Ideas Wanted for Early Summer Hiking and Fly Fishing in Italy
 

I will probably post questions about this trip in a couple of different posts so I can ask specific questions in each post about the help I'm asking for. Thanks in advance.

My wife and I are just starting to plan a 2-week trip to Italy during the range of roughly June 25-July 12. We must be in Milan for June 30-July 3, but otherwise have flexibility in where we go and when we start/end the trip. We expect to visit 2-4 regions over the two weeks, including the Milan days. Our early thought is to do an open-jaw trip, flying from NYC to Milan (because schedules and airfare NYC-Milan seem convenient for us and cheapest), but back home from another city.

We have previously visited Rome, but nowhere else in Italy. We are moderately experienced international travelers, for example we've done great multi-week self-tour trips in South Africa and China. Driving or public transportation are equally fine ways of getting around.

Question for this post: In addition to enjoying photography/history/art, we are outdoors-minded people and want to spend 2-3 days of this trip day-hiking in rural areas and freshwater fly fishing. We're not looking for a multi-day backpacking itinerary, just good areas that offer fun opportunities for day-trip experiences. For day-hiking, mixed-terrain hikes roughly up to 10 miles are OK; mountain climbing - not this trip! So, we're looking for your helpful ideas about:
a) rural regions we could visit specifically for hiking/fly fishing excursions in late June/early July -- could be one region for both, or separate regions;
b) hiking clubs or fly-fishing guides we might hook up with;
c) sources of information about fly-fishing in Italy, such as any special laws or regulations we should know about fishing in Italy.

Again, thanks in advance.

Apparently, the Tevere river (the same "Tiber" that flows into Rome) offers some great trout fishing in Tuscany. If you have seen the Tiber in Rome, the idea that great fishing is associated with it seems surprising. There seem to be a number of other suitable rivers in Tuscany and some resources (fly fishing tour guides) that would make it a good choice.

My first thought, though, was that the Abruzzo region of Italy might fit the bill--although it is in Central Italy (or perhaps just south of central Italy) and not as convenient to Milan.

We have visited there and done some hiking--the area has several national parks and beautiful mountains.

Googling fly fishing and Abruzzo, I came across several links. Apparently, there is a national fly fishing museum in Castel di Sangro, which is in Chieti province in Abruzzo.

This link covers some of the rivers and available fish, as well as the need for a "D" license for visitors. The thread is a few years old, so you would have to find more recent info (especially regarding licensing). But it is a start.

http://www.flyfishing.co.uk/european...ral-italy.html

pesca a mosca

http://www.acquambiente.net/joomla/a...ishing-english

I suggest the Umbria region, near Spoleto/Norcia. The hiking near Norica is spectacular and the fly fishing on the Nera River is very good. I highly recommend hiking the Piano Grande, a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and full of wildflowers. There is an excellent variety of day hikes within the Spoleto/Norcia area and you can easily pick up information at the tourist offices. There are also quite a few small towns and villages worth visiting. The food is pretty good too. This should give you some inspiration-

http://www.ariveredge.com/2013/09/it...and-trout.html

http://www.flyfishingguidedirectory.com/Italy.html

I'd love to hear about your adventure, so if you feel like it, please post a trip report when you get back.