Welcome!
WalkItaly Tours offers guided, private and self-guided walking tours in Campania (Amalfi Coast and Capri), Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Tuscany and Sardinia that combine walking on off-road paths, learning about local cultural heritage and tasting local foods.
Why these three ingredients? Italy has the highest biodiversity index and highest number of UNESCO cultural sites in the world, and – of course – it has an extraordinary variety of food and wine.
Our tour groups are kept small and are always led by WalkItalyTours staff and local guides, so you’ll be in expert hands while enjoying spectacular scenery, admiring cultural treasures or savouring local delicacies.
Memories of discovering Sagrantino wine, the frescoes at Orvieto, the Ogliastra Sea, and the mussels in Niedditas will come back to you long after your return!
New!
Off-peak trekking along the Amalfi Coast and Capri
The tour takes in stretches of coastline reaching from Positano to Vietri sul Mare along the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy, offering spectacular views of the Gulf of Salerno and Capri Island, one of the most sought-after destinations among travellers who participated in the Grand Tour.
Rowing in Rome
Anyone visiting Rome should try rowing in the urban part of the river from Ponte Milvio up to the Isola Tiberina. You’ll see Rome from water level – rather than from the road – and experience the city from a whole new perspective!
Acid Trip and Parmigiano Experiences
For Italians, the Emilia-Romagna region is synonymous with good food. In 2015, the American magazine Forbes conferred an international award to the region for its gastronomic excellence, further confirmation that Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and tortellini are gastronomic treasures. Reggio Emilia is one of the most important cities of the region and is located 150 km from Milano, 120 km from Verona, 220 km from Venice and 160 km from Florence.
Walking Tours in Tuscany
Our walking tours in Tuscany take inspiration from the guidebook The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria written in 1842 by George Dennis. Dennis was a typical British explorer who took detailed notes and drawings, many of which are still used as reference in the study of Etruscan culture.
His guidebook has remained relevant because little has changed since it was published over a century and a half ago: “In a country almost depopulated by malaria, inhabited only by shepherds and husbandmen, the most striking monuments may have remained unnoticed for a long time”. Malaria was eradicated in the 20th century and the economy has diversified, but the beauty of the Etruscan roads remains unchanged.
What has changed since XIX century is the interest in antiquities. When George Dennis made enquiries, the locals replied, “Antiquities! Che roba è? What are they?” (Nobody had ever heard of such things in Capalbio).
Tuscany off the beaten track is full of surprises. Denis wrote, “Orbetello presents a threatening front to the visitor. A strong line of fortification crosses the sandy isthmus, principally the works of Spaniards… but its chief strength lies in its position in the midst of the wide lagoon protected from all attacks by sea, a position singularly like that of a number of areas in Mexico”.
With our backs to the town of Orbetello behind us, we face “…the vast double-peaked mass of Monte Argentario, the natural Gibraltar of Tuscany, that overshadows everything, lying like a majestic vessel near the shore.”
Walking Tours in Sardinia
This land resembles no other place. Sardinia is something else. Enchanting spaces and distances to travel – nothing finished, nothing definitive. It is like freedom itself.
D. H. Lawrence Sea and Sardinia
Sardinia is the calmer alternative to a holiday in mainland Italy. You still have it all – sand and sea, restaurants and bars, passeggiate in historic towns – except the sand is very white, the sea very emerald and the small scale means everything is closer to hand and more relaxed. And because this is an island smack in the middle of the Mediterranean, its coastline offers plenty of sumptuous beaches, enticing coves and stretches of water where you can swim (or float) to your heart’s content.
Sardinia may be calm but it’s never boring. The dramatic coastline encloses a trove of natural heritage that will stun you in its variety as you traverse the island. Inland, you will find yourself in the midst of ancient natural phenomena, from leafy woodlands to uncanny granite formations, to deserts and to wetlands.
Sardinians continue to use old agrarian methods. You’ll notice the land is barely disturbed by modernity. Meet a shepherd who teaches traditional sheep-milking and cheese-making; visit ponds where grey mullet is reared for its roe – and sample the smoked end product.
Unsurprisingly for a Mediterranean island, the seafood is fabulous. But you may be surprised by the quality of a wine cultivated and aged in Oristano. Sardinia will also nourish your mind and feed your curiosity. The island was home to the ancient Nuragic culture and went on to ‘host’ the Carthaginians, Romans, Pisans and Spanish. All of these civilizations made their mark – as you will see!
Testimonials
The first trip we made with Roberto was on the Via Francigena, a beautiful experience, discovering typical landscapes, walking along hills that open up under villages that still retain their medieval appearance. Everything has been organized with skill and professionalism, both the restaurants and the accommodation, always characteristic and welcoming. Since then we have always remained in contact and, to that, other treks followed, last in the Ogliastra, wild area of Sardinia, where sea and coast surprise you at every corner with their enchanted views. An experience to be recommended … and to be repeated!
Verona, 8 April 2017
Roberto led us to discover the islands of Capraia, Elba and recently Sardinia, each time far from clichés and traditional tourist approaches. His sense of organization and guidance always reassures, his taste for culture and his way of sharing have always motivated us. Walking with Roberto is entertaining, rewarding, never obvious and his sense of empathy makes it never tiring.
April 2017