Walking Italy: A Guide for Tourists and Armchair Travellers

by Rachael Martin

Walking holidays have become more popular, and it certainly looks like they’re here to stay. In 2022 Mintel found that walking is the UK’s most popular active holiday, while in June 2023, the New York Times ran a headline that claimed 2023 as the year of the walk. Whether it’s setting off on a long walk or going walking for the day, it doesn’t get much better than doing it in Italy. Italy has it mountains, hilltop towns, medieval squares, olive groves, vineyards, Renaissance art, routes which speak the stories of people and places.

This is a book about walking that’s not necessarily for walkers. It’s for those who love walking and go regularly but it’s also aimed at beginners, those of us who enjoy a walk followed by lunch or dinner in a medieval square and a night at a cosy B&B. Maybe you’ll never actually go on any of the walks. This is also the book for you. It’s full of the history and stories of routes and places, so you can go on your own journey from the comfort of your living room. It gives you all the relevant links you’ll need such as up-to-date maps, detailed routes, GPS navigation, updates, further reading, and advice on the walking itself. Start reading, start dreaming and maybe you too could be walking through Italy soon.

Genres: Travel

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2025

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this book to offer me achance to enjoy Rachael Martins' travelguide of walks in Italy
Through the wish to Walk the Via Francigena from France to Rome I tend to look up as much information as I can before one day I Will commence the long Walk. The writë did offer more than enough information for me to savour.
What was new for me is the amount of pilgrim routes in Italy there are, of course I should have realized that there would be. She does offer a lot of ideas for some interesting vacations in which walking, walking the dog, culture and food.
The writer offers a lot of information, except for my dog accompanying me, and so I Will probably try to get a physical edition sooner or later when my wife and I Will pick a vacation. Thank you for the many splendid ideas which Will undoubtely be used to vacation Italy.
A really well written travelbook/guide which offers plenty of ideas also filled with grand pictures.
Well advised for those inclined to enjoy walking, eating and cullturally entertainment for vacations.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking Italy by Rachael Martin is no ordinary walking book. The author provides wonderful extras such as what and where to eat and drink when in a particular location, a range of accommodations, rich cultural traditions, and descriptions of some who ventured before us to further the Grand Tour.

What an appealing book for every skill level! The long multi-day (or weeks or months) hikes with serious elevation gains to the less taxing one-day hikes to the best short sections for a fulfilling short ramble are all meticulously outlined with clear directions and stunning photographs to guide and inspire. More and more are choosing to connect with nature once again which is heartwarming to me as an outdoors woman. Some go on pilgrimages and obtain a Credential or Testamonium. I live near Italy and am blessed to see it at the most untouched, wild and rugged yet wandering into charming hilltop villages or towns jam packed with history is breathtaking.

The author also discusses knowing one's limits, how to prepare, and safety. She includes digital guides for walks and explains mountain classification. I like that she says to just put one foot in front of the other. Walking is therapeutic and excellent physical recovery (speaking from experience).

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this awe-inspiring book. If this doesn't motivate you to explore Italy on foot, even in tiny distances, what will?

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A milestone birthday is approaching for me, and I have been seriously considering a walking tour in Italy to mark this event, so this title is exactly what I was looking for to update the 2003 guide lent to me by a good friend. Martin is a Brit who lives in Italy, so she brings that love of walking to her adopted country, and offers a thoughtful guide that includes some excellent historical and cultural context, suggestions for where to eat and where to stay, and recommendations on the best sections for those who are not able to do full lengths. The book starts at the north, in the Aosta region of the Italian Alps, and makes its way south through Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, and then ending in Rome. That was a disappointment for me – Puglia, Calabria and Sicily are left out completely, as is Le Marche – all places I’m considering. Beautiful photos accompany the text, though caption information is sometimes missing in the advance copy I had. Several “vias” are described – the Via Francigena, the Sentiero di Leonardo, the Via Romeo Germanica, the Via degli Dei and several others. A map showing how these paths intersect and meet would have been SO useful! The routes are well described, with suggestions on where to stop and linger, and what to see in each area. This is not a kilometre-by-kilometre guide (others do that well), but if I do choose a trek in one of the areas described, this book will definitely be in my pack. There are links to maps and other information for each area, main walking routes and area trails, as well as tourist info, accommodation and restaurants. I tried several links and most were just fine – I found one error that I hope is corrected in the final print. What I really missed though are maps. I would like to see the book include an overview map as well as section-specific maps that let me see the route as it’s being described. I kept opening my phone map app to figure out where it was going, and how far it was from specific locations that interested me. There is an index, including references for specific trails and paths, as well as towns, parks and recommended sites. Overall I found this a superbly presented guide, with a frustrating lack of maps and less coverage than expected. My thanks to Pen & Sword Press for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that wants to make walking around Italy as appealing as possible. To that end, there are no maps, and the walks are replete with context, history, background, cuisine and details of beds for the night – and very light on directions. The first walk, for one, is just the first 10 miles or so down from the Great St Bernard Pass, in the Aosta region, but we learn all about the Via Francigena, and how to get accreditation for the pilgrimage in Canterbury, et al – alongside details of the Mont Blanc and Matterhorn cable cars.

The second section concerns the Lake Como area, and rattles off the village names in a way that is almost off-putting when no map has been handily given you. It makes for poor reading, and while this might fit with the ethos that was drummed into us all about how this might be friendly for the armchair traveller, it's not ideal to have nothing to help us visualise the area. We can cover Bologna the same way, rejoin the Francigena at San Gimignano, and bit by bit close in on the capital. But we certainly don't exactly go further than that – stopping way short of Eboli.

Overall, this is not the horrendous, prescriptive, pretentious airline magazine kind of read, but neither is it a proper walking guide – it's somewhere in between. It is gloriously photogenic, much as its source material is, and the way the walks are conveyed you'd like as not want to fit some of them in to your plans. But this is a random, personal selection of some walks in Northern Italy, and to my mind only a nod to get something much more detailed and informative long before you book any flights. It's a blog at best, and nowhere near an instructive guide. For the way it only inspires purchase of something preferable, two stars.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Italy! (Doesn't everyone?) One of things I have been missing while there was a good guide to "wandering". The author has written a book that will help me immensely on my next trip. The book has something for every hiker. Young, fit people who can hike all day, to older, somewhat handicapped people like myself. It has great descriptions of the walks, and places to sit and rest and enjoy a glass of wine while hiking. This is definitely going into my pack for my next visit!