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At Hedonistic Hiking we always like to aim high, and mountains are a natural home for us with their stunning vistas, silent beauty and sense of achievement after making those ascents!  Whilst of course we do not aim for the summits on our group tours, these striking peaks often form the backdrop for our walks and we’ve been putting together memories of some of our favourites!

Monviso in north west Italy is the highest peak in the Cottian Alps, close to the French border, and undoubtedly Jackie’s favourite mountain in the whole country. It stands at 3,841 m and is instantly recognisable from its pyramid shape soaring above the lower peaks which surround it.  It’s a majestic mountain and, at the foot of Monviso at the Pian del Re, rises the famous Po River which is the longest in Italy. The water originates from the high glaciers and many lakes on the mountain’s lower slopes.  In 2018 Jackie and fellow HH team member Tansy decided to scale the peak to celebrate significant birthdays and took 14 hours of walking, climbing with crampons and finally scrambling to reach the summit.  After a tough descent they rewarded themselves with wine and an excellent dinner, in true Hedonistic Hiking style! Our Jewels of Piedmont and Mountains of Piedmont tours both take us to the area of Monviso, so maybe next year you could see it for yourself?  You can also see Monviso on a clear day from our Best of the Italian Alps tour and France and the Maritime Alps.

Mick’s favourite is Mount Buffalo, close to home in Victoria, Australia. It was one of the first National Parks in the region, established in 1898, and today covers 31,000 hectares, encompassing the entire granite plateau and the majority of the forested hills below. The mountain is home to a number of unique plants found no-where else in the world and gives shelter to lyrebirds, wombats and possums amongst many other species.  Today there are some 90 kms of walking tracks on Mount Buffalo and opportunities for cycling, fishing, swimming, hang-gliding and skiing. The unbroken views from the highest point at 1,723 m known as The Horn, the cool climate and the fantastic flora and fauna make it Mick’s perfect escape.  A number of our experiences in north east Victoria include hikes on Mount Buffalo – take a look at our range of Day Hikes and Sunset Dinners, and our new High Country & Bright tour.

The choice for our third favourite mountain was arrived at mutually, and it is the Corno Grande in the Gran Sasso National Park in Italy’s wild Abruzzo region. At 2,912 m it is the highest peak in the Appenine range which curves down the spine of Italy.  On our Wilds of Abruzzo tour we set out across the Campo Imperatore – a wild alpine plateau with stunning views across to the peak. People refer to this area as Little Tibet, and it is almost impossible to imagine that you are just a couple of hours from Rome.  In spring the plateau is carpeted with wild orchids and blue gentian flowers and we often see herds of wild horses. This is an expansive landscape, hauntingly beautiful and one which remains in the memory for a long time.  In the summer of 2013 we climbed together to the peak of the Corno Grande, a hike which took around 5 hours from a starting point of 2,100 m and afforded spectacular views across the Appenine range.

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If you’ve already experienced a Hedonistic Hiking trip, you’ll know how great you feel at the end of each day. But how can you bring that feelgood factor into your everyday life? And what are the less obvious benefits? Read Jackie’s thoughts on Walking your Way to Health and Mental Wellbeing and get some tips on making walking an even bigger part of your life.

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Our home in Victoria

Although I am English and Mick is Australian, we first met when we were working as tour guides in Italy, a country which I’d fallen in love with at first sight.  When we married a few years later there was a question mark over where we would live – I wasn’t sure I wanted to be 12,000 miles from home.   Fast forward ten years and one of the questions we most often get asked is how we manage our lifestyle living between Italy and Australia – do we feel restless – how do we keep up our friendships – do we miss our families?

The answer I think lies in the fact that we discovered a little corner of Italy here in north east Victoria.    One of the very first visits we made as a couple back in 2001 brought us to the King Valley.   We stayed in Bright and camped on Mount Buffalo and we were both taken by the strong Italian heritage which runs through this area.    We quickly struck up friendships with Italian wine-growers in the region, like the lovely Dal Zotto family with whom we remain great friends, and we could see how many of the local restaurants were championing authentic Italian cooking.  Anyone who loves Italy knows how easy it is to feel part of its family – how the Italians find a way to enjoy themselves, to share their passion for food, wine and all the good things in life – and I soon came to realise that I could feel completely at home away from home. It wasn’t long before we were ready to invest in some real estate!

Our home in Tuscany

There are of course a few major differences to life in the two countries.  Australians are famously laid-back and I’ve always felt they have a more “live and let live” philosophy.  No one cares too much how you are dressed or if you’ve had your hair done that day!  Italians, on the other hand, still maintain “la bella figura” – an outward show of correctness and a need to make a good impression. Both countries have a healthy amount of rules and regulations, the biggest difference being the way these are regarded.  Beppe Severgnini, an Italian journalist and author of the aptly named La Bella Figura, amusingly observes: “In Italy rules are not obeyed as they are elsewhere.  We think it’s an insult to our intelligence to comply with a regulation.   Obedience is boring.   We want to think about it.   We want to decide whether a particular law applies to our specific case.  In that place, at that time.”

The truth is that we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to call both countries home.  We have wonderful friends in each place and modern technology makes keeping in touch simple.  Our families are dotted between the two hemispheres but it’s always fun when we visit each other.  Our unique lifestyle allows us to follow the sun and to celebrate the very best of nature’s bounty and beauty on both sides of the world.

Jackie Parsons – March 2012

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