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Hikes and treks in Italy

We cover 9 routes in Italy: 3 day hikes and 6 multi-day treks. The gentlest is Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast) (easy); the toughest is Selvaggio Blu (very hard). The highest point is 2,900 m on Mount Etna.

Compare the routes

Route	Type	Distance	Days	Highest point	Difficulty	Best time
Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast)	Day hike	8 km	1	650 m	Easy	March to June, September to November
Cinque Terre: Sentiero Azzurro	Day hike	12 km	1	varies	Moderate	March to November
Mount Etna	Day hike	10 km	1	2,900 m	Demanding	May to October
Sentiero del Viandante	Multi-day	45 km	3–4	varies	Moderate	April to October
Via Francigena: Viterbo to Rome	Multi-day	110 km	5–6	varies	Moderate	March to June, September to November
Alta Via 1	Multi-day	120 km	7–12	2,752 m	Demanding	Late June to mid-September
Via degli Dei (Path of the Gods)	Multi-day	130 km	5–6	1,190 m	Demanding	April to October
Tour du Mont Blanc	Multi-day	165 km	9–14	2,665 m	Hard	Mid-June to mid-September
Selvaggio Blu	Multi-day	45 km	4–6	800 m	Very hard	April to June, September to October

The routes in detail

Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast), Italy

Day hike Italy · near Naples Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast) A cliff-top path from Agerola to Nocelle high above the Amalfi Coast, with some of the best sea views in Europe. ≈ 8 km 650 m high

Cinque Terre: Sentiero Azzurro, Italy

Day hike Italy · near Genoa Cinque Terre: Sentiero Azzurro The famous Blue Path linking the five villages of the Cinque Terre on cliffs above the sea. Short, but steep in places. ≈ 12 km

Mount Etna, Italy (Sicily)

Day hike Italy (Sicily) · near Catania Mount Etna A walk on Europe's most active volcano, across lava fields and craters from Rifugio Sapienza. ≈ 10 km 2,900 m high

Sentiero del Viandante, Italy

3–4 days Italy · near Milan Sentiero del Viandante An old footpath along the eastern shore of Lake Como from Lecco to Colico, through villages, chestnut woods and lake views. ≈ 45 km

Via Francigena: Viterbo to Rome, Italy

5–6 days Italy · near Rome Via Francigena: Viterbo to Rome The last stretch of the ancient pilgrim road from Canterbury, ending at St Peter's in Rome. Etruscan towns, lakes and quiet countryside. ≈ 110 km

Alta Via 1, Italy

7–12 days Italy · near Venice Alta Via 1 A north-to-south traverse of the eastern Dolomites between rifugi. Shorter and gentler than the TMB overall, with a few steep, exposed sections and optional via ferrata. ≈ 120 km 2,752 m high

Via degli Dei (Path of the Gods), Italy

5–6 days Italy · near Bologna Via degli Dei (Path of the Gods) A five- or six-day walk over the Apennines from Bologna to Florence, partly on a Roman road, with food as good as the views. ≈ 130 km 1,190 m high

Tour du Mont Blanc, France · Italy · Switzerland

9–14 days France · Italy · Switzerland · near Geneva Tour du Mont Blanc A hut-to-hut loop around Europe's highest massif. The trails are rarely technical, but you climb and descend around 1,000 m almost every day for over a week. ≈ 165 km 2,665 m high

Selvaggio Blu, Italy (Sardinia)

4–6 days Italy (Sardinia) · near Cagliari Selvaggio Blu Often called Italy's toughest trek: a wild coastal route along the cliffs of the Gulf of Orosei, with scrambling and abseils. ≈ 45 km 800 m high

Before you go

Check if you're fit enough with the two-minute readiness quiz.
Travel insurance for trekking: altitude limits and what rescue really costs.
Packing list and the gear budget calculator.

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