One ingredient we always try to have on our lunchtime picnic tables is a taste of local honey. It is delicious on bread, with cheese or drizzled on a fresh apple or pear, and wherever we are walking in Italy we try to find the best, locally produced,...
If you're looking for some festive fizz this Christmas you might like to search out a bottle of Italy's famous sparkling wine from the region known as Franciacorta. The vineyards are sandwiched more or less between Bergamo and Brescia in the Lombardy region in the...
Cathy Samson and her husband Paul took their first Hedonistic Hiking steps in the Italian Lakes in September 2023. In contrast to last month's interview with Chris Bell, who completed his 20th tour in 2023, we caught up with Cathy this month to check out the highs and...
Every town in Italy has a patron saint and each one has a day in the year dedicated to its celebration, known locally as the "Festa del Santo Patrono". Stumbling across one of these saints days unwittingly can have two outcomes. You might find it...
We are lucky to work in Italy when it comes to rustling up picnic lunches because the selection of ingredients is extensive, high quality and delicious. The picnic lunches on our hiking tours in Italy are the stuff of legend (even though we say so ourselves!)...
Palazzo Pfanner - Lucca Lucca is one of Tuscany's gems, encircled by impressive Renaissance walls, and is the first stop on our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour which runs in May. We have a little stroll around the 4 km walls as we arrive into the town, and...
In 2023 Chris Bell completed an impressive 20 tours with Hedonistic Hiking. First joining us in 2008, he has been a regular visitor to Italy ever since and many of our guests will remember hiking with him across the peninsula. And he's not stopping at 20!...
Autumn is the season when we start to see pumpkins appearing in Italy's shops and markets. In the UK and US they play an important part in our celebrations for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. In Italy, however, it is the pumpkins themselves that are...
One of the highlights of our Etruscan Trails in Central Italy tour in May is our hotel stay immersed in the Tuscan landscape that surrounds Montepulciano. But the town’s midway location right in the heart of Italy makes it an ideal top or tail to any central...
Explore Portoferraio - Elba's Capital City About Portoferraio Portoferraio is the capital city of the island of Elba, in the Tuscan archipelago. Elba is the third largest Italian island after Sicily and Sardinia. It has rich mineral deposits and...
2024 will see us returning to the border area between France and Italy, hiking in two stunning National Parks which are home to a unique cultural and natural heritage. On the French side we hike in the Mercantour National Park and on the Italian...
Orvieto is one of Umbria's most striking towns. It sits high on a cliff of dark volcanic tufo rock with impressive vistas across rolling vineyards and olive groves. It was an important city for the Etruscans, as well as the Popes in medieval times, and its...
Jackie's latest guest article for Sixty & Me looks at ten of Hedonistic Hiking's favourite smaller museums and attractions in Italy, which are just a little off the beaten track. These hidden pint-sized gems don’t have the size and grandeur of...
Explore Colle di Val d’Elsa - Italy's Crystal City About Colle di Val d’Elsa Colle di Val d’Elsa is a town which sits right in the centre of the region of Tuscany, a little to the north west of Siena. Unusually for a Tuscan medieval town it has an...
As you are starting to think about what you need to join our trips in September and October, we hope you will take note of our plea to pack light! As you will know, we travel in two nine-seater minibuses and, when we are a full group, that means 18 people travelling...
Explore Cuneo - Italy's gateway to the Maritime Alps About Cuneo Cuneo is a small, elegant city in Italy's north western region of Piedmont which, for centuries, has been the gateway to the Maritime Alps and on into France. It has almost 1,000 years of...
In high summer here in the northern hemisphere, more and more of us are buying and enjoying rosé wines. When you first think of rosé you might well be drawn to France and, in particular, the regions of Provence or the Loire. Italy perhaps lagged behind in...
When you are joining a walking holiday for the first time you will doubtless think about well-fitting walking boots, and comfortable walking trousers/shorts and shirts. We have lots of helpful information on our Kit Page about what to wear and how best to...
Explore Aosta - a Roman town at the foot of the Alps About Aosta Aosta is a mountain town with over 2,000 years of history. It sits at 583 metres above sea level and is surrounded by magnificent alpine scenery, overlooked by some of Europe's highest peaks: Mont...
Jackie's latest guest article for Sixty & Me looks at some of her favourite spots in Tuscany taking the visitor away from busy tourist centres. With a little thinking outside the box you can experience the pleasures of Tuscany without the crowds,...