Walking in Italy
There are many types of appealing terrain for walking, hiking and trekking in Italy. For tamer pleasures,
many enjoy walking along the pretty but crowded Cinque Terre coastline. The Amalfi Coast also offers sea views, including some strenuous walks at high levels. As Italy is so mountainous, you can select your own level of
difficulty. The Alps and Dolomites in the north have good, marked hiking trails and you can base yourself in a ski resort; most of these are very good for walking in the summer months. The Apennines, the spine of Italy,
run for hundreds of miles, with a variety of landscapes and many picturesque towns and villages.
National parks in Italy include the Abruzzo, home to bears and wolves, where you can stay overnight at high-altitude rifugi (lodges).
Several travel firms offer walking packages from the UK, some in groups, and some where you are self-guided. Your luggage can be taken from one hotel to the next for you, which is a big help
if you're planning to move on each day.
Skiing in Italy
There are a number of good ski resorts in Italy, two of the most famous being Cortina d'Ampezzo and Courmayeur. As the map of Italy is so mountainous, winter provides a good
choice of places to hit the pistes. The Alps bristle along Italy's northern borders, and there are ski resorts all along this northern band of the country. also have a generous share of resorts. The Dolomites 'Superski' area consists of a huge network
of places to ski, with hundreds of lifts.
> Skiing in Italy
> Skiing in the Dolomites
Spa resorts in Italy
There are many natural hot springs in Italy, visited for reasons health and relaxation for hundreds of years. Nowadays many of these sites have developed full-scale resort facilities for a
relaxing holiday. If you prefer to go it alone though, there are quite a few spots where you can just turn up with a towel. Among the more adventurous options are the mud baths of Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands, where you simply pay an admission fee then dunk yourself in hot radioactive mud.
> Spas in Italy
Photography
Italy is an extremely photogenic country, and most visitors are happy to potter about with their cameras capturing whatever appeals to them. However, if you want to try something more ambitious, to have expert advice on call, or simply to learn more about your camera and hang out with like-minded enthusiasts, Italy is also a good destination for a photography holiday; there's plenty of material and the weather is fairly reliable.
> Read more about photography holidays in Italy
> My photography trip to the Abruzzo - I travelled with a UK company called Frui.
Painting and art holidays
Painting courses are a good way of combining learning with enjoying Italy. There's quite a good choice of landscape painting holidays, mostly in Tuscany. Some trips cater for beginners and others are an opportunity for more experienced artists to practise their skills with expert guidance.
Other activities in Italy
Of course, there are a huge range of alternative activities in Italy. Possibilities include: golf; horse-riding; cycling; wine;
cooking;
shopping;
windsurfing; sailing;
diving;
eating;
history and art study tours;
climbing and mountaineering;
garden tours.
Tour companies and organised holidays
If you are booking an organised holiday, please note that Italy Heaven takes no responsibility for the holidays or companies suggested here. You should check the small print and find out what is included, what extras you might have to pay, how much you have to pay in advance, what your insurance will cover and what registration (e.g. ATOL) the company has. Some courses are aimed at solo travellers, but others charge single supplements. On activity holidays such as painting courses, it is sometimes possible for a non-participating partner to join the holiday at a cheaper rate.
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