The best trekkings to do in winter in Italy are not as few as you might think. In short, there is no reason not to walk a route in winter.
In fact, despite the cold weather and maybe snow on the roads, winter is a perfect season to get out your backpack, jacket and walking shoes… and set off.
Walking in nature gives a priceless feeling: there is hardly anyone around, silence reigns, the thrill of adventure rises, you find accommodation easily and you spend even less.
And Italy is full of magical places to walk.
11 Best winter hikes in Italy, amazing pathways from Lombardy to Sicily
Hiking between December and March can surely be challenging, but there are some routes better than others: just equip yourself well, pay attention to signposts, don’t walk in the dark and always have reference points in case of emergency.
You walk in the cold in the south but also in the north of Italy. There is a chance to see areas that are often crowded in the summer and to immerse yourself in the nature and traditions of our regions.
Here is our choice of the best walks to plan and organise in winter.
We have thought of routes that avoid high altitudes.
Happy walking!
1. Via dell’Essenza, isola d’Elba (Tuscany)
Trekking on Elba can be done almost all year round, winter included. The Via dell’Essenza (Essence Path) is a path born from the collaboration between Legambiente and Acqua dell’Elba to lead to the discovery of the island by walking along the coasts.
You walk (or cycle) 127 km overlooking the sea in 12 stages, each dedicated to a typical essence of the island. A relaxing itinerary if only for the scents you pass through, not to mention the colours.
The Sentiero dell’Essenza is suitable for everyone, with stages ranging from 6 km to 15 km, with plenty of rest areas to stop and always attentive assistance from the tourist board.
Route: island ring of Elba
Length: 127 km
Stages: 12
Information: visitelba
2. Sentiero del Viandante, Lake of Como (Lombardy)
Even in Lombardy you can go trekking in winter, you just need the right equipment.
The Sentiero del Viandante (Wayfarer’s Path) is a medium-short itinerary (45 km) and suitable for everyone, to be done in 2-3 days amidst the panoramas of Lake Como.
You walk from Lecco to Colico on paths halfway up the hillside that here and there enter the forest, with views of the snow-covered Alps.
The air is fresh, the local food suitable for the climate (game and polenta) and the lakeside villages are well equipped for hospitality.
Route: Lecco-Colico
Lenght: 45 km
Stages: 4
3. Via di Matilde (Lombardy, Emilia, Tuscany)
It is not warm between Mantua and Lucca in winter, but the Via di Matilde (or Cammino Matildico or Via Matildica del Volto Santo), passes through gentle hills and villages, without climbing in altitude. A slow-paced itinerary focused on spirituality and suggestive views, as well as the unique food and wine of this part of Italy.
We walk on the pilgrimage dedicated to Matilda of Canossa, which leads into an extraordinary but still little-known world.
Route: Mantova-Lucca
Lenght: 284 km
Stages 11
Also read: One of the best treks in Tuscany: Garfagnana, among villages, nature, food and wine
4. Cammino delle Terre Mutate (Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo)
Here, snow can be an obstacle, as well as a reason to do the Terre Mutate route, one of the most beautiful in Italy. You walk 200 km through four regions, from Fabriano to L’Aquila, along the Apennine ridge that has been shaken several times by earthquakes.
Emotions are strong: beautiful villages rearing their heads after the earthquake, between the Monti Sibillini National Park and the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. And the Campo Imperatore plateau, which in winter is pure fairytale.
Route: Fabriano-L’Aquila
Length: 200 km
Stages: 14
Also read:
- Forest bathing, 5 trails in Italy
- Europe’s most beautiful volcanoes, where they are and how far you can go
5. Sentiero degli Dei (Campania)
A year-round walk in one of the most beautiful places in the world. And winter is ‘the death of it’, as you don’t have to deal with the masses of tourists that flock to the area.
The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) is a short (9 km) walk on the Amalfi Coast, to be done in a day in the context of the Lattari Mountains and overlooking the sea. Walking along the coast looking at Capri has few equals, so much so that legend has it that the gods of ancient Greece did it, hence the name of the path.
To know: there are two paths, the low path and the high path (more suggestive and challenging).
Route: Agerola-Positano
Lenght: 9 km
Stages 1
6. Via Lauretana (Umbria, Marche)
200 km from Assisi to Loreto: the Via Lauretana is a spiritual itinerary in the footsteps of St Francis, also crossing the Marian pilgrimages to the Sanctuary of Loreto.
You walk for 7 days without crossing mountains, but rather through forests, hills and towns in Central Italy, lands rich in art and traditions. A plunge back to the times of the ancient Papal States.
Route: Assisi-Loreto
Lenght: 200 km
Stages: 7
7. Cammino del Salento (Puglia)
The Salento in peace and silence, something almost unthinkable, but which becomes possible in winter.
Amidst olive and almond trees, caves and beaches, turnip tops and “pasticciotti”, the walk goes from Lecce to S.M. di Leuca, following two routes, the Via del Mare (5 stages and 115 km), and the more inland Via dei Borghi (6 stages and 135 km).
A way to see this fantastic land at a time of tourist ‘lethargy’ and enjoy unparalleled nature, culture, hospitality and cuisine.
Route: Lecce-Santa Maria di Leuca
Length: 133 km
Stages: 6
8. Cammino di San Francesco di Paola (Calabria)
In Calabria, the problem of the cold is secondary, even though the San Francesco di Paola is actually set in the mountains of Sila, in the Cosenza area.
You follow the tracks of the preacher saint on a 100 km (4-5 days) itinerary.
There are two routes: the Via del Giovane (from the San Marco Argentano Convent) and the Via dell’Eremita (from the Paterno Calabro Sanctuary), both converging towards the town of Paola.
A plunge into the wildest side of Italy.
Route: Paterno Calabro-Paola
Length: 100 km
Stages: 4-5
9. Sentiero dell’Inglese (Calabria)
Route: Pentedattilo-Staiti
Lenght: 110 km
Stages 7
10. Cammino delle 100 Torri (Sardinia)
1300 km and 70 days, it is impossible to do it all, but even less is enough. The 100 towers (105 in reality) are those scattered on the beaches all over Sardinia, which are touched on this almost entirely coastal loop walk.
You can start from Cagliari, Oristano, Alghero, Arbatax, Porto Torres and walk through villages, dunes, secret bays and Mediterranean maquis.
In winter it is the best: pleasant climate, no one around, warm hospitality.
Route: Cagliari-Cagliari
Lenght: 1284 km
Stages: 70
Informazioni: Cammino100torri.com
11. Magna Via Francigena (Sicily)
Sicily on foot in winter is a dream.
The Magna Via Francigena, part of the larger Via Francigena, has been mapped out by a group of researchers and volunteer walkers and is meeting with an increasing number of enthusiasts.
It is a network of 900 km across Sicily, with intersecting paths to ‘combine’ your walk.
There is the classic Palermo-Agrigento route (9 stages), the long Palermo-Messina that climbs the Nebrodi and Madonie (snow almost guaranteed) and the coastal stretch of the Via Francigena Mazarense, from Palermo to Mazara del Vallo.
Route: Palermo-Agrigento
Lenght: 186 km
Stages: 9
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