We have updated the itinerary for our Medieval Umbria tour in 2017 to include a guided visit to one of Italy's most famous fresco cycles, painted by Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. The tour will now start and finish in the attractive town of Arezzo, home to the church...

On a sunny day in September 1991, two German hikers enjoying a walk in the Ötztal Alps, close to the border between Italy and Austria, made a discovery in the ice that would soon become a worldwide sensation.

These tiny pasta parcels are a traditional dish from Piemonte and something which we learnt to make in our cooking class in Cuneo, as part of our brand new France & Italy tour. Cuneo is a wonderfully elegant city lying to the south of Turin and here we met up with the Fontanta sisters who...

Our brand new 2016 tour in France and Italy has got me thinking about salt!  This is because our route takes us along some of France's ancient salt roads from the Mediterranean over the Maritime Alps and into northern Italy.

In past centuries, the quince was much used in the Italian kitchen and today it is still available in markets during the autumn months. In Australia the fruit ripens from late March through to May and quinces look a little like small apples and pears, although cannot be eaten raw. On our last...

There are certain fruits and vegetables which truly herald the start of the warmer seasons and the markets from April onwards on are piled high with beautiful asparagus, globe artichokes, apricots and cherries.

Italy has the largest number of Unesco World Heritage sites of all countries in the world, just ahead of China, Spain and France.  Many of our hikes in Italy include visits to Unesco World Heritage sites, as we are as fascinated by the cultural heritage of Italy as we are by the landscape,...

The Pollino National Park is the largest in Italy and straddles both the regions of Basilicata and Calabria, in the instep of the foot of Italy. It covers around 1960 square kilometres and has the richest collection of flora and fauna in the whole of Southern Italy.

Many Hedonistic Hikers who have travelled with us in Italy will have happy memories of the famous after-dinner drink known as grappa!  It is a strong grape-based brandy usually taken at the end of a meal as a digestive and usually served in small decorative flute glasses or classic shot...

Hikers on our new Southern Italy tour will have many opportunities to taste a wonderful local wine made from an ancient grape variety known as Aglianico. It's origins are a little unclear but the name probably derives...