kahern

taking my first trip to italy in april. i have 1-2 weeks to spend there, then the rest of the month in france. i'll be traveling solo and have decided to start with a walking tour (like for 7-10 days, not one of the 3-hour tours). that will make for a soft landing in italy before heading off to paris (where i've been before) on my own. the choice of locations for walking tours seems to be amalfi coast or tuscany, then i could see either rome or florence on my own afterwards (with the help of a couple of the 3-hour variety city walk tours). got any suggestions or comments on this plan, and what are your recommendations about which of those areas to visit in april? (keep in mind i'm 50 - i can walk but i'm not in great shape.) would also appreciate recommendations for walking vacation tour companies - Exodus is the most economical i've found. and how about city tour companies or private guides in rome or florence?

SeaUrchin

I wonder about a walking tour on the Amalfi Coast in April. Where does it take you? Most of the trails are up in the hills above the towns. It might be early in the season for walking high muddy (maybe) trails.

Akin

I’ve been to both areas. We had a car to see the Tuscany area for a week and spend another week in the Amalfi Coast area and visited the different towns by the local bus system. Walking on the road that the vehicles use is a bit dangerous for pedestrians but doable. There is so much area to cover in Tuscany that I really can’t see covering many towns by walking. A week at the Amalfi Coast was good but a week, even with a car, we felt was too little time for the Tuscany area. So, I would say Amalfi Coast. The walks will be steep but if you are in good shape that will not be a problem.

SusanP

I'm not sure I understand why you want to do a walking tour if you're not in good shape. Are you planning to do a lot of walking before then to get in shape? I talked with some people in Pienza in Sept who were on a walking tour and had walked from Montepulciano that day. They were saying that it was definitely too much for some of their group. There are a lot of hills in Tuscany! Just something to think about.

Dayle

Hi Kahern,

I was also wondering why you wanted to do a walking tour for your first trip to Italy. I could see it if this was your third or fourth trip, or if you have done walking tours before in other countries.

I love hiking myself and after skiing the Dolomiti, I could see hiking there for 2 or 3 days. Hiking the Cinque Terre for a day was great and scenic, as was hiking to the Villa Jovis on Capri.

After visiting Tuscany twice though, I wouldn't want to hike there for a whole week to ten days. 1 or 2 days would be plenty for me.

Just my opinion! I know there are lots of people who do the walking tours.

Buon viaggio!

ira

Hi K,

Have you considered that:

The Amalfi Coast is mountainous.

Almost all of the interesting towns in Tuscany are perched on hilltops.

Are you prepared for hill climbs?

LoveItaly

Hello kahern, I am a very good walker but I sure wouldn't plan a 7 to 10 day walk in Italy! And you say you are not in good shape. I would rethink this plan if I were you. Best wishes to you in planning your trip.

rickandpat

I spent the first two weeks of April last year in Italy (Rome,Siena, Florence, Cinque Terre, Sorrento, Positano), and thought it was good hiking weather. Very little rain, temps sometimes a little hotter than I'd have liked but mostly very comfortable, and a good amount of wildflowers (though too early for peak garden displays). But previous posters are right, the Amalfi coast in particular makes for steep hiking.

freiamaya

Hi!
One excellent resource for you is
Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria : 2005 Edition (Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria) (Paperback)
by James Lasdun, Pia Davis
(No, I'm not affiliated with them!). This book was written by people who have walked the routes described with small children in tow. I think at 50 you can do it!!! I have included some of the author's notes, and she includes an email address for you if you have any questions. This book is available at most book stores -- I bought mine at Chapters (Yeah Canada!), but you can find this online at www.Amazon.com.

Here are the author's notes:

Reviewer: Pia Davis - See all my reviews
The original edition of this book, written nearly ten years ago, needed
updating, so we went back to Italy, this time with two young children.
We've updated the original walks and restaurant reviews and added some new
walks and locations. If you are thinking of buying the book, make sure you
have the newer edition (both editions are available on Amazon, and the newer
one is also cheaper). To order the new edition type "walking and eating
2005" (without the quotation marks) into Amazon's search box.

If you have any questions about the book, please feel free to email me at:
[email protected]. Over the years we have had so many letters from
people about the book, saying what a difference it made to their holiday. We
hope you enjoy it.

Hope this helps!
Freiamaya

kahern

thank you all for your cautions & warnings, and thank you freiamaya (i may have misspelled that - sorry) for the book recommendation.
i'm taking all your advice and steering away from the Amalfi Coast - it does sound like it may be too steep for me. and i am doing some walking to work up to the tour. i'm happy to hear that there may be some wild flowers in the Tuscany area as early as april. if that's where i do the walking, i'll go to Florence for the city /art /architecture /cafe lounging /people watching portion of my Italy trip. i feel ok about doing that on my own after having my hand held for the first week in the country. and i feel positively ecstatic about doing the above in Paris again, whether on my own, or accompanied by an amenable compatriot, or with a monkey & a bear in tow!
why i want to do a walking tour in the first place? because i've never travelled solo before and don't feel comfortable jumping right into it on my own, but i don't want to defer my dream either; because i don't want to sit on a bus, or be with a group of 25 or more; because i have more in common with younger, active, budget travellers; because i like to walk in the country and want to spend some time in smaller villages, but i don't want to drive; and because i'd like to spend more time in a smaller area rather than seeing it all once over lightly.
the companies that run these tours choose some very nice, scenic walking trails, give advice about the ruggedness of each tour, use a van to transport your luggage, and can always transport you bodily too, if you think a particular day's walk may be too challenging or you need a day off.
there are actually quite a lot of these walking tours in different areas of Italy & France, so the hard part has been choosing which one or ones to take. the tour companies say all the areas they go to that time of year are good (or they wouldn't run the tour) but i am looking for opinions /suggestions from other travellers about favorite places to visit in april (or places you'd save for another season). thanks for any thoughts! -kate