The way, accomodation, resupply, daily stages, GPS tracks of two hikes through Italy : in 2016, from the westernmost point of Sicilia to France and in 2021, starting in Sardinia, then the Central and Northern Apennines and finally the Alps from Bolzano to the Mediterranean.
My hikes through Italy
To see detailed information (accomodation, resupply…), GPS tracks for each region I hiked go the each specific pages.
– Sardinia
– Sicily
– South of Italy
– Center of Italy
– Liguria
– Apennines
– Via Alpina
– Southern Alps
– Via Aurelia and Via Tolosana
My hike through Italy in 2016:
I started in Egadi islands at the westernmost point of Sicily. Then, I followed Via Francigena in Sicilia and sometimes Sentiero Italia.
In the south of Italy, the Sentiero Italia was my “guideline” to go up through Calabria, Basilicate and Campania. It’s a wild way with lots of mountains.
In the center part of Italy, I followed parts of Sentiero Italia to cross Lazio (Roma region) walking partly in Molise and Abruzzo and finally joined Umbria on the the way of Saint Francis to reach the Via Francigena in Bolsena and then crossing hilly Tuscany.
In Liguria, I stayed mostly by or near the coast and to avoid Genova, I walked in the mountains.
Inspired by the Via Aurelia and the Voie d’Arles or Via Tolosana, I hiked in France until Toulouse
My hike through Italy in 2021:
It is very “mountainous” hike. I started with a north-south hike through Sardinia passing through the highest point of the island (La Marmora 1834m). After a boat transfer to Naples, from Isernia in Molise, I hiked north the Apennines in their highest part of Abruzzo. I followed away from the mountains via Assisi and Florence. Then again in the Apennines, I hiked to the Maritime Alps. At the end of July, I hiked through the Alps. From Bolzano I resumed my “Via Alpina” where I left it to join the Mediterranean.
As an extra, I hiked through the Southern Alps and the Verdon to Aix-en-Provence.
With this long distance hike I hiked almost a complete Sentiero Italia (but I took a lot of liberties on this route), I completed the hike through all the largest islands of the Mediterranean (Sicily, Sardinia, Crete, Corsica and Cyprus) and I hiked through Europe from Istanbul to Gibraltar via the mountains (Bulgaria, Carpathians, Alps and Pyrenees).
Day by day, see the stories of my hikes (in french) :
– Hike through Italy 2016.
– Hike through Italy 2021
Video of my hike 2016 :
All the pictures of my hike 2021 :
Internet websites:
The Sentiero Italia is the self-proclaimed longest trail in the world. It links Trieste to the Mediterranean through the Alpine Arc then crosses all Italy, roughly following the ridge line, along the Apennines then Sicily and Sardinia. For the moment some sections do not exist or no longer exist. It’s the case for the north of Sardinia.
Va’Sentiero is a project of a group of young Italians who hiked the entire Sentiero Italia. Their site Va’Sentiero is very interesting with for each stage: GPS track, practical information and cultural.
There are also plenty pilgrims ways : Way of Assisi, of saint Francis, of saint Michel, of saint Benoit, of Santiago (Via della Costa in Liguria…)…The website Cammini d’Italia gives an overview (not exhaustive) of some of these paths. You will find informations on the ones I hiked in each area sections.
National or regional parks have been created all along the peninsula with plenty trails. See the Italian parks site . Depending on the parks and on the parks’ own websites, it is possible to find information such as hiking maps, GPS tracks, accommodation …
On the website Geoportale , you can have a view of Italian topographic maps. The maps aren’t great (I prefer those from Opentopomap ) and the website is really not intuitive: you have to go to the top left in servizi, select WMS then as ente wms.pcn.minambiente.it and the maps for example at 25000th.
Accomodation:
See the pages for each part where I indicated for each stage, the possible solutions.
The website Rifugi-bivacchi allows you to find shelters and huts on the map. The information is more or less complete and more or less up to date.
