garda. Whichever you choose, you need to visit the other.
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Sirmione is 1 hour 40 minutes' drive from Venice, while Limone is about 2.5 hours.
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If you can only make a day trip & day hike from Venice, it is still possible to do the out and back hike and then still have time to chill in the very cool town of Limone right on the edge of the lake.
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The trail head of the hike is near Simone sul Garda. Be aware that the drive up is on narrow two-way mountain roads, and google maps could sometimes lead you the wrong way, so do your homework ahead of time.
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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This is one of the most spectacular and complete trails that can be found on Lake Garda. It is moderately busy with a mix of locals and some tourists (mainly from Germany), but a fantastic hike for getting awesome views of Lake Garda from up high.
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This trail is 9-km point-to-point and 18-km return near Tremosine, Lombardy. It is a moderately challenging route, with some steepish hills and takes over 4 hours to complete. Allow additional time for pauses to take in the view and also for photos at Monte Bestone where a cross is mounted at the lookout point.
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This is segment 6 of the Bassa Via del Garda Trail which starts from the village of Voltino and reaches Limone sul Garda. The trail winds through hills, fields of olive trees, mountains, chestnut and beech woods, canyons, overhangs over the lake and breathtaking views.
Capri
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Capri is a stunning island on the Amalfi Coast in the Bay of Naples. his is technically less of a hike but more of a private boat trip that included a half hike up to the panoramic view point of Monte Solaro; a off-boat swim near the ocean rocks of Faraglioni and an opportunity to visit the hidden caves of Blue Grotto, which unfortunately was closed that morning due to tide and sea conditions.
Instagram reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXhrADagUOz/?igsh=MTQwZzdpdWp6azFkNw%3D%3D
Trip Tips:
Forget getting the ferry to Capri from the surronding cities. Intsead, take a private or small group boat tour from Sorrento or Positano that takes you to the Blue Grotto, White Grotto, Green Grotto, to Capri town from where you can bus it to Anacapri then hike or take the chair lift up to Monte Solaro for a stunning 360-degree panoramic view. The boat would also take you up close to Faraglioni for photo ops as well as a swim in the electric blue waters of the Amalfi Coast! Be warned, he water is still cold in April!
The Path of the Gods
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Il Sentiero degli Dei (The Path of the Gods) is a bucket list hike on the cliff top of the Amalfi Coast between cliff top villages of Bomerano and Nocelle. The trail is 7km one way and 14km return. It offers stunning cliff top views of the Amalfi Coast and unrivalled aerial views of Positano as you approach Nocelle.
Our group started at Bomerano that did a loop back before reaching Nocelle. I decided to break from the group when they turned around so as not to miss out on the best aerial views of Positano from Nocelle.
Instead of catching a (unreliable) bus from Nocelle, I decided to hike dwon the 1,800 steps and walk to Positnao from there. Very fortunate to have run into Doreen from Hanburg at the start of the steps who was going to do the same. Her very lovely company made the otherwise tedious stairs a very pleasant and easy walk indeed.
Instagram reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXpcv9UE9Uf/?igsh=MWs2MmozbGlrMjZmMw%3D%3D
Travel & Hiking Tips
The hike has some gradients and slippery trails. A reasonable level of fitness is required. If going out and back and if attempting to start and finish from Positano that requires ascending and descending the 1,800 vertical steps, you need to have a good level of fitness.
There may be some morning fog which usually clears up to great iews as the morning warms up.
You could bus it to Bomerano or Nocelle, although he bus schedules are said to unrelaible.
Starting and returning to Positano is for avid and fit hikers who gets their dopamine from strenuous challenging hikes - saw a few of those that morning!
The views are truly rewarding! Recommendation for lunch stop high above on the cliffs near Nocelle with an aerail view of Positano - Sanat Croce. Great hilltop atmosphere, food and service. A nice respite after doing the "Path" and before your fianl 1,800 steps descent back dwon to Positano.
