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Trekking: why it's good for you and 10 unmissable excursions in Italy
By Naturale Bio
Those who love it, love it madly. Those who say they don't love it, often simply have never tried it or haven't done it in the right place, at the right pace and with the right company.
Let's talk about the trekking , the slow and steady walk to discover mountains, hills, coasts, peaks and lakes, waterfalls and natural parks.
Backpack on your shoulders, a bottle of fresh water, the right clothing – comfortable and breathable, layered to be ready for all climates – a light and nutritious lunch pack your bags and put on your comfortable boots. We are ready to set off together!
Hiking, trekking or hiking?
There are several terms that can be used to describe the activity of walking in nature. For purists, they have different meanings, even if they are often simply used as synonyms.
Technically, in fact, hiking it would be a walk of a few hours, while the Trekking It involves covering a long stretch of trails over several days of walking.
Hiking it is a general term, which summarizes them all, while there is also the so-called back-packing , which refers to having a backpack on your shoulders as you proceed.
Why walking in the mountains is good for your body and mind
As already said for the Nordic walking , walking in general is one of the healthiest activities you can do.
This is because it is a medium intensity effort that is maintained for a medium-long time , which allows you to burn a lot of calories and fat, train the heart and improve respiratory capacity.
Not only that, the right technique, with the help of trekking poles, allows you to make less effort and proceed with the right posture, strengthening the muscles not only the legs, but also the abs and back, arms and shoulders.
And the benefits are not only physical, on the contrary. Trekking is good for the mind, mood, relationships.
Walking in the mountains, in uncontaminated nature, helps to find a healthy perspective on daily worries and fears, It reduces stress and anxiety , makes you more well-disposed towards others, more attentive towards animals and the environment.
10 Summer Walks in Italy
It is difficult to choose just 10: there are thousands of itineraries and paths to explore on foot, with a backpack, throughout Italy, all splendid, in still uncontaminated nature.
There is an embarrassment of choice in terms of difficulty, type of landscape, differences in altitude and slopes, mileage, day trips or real trekking trips to be divided over several days, perhaps armed with a tent and sleeping bag.
The destination can be different: a mountain refuge where you can enjoy a restorative lunch or a suggestive waterfall to photograph or, even, a beach where you can swim.
In fact, even if the word trekking is normally associated only with the mountain in its most "alpine" sense, in reality There are beautiful routes overlooking the sea , which mix the love of height differences with incredible views of the coasts and expanses of blue.
Let's try to select 10 in 10 different Regions, from north to south of the Bel Paese:
- Aosta Valley – The Gran Balconata del Cervino, or trail 107, is a splendid high-altitude itinerary, a high route that touches several towns in the Valtournenche area. It can be covered in its entirety in several days, but it is also possible to “break it up” and enjoy day trips walking individual sections, for example from the towns of Torgnon, Chamois, Antey-Saint-André up to Breuil-Cervinia.
- Piedmont – A small jewel of the VCO, at the foot of the magnificent eastern face of the Monte Rosa Massif, is the village of Macugnaga. A very nice and simple tour, also to do with children, is the one around the blue basin of the Lago delle Fate.
- Lombardy – Val di Mello, in the province of Sondrio, is a narrow valley with truly beautiful paths to walk along and not only that: here the love of walking combines with that of climbing, given that the walls and boulders of the area, shaped by the action of atmospheric agents, are much loved by climbing and bouldering enthusiasts.
- Trentino – Every path in Trentino is worth walking, that's for sure. But few areas are as suggestive as the one around the Pale di San Martino: well-marked itineraries immersed in a scenery that in many ways recalls Yosemite and the Great Parks of the USA!
- Liguria – If we say trekking and Liguria, we say Cinque Terre! This splendid area on the border between the province of La Spezia and Tuscany combines mountains and sea for itineraries overlooking the blue.
- Tuscany – The Tuscan hills are beloved by both hikers and cyclists, because the slopes are gentle and the views are incredible. An original idea is to organize a few days of trekking on the Island of Elba.
- Emilia-Romagna – In Italy there are also the so-called “cammini”, routes that combine the desire to grind out kilometers with a desire for spirituality. No less than 6 stages of the Via Francigena pass through Emilia-Romagna, crossing splendid ancient villages such as Berceto.
- Campania – The Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast is a dream for those who love combining mountains and sea. A path of about 8km from Agerola to Positano, not difficult but still challenging due to the great heat that can be in summer: be careful to always be well hydrated and protected from the sun!
- Matera – Rightly awarded many times, because it is truly suggestive and beautiful, Matera is not only a historic village rich in architectural beauties, it is also surrounded by the Murgia Park. Between wild nature and cave paintings, every step is a discovery.
- Sicily – The Riserva dello Zingaro, in the north-west of the island near San Vito Lo Capo, is a jewel of perfectly preserved nature, a stretch of rocky coastline to be discovered step by step, inebriating yourself with the scent of the Mediterranean scrub and cooling off with a swim in one of the many coves along the way!
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