easy hikes and city walks in Italy
Once the Pilgrim’s Progress has led him to Siena, the Pilgrim may be excused for thinking that it will not get much better than this For nearly a thousand years, the 2 km stretch of the Via Francigena that cuts through the city of Siena has been the highlight of the trail. Imagine: most of…
The half-stage to Monteriggioni delivers a good lesson in authenticity –and the key to unlocking the treasures of the Via Francigena If you have neither the time for a full trip down the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome (a journey of 2000 km that features 80 stages and crossings of both the Channel and…
San Gimignano, the New York of the Middle Ages Truly great hiking trails are a mix of four elements, and the Via Francigena – stretching for nearly 2000 km from Canterbury to Rome – has them all. Firstly and secondly, the Francigena Way features beautiful landscapes and variety: the combination that defines any “good” hiking…
Columns and cupolas in search of nervous excitement Montecatini prides itself, with a certain justification, on its reputation as a “city of the arts”. The Montecatini Contemporary Art Museum is well stocked and the proud owner of a large-scale work by Joan Mirò, and for as long as anybody can remember, artists have always loved the resort….
Tuscany is where two of Europe’s foremost cultural routes cross, one an ancient pilgrim’s path to Rome and the other a network of spa towns across the continent. Such a crossing may be a great starting point, but eventually, you have to decide which way you are going – or, at the very least, which…
Tuscany: Home to the Cultural Routes of Europe Now don’t get me wrong: I have absolutely nothing against the grand majestic landscapes of our planet, the Grand Canyon and Utah’s Monument Valley, or the barren rocks and icey cliffs of the high mountains, and I am as much in awe of the “the graceful indifference…
Walks in the Italian Riviera Taggia and Arma – a tale of two towns Another “two Italian towns for the price of one” walk, but one with a difference. You may remember: last year, we invited you to accompany us on a walk from Porto Maurizio to Oneglia, the two sister towns that together make…
The Foro Italico manages to combine the ludicrous with the appalling. It is found in the north of Rome and is, in a way, the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Imagine a monument constructed by the Nazis for the glorification of Adolf Hitler and his achievements that for some reason survived WWII –…
A walk through the EUR district demonstrates that bad governments can have amazingly good taste. Rome is one of the few cities in the world that have never been entirely redone – unlike Paris and London, for example, both very old cities, too (although not quite as old as Rome) which today consist largely of…
Roman Holidays From Ostia Antica to Lido di Ostia Ostia was, and up to a point still is, Rome’s connection with the Mediterranean. Ostia is the Latin word for mouth, and this is what the ancient Romans called the place where the river Tiber met the sea. Due to silting, however, this place has moved…