Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria (Paperback)

by James Lasdun (Author), Pia Davis (Author) "This is the heart of Tuscany, bounded north and south by Florence and Siena: east and west by the rivers Staggia and Elsa..." (more)
Key Phrases: trail info, small asphalt road, main asphalt road, San Michele, Bagno Vignoni, San Benedetto (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Tuscany and Umbria are famous for both their glorious scenery and their superlative cuisines--could there be a more perfect vacation than walking through the countryside, stopping to dine along the way? In Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria authors James Lasdun and Pia Davis offer readers 40 itineraries ranging from half-day walks to routes stretching over several days. There are written directions for each walk as well as a map. There is also a chart for each itinerary outlining travel alternatives such as buses, trains, or private automobiles and a list of restaurants along the way. Each itinerary describes the sights and terrain in charming detail, and though you might want to supplement this book with other guides specific to each area, this one does a nice job of balancing the demands of cuisine and countryside in a single volume.

Product Description
Taking readers on a series of walks that not only go deep into the classic landscape of vineyards, olive groves, forests and mountains, but also through hill towns, villages and other cultural centers, this book offers 40 itineraries--from half-day to full-day walks to routes stretching over several days. Photos throughout.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140264604
• ISBN-13: 978-0140264609
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #615,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #36 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Umbria
  #36 in	Books > Travel > Europe > San Marino & Umbria
  #71 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Tuscany

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and thorough walking guide, August 11, 2000

By	Caryn Bern (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

I was inspired by this guidebook to do 4 days of walks in Tuscany this spring -- from Buonconvento to Montalcino, Sant'Antimo via Ripa D'Orcia to Bagno Vignoni, and on to Pienza. I had previously done the Montepulciano-Pienza walk. Every walk I took was wonderful and I can't recommend this way of seeing Italy highly enough! There is no way I could have done these walks without this book, which I found to be very accurate. There were a few places where I had minor trouble interpreting the directions, but was never really lost, and I found the maps very helpful. Proprieters of the places I stayed or stopped for a meal were sometimes amused, but always pleased, when they heard I was on foot. I also had the Lonely Planet guidebook to walking/hiking in Italy, but found that to be much less helpful and less detailed. It was clear to me that Lasdun and Davis had done painstakingly thorough background research. (i.e., had walked every trail more than once, and had tried every restaurant -- obviously a great hardship, especially in the spring and fall!) It will take me years to do all the walks in this book that call out to me, but I'm already thinking of my next trip (in grape harvest season this time).

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely useful and very well researched, August 5, 1999

By A Customer

I bought this book before a recent trip to Italy. We stayed in a town described in the book and did one of the walks. Wonderful scenery and we thoroughly enjoyed the walk, and the excellent lunch at the restaurant recommended. We thought the book extremely useful and very well researched, and hope to use it to plan more walks next year. - Duncan Naylor and John Cowell

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars accurate and fun, December 19, 2000

By	"vaamonde" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Because of torrential rains I only had the chance to do one of the walks in this book on my visit to Italy this past October--from Ripa d'Orcia to Bagno Vignoni--but it was one of the highlights of my trip. I found the directions to be painstakingly accurate, which was surprising to me considering that this book was published 3-1/2 years ago. Walking from place to place and then eating delicious local cuisine is a wonderful way to explore Italy and I'd love to return and do other walks from this book.