2495 Walking/rambling in Tuscany

I wonder if anyone has found/ is in or would like to start walking in Tuscany - I am based in Florence, but would love to get out and about more, but when I do searches on internet, I just get tailor made holiday packages, which isn't quite what I had in mind- anyone got any ideas?
Ta
Lisa

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 11:24

[QUOTE=LisaJ]I wonder if anyone has found/ is in or would like to start walking in Tuscany - I am based in Florence, but would love to get out and about more, but when I do searches on internet, I just get tailor made holiday packages, which isn't quite what I had in mind- anyone got any ideas?
Ta
Lisa[/QUOTE]

Try joining joining your local branch of CAI - club alpino italiano - they will arrange trips to high mountains and fantastic ridge walks etc. but also they will be looking for volunteers to paint the waymarks and clear brambles, nettles and over-hanging branches from the paths in your locality. I have sent you a PM too.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 11:49

Hi
Echoing the last post, the CAI is the best place to start if you want to get out on your own rather than a holiday package.

Most of the maps in my part of Tuscany, the Garfagnana in the north of the region, are hopelessly out of date. My branch of the CAI were only too keen to welcome me as a new member and show me the paths, both marked and not. From April to September there is a fortnightly organised trip on Sundays as well as a couple of three and four day walks throughout the summer.

Dave

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 12:02

Thanks to you both for this - I have seen some publicity for the CAI, but thought it sounded rather "hard core" for real climbing types! I like a good walk, but am loathe to break nails hanging from rock faces!:)
Thanks again
Lisa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 15:07

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Anyone know if they have a branch in Abruzzo? I am tryng to buy a good walking scale map of the Maiella but no luck in UK or Pescara.

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/30/2006 - 01:03

Hi

Lisa - The walk program that my local branch puts together is graded for difficulty, ranging from "turistici" upwards so you will always know what type of walk is available.

Manopello - Check out the following site - [url]www.cai.it[/url] - and click on the link on the right hand side, "le sezione del CAI". There is a regional search which gives about 15-20 sections in Abruzzo.

Dave

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/30/2006 - 05:03

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Hi

I have found the CAI web site and the addresses of branches in Abruzzo.It looks like a very interesting organisation a bit like the Ramblers Association in UK.

Are any forum users members I wonder?

Thanks for the info.

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/04/2006 - 04:09

Joining a club is a great way of making friends and practising your Italian. And something else too: walking in a group = safety in numbers so when you chance upon the inevitable Tuscan guard dog protecting his land and property you've got a better chance of getting past unscathed. I love dogs but there are some near us that take their guarding duties just a tad too seriously! (Cowards that we are we often turn back rather than walk on...)

And I was interested to note when I bought a new map recently - the excellent 1/25 000 green series - that there's advice to walkers entitled, "attenti al cane!!!"