Bivouac in Italy
In Italy, the regulation for the bivouac is the responsibility of the regions.
Sardinia: a priori the regulation only prohibit bivouacs on the coast
Sicily: bivouacs are possible in the areas authorized
Calabria: no regional rule for the bivouac. To see at the level of the municipalities
Basilicata: bivouac is possible with prior request to the municipality
Campania: the regulations concern outdoor camping for associations. For the others ???
Lazio: bivouac can be authorized by the municipality
Molise: bivouac can be authorized by the municipality
Abruzzo: bivouacs are only allowed in places defined by the municipalities
Umbria: each park defines the bivouac areas. Elsewhere it is the municipalities that define the regulations for the bivouac.
Tuscany: no regional rule for the bivouac. To see at the level of the municipalities
Liguria: no regional rule for the bivouac. To see at the level of the municipalities
Piedmont: a priori, bivouac is allowed
Trentino Alto Adige: prohibited near tourist reception facilities
Lombardy: no regional rule for bivouac. To see at the level of the communes
Aosta Valley: bivouac allowed above 2,500 meters. Forbidden in the Gran Paradiso National Park and near the refuges
My backpack
Appalachian Trail in 2017, Balkans in 2018, Eastern Europe in 2019, Grande Traversée de la France in 2020, my equipment has not changed much. I am not ready to make certain concessions on my comfort (see some explanations below). After several weeks of walking, once in shape, the weight is less of a problem and for the moment, this weight does not handicap me to carry out my projects. I’m not a trailer, I’m not looking for a performance but just to walk to the end of my path.
For a long hike of several months, the equipment is for me different from that for a two or three week hike in nature, bivouacking most of the time. I go through cities or villages where I like to be more or less presentable and not look like a “brother” from the Appalachians.
I did not have to change heavy elements this year. I optimized all the small equipment looking for every grams. I am leaving this year with a weight carried excluding water and food of 7500 grams. With small optimizations, I gained almost a kilo compared to the Appalachian Trail four years ago.
Some explanations on my choices:
– Tent. Inner tent and freestanding are important criteria for me. Having frequently hiked in the late afternoon among horseflies, swarms of flies, midges or mosquitoes, I am not ready to do without the first mosquito net. As I often arrive tired after a long day, I appreciate being able to isolate myself in peace upon arrival at the bivouac. The inner tent prevents condensation. The freestanding tent allows me to set up on platforms, hard or very soft floors.
– Sleeping bag. I have a good quality sleeping bag (Mountain Hardwear Phantom Spark 28). It is given for -2 ° C in comfort limit. I also have a silk sleeping bag liner which can provide additional comfort of a few degrees. This sleeping bag liner also keeps me from getting my sleeping bag dirty. I wash this sheet regularly during my walks and appreciate being able to sleep in a clean sleeping bag liner. It allows me to manage three situations: Hot night or in hut (sleeping bag liner only) – Very cold night (sleeping bag liner and sleeping bag) – Intermediate (sleeping bag liner and sleeping bag just as blanket).
– Mattress. I hesitated to go with a basic folding foam mattress that I had cut out. This saved me 100 grams and I avoided the problems of punctures, edema (the mattress swells and makes a bump in one place) that I encountered. The Nemo after-sales service was commercial and I am leaving with a new Nemo Zor 20R. The weight of this mattress remains very correct with 410g (with the repair kit). It has the advantage of being more comfortable and more insulating than the basic foam mattress that I had envisaged.
– Shoes. I was trained on the old way : in the mountains, you go with good shoes. I have fragile ankles. I have frequently had to cross snowfields and feel more comfortable with mid-high shoes. In addition, I don’t have to change shoes during the hike (or just once if I have to hike more than 2500km). So far, I have no blisters (or just occasionally and briefly) and the weight per foot does not bother me. So why switch to lower shoes that are more fragile and less stable on difficult terrain?
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