Amy and her husband randomly had a conversation with a man who spoke highly of Walkers' Britain and decided it sounded like a great company. Together with another couple from Idaho, USA, they took off walking in Italy’s Apuane Alps. Read here their review of the walking holiday with us. 

 

All 4 of us live in Idaho, USA, and regularly take advantage of the outdoors of our state including hiking and trail running. My husband and I had done a self-guided hiking tour in Ireland approximately 16 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We prefer to include some adventure and activity into our vacations and hiking / walking is always a great way to see a new place.

 

 

 

As we looked at options for our next walking holiday, we knew we wanted to go back to Italy as it had been 18 years since we’d been. We also wanted a challenging route, the Apuane Alps checked both those boxes. The other couple from Idaho that joined us was ‘up for anything’.

 

My husband and I had a busy summer of trail running events that set us up pretty well for the trip. On the flipside, our friend had an arthroscopic knee procedure about 2,5 months prior to the trip and did fine. We all had a solid level of activity from the start and really had no concerns. We opted not to do the “long” day as we also recognized we were on vacation!

 

 

We really enjoyed the three nights we stayed in Fornovolasco. We were placed in a freestanding apartment across the river from Rifugio La Buca. We were pleasantly surprised to find a washing machine and had plenty of space to spread out, dry out and enjoy ourselves. Paula is a fantastic hostess and cook and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

 

All the cappuccinos in the mornings to send us on our ways. The cold Italian bierra to greet us after the walk. And the house vino rosso to accompany all the delicious home-cooked meals. 
There was no bad meal. We particularly enjoyed the pasta and tiramisu from Paula in Fornovolasco and the breakfasts at Albergo Gorizia were delightful and had a slice of cheese as big as a plate.

 

The complete lack of tourists! We were at the end of the season and knew this was not one of the more popular hikes, but we truly did not run into any other hikers on the trail. We opted to go to the Wind Cave outside Fonovolasco and did see people there, but otherwise we just enjoyed our interactions with owners of the lodgings.

 

The answer to this must be the unrelenting rain on the first day as we set out from Fornaci di Barga. It made for a challenging day with slick trails, some difficulty with way finding and energy level. However, Manuel and Sylvia, the owners of Agriturismo Summer (our lodging for the night), welcomed us with a place to dry out and arranged for some sunshine as we enjoyed some beverages by their pool!

Amy and her husband together with their friends did our self guided 'Walking in the Apuane Alps' trip. Learn more about it today or talk to our experienced team to discuss any queries you may have about walking in Italy.