Walking in Italy (Paperback)

~ Sandra Bardwell (Author) "Italy's history is a patchwork of powerful empires and domination by foreign powers; from the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476 until the..." (more)
Key Phrases: path gains height, small alimentari, vie ferrate, Getting There, Gran Paradiso, Cinque Terre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Best for curious and independent-minded travelers' --Wall Street Journal

Product Description

Scale the spectacular Dolomites, peer into brooding volcanoes, explore medieval villages or saunter along sparkling coastlines – this guide walks you through Italy's wealth of natural beauty, history and culture.

• detailed descriptions of 55 walks, from easy day strolls to multi-day adventures
• quality two-colour maps for each walk
• tips on the best camping grounds, rifugi (mountain huts) and pensiones
• transport information to get you to and from the walks
• step-by-step introduction to the exciting vie ferrate (iron ways)
• illustrated section on Italy's flora and fauna

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 2nd edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740592441
• ISBN-13: 978-1740592444
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,642 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #27 in	Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Lonely Planet
  #33 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Hiking & Camping > Walking
  #87 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Italy

• This item is part of The Lonely Planet Italy Series Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very useful book, March 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Walking in Italy (Walking in Italy, 1st ed) (Paperback)

Serious trekkers should add this invaluable guidebook to their travel shelves. In its rapidly growing walking guide series, Lonely Planet very effectively defines its audience and focus. Walking in Italy is aimed at travelers who want to include extensive hiking in their trips or those who plan long-distance trekking journeys. The authors have selected nine areas of walks and organized both regionally and thematically. Sections such as the "Volcanoes of Southern Italy" tempt readers to plan trips that will immerse them in the rich culture and natural history of the regions described.

My wife and I field-tested this guide on a recent trip to Southern Italy and greatly valued its level of detail. We found the maps and trail directions highly accurate and easy to follow, and we particularly appreciated the many sidebars on local culture, history, and the environment. Walk descriptions also include public transportation to trailheads, campgrounds, budget lodgings and restaurants, even local sources for maps and trail guides. The first quarter of this compact book, moreover, is devoted to general travel information, which just could make this single guide all the walker needs to carry on a trip to Italy.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the book for choosing a walk in wild Italy, May 9, 2001

By	"petersonreviews" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Walking in Italy (Walking in Italy, 1st ed) (Paperback)

The emphasis of this useful little handbook is on walking in rural, even wild Italy. It describes walks in nine areas: the western Alps, the Lake District, the Dolomites, Maritime Alps, Liguria, the southern Italian volcanoes, the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento Peninsula, Tuscany and Sardenia. Also, it describes four long-distance walks which traverse the length or, pretty nearly, the width of Italy.

Coverage of each geographic area is uneven, but it's always at least enough for a rapid overview. For example, Liguria gets just 13 pages. However, it has so many wonderful walks that it's worth a book of its own. The volcanoes of southern Italy get 40 pages. And that's just about right.

There are useful chapters about the housekeeping details of taking a walk in Italy. These cover how to get to Italy, finding transport to the site of each walk, health, safety and first aid tips, facts needed for planning a walk and those background details of Italy which may be important to a walker.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All the details you'll ever need to walk in Italy, January 22, 2005

By	Rachel "http://www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany.com" - See all my reviews

This book walked us through some great walks in northern Italy. It has all the details you may need. The track is described in a way you can't go wrong. They warn the reader about every possible obstacle, give exact transportaion schedule, recommend maps, seasons and walking gear.

The tracks vary in length and difficulty. The book mentions the length, duration, and difficulty of every walk, so the reader can stay with what suits them.

We even took their recommendation for a hotel, and it turned out to be a good recommendation. It was not fancy, but clean and pleasant, just as the book said.

(I refer to the hotel they recommend in Malcesina, on lake Garda).

All in all - I'm very glad to have bought this book. It brought our trip to a whole different level.

There is a lot of general information about each area. I found it verey interesting, and I think you should read the descriptions carefully before you start your walks.

Have fun!!