Trails Of 2023
A year filled with wonders and adventures from north to south! Many trails, laughs, landscapes, meals, memories, and days of pure joy were had throughout Italy.
There Is No Such Thing As Italian Cooking!
Italy’s diverse and temperate climate allowed an incredible culinary biodiversity to develop. Therefore, wherever you go in Italy, you will be savoring the local culinary customs.
Trails of 2022
From the southern heel of Puglia to the eastern and western coasts of central Italy and up to the mountain peaks of the North, we traipsed through valleys and challenged ourselves with breathtaking hikes. We were enthralled by remarkable cultural sites, stayed in charming hotels and savored some of the best that Italy has to offer. Our travels started [...]
Hiking the Casentino Valley
The Casentino is a wonderful tour. It really is hidden Tuscany: only an hour north-east from Florence, yet surprisingly un-touristed. Our route take us along the ridges of the Apennine Mountains into the verdant forests of the Casentino National Park, to hidden monasteries and small villages, and to where the Arno River springs forth and starts its flow [...]
Tarantella – Music from the South
The traditions, the food, and the culture that characterize southern Italy offer unexpected surprises. We absolutely love one of the most evocative types of traditional music and dance, which harken from the south. There is ancient lore that women going into the fields to cut the grain they grind for bread and pasta would sometimes be bitten by the ima [...]
Paths in the New Year
Lots of great dreaming can take place from a chair, or a walk around the block, or on a path up the hill behind the house. We have been thinking about the wonderful possibility of travel opening up again in 2021, and so have scouted some new locations and improved on some existing tours. LE MARCHE Le Marche suffered a devastating earthquake four years a [...]
Anna & Alba, Our Favorite Chefs!
One thing that we have missed in our time of staying home, aside from being able to carry out our hiking tours with you, are the always welcome visits from the zie (pronounced tz-ee-ay), or aunties. They are Mario’s sisters but we have called them “the aunties” since Lorenzo, the youngest nephew, was a doted upon child. Photo by Jim Gregory There are [...]
Marche, Umbria & Walking in the Rain
Let’s reflect on these two lesser known regions in Italy and take a deeper look at Le Marche, Umbria, and, as spring sometimes surprises us: hiking in the rain. Why not? After all, it is that time of year! A march, or mark, in the Middle Ages meant a border province of the Holy Roman Empire–usually an unsettled frontier held by one of the Emperor’s figh [...]
The Magical Sicilian Easter & The Arches of Bread
Spring represents a rinascita, or rebirth, of nature… and for us at Journey Through Italy Sicily is one of our favorite places to travel this time of year. Sicily does not have very cold winters, so spring arrives and nature reawakens here earlier than in other parts of the country. Already in March the almond trees are blooming in Agrigento. Every seas [...]
How Journey Through Italy Touches Lives
For more than 25 years, Journey Through Italy has welcomed and touched the lives of thousands of guests. But if we examine what it means to touch a person’s life or how exactly an experience of such elevated quality and meaning is achieved in the world of active travel–we quickly discover that the real pros stand out. And guests return home to talk abou [...]
Puglia: The Heel of the Boot
Imagine this: stone-walled lanes, endless vegetable gardens, infinite groves of olive trees (some known to be thousands of years old)––filling the horizon and reaching out to the subtle waves of the sparkling Adriatic Sea. While we weave our ways in and out of tiny white-washed villages, we pause along the way to sit, talk, nibble Southern delights and [...]
Immersed in the Dolomiti Mountains
We had a wonderful time exploring the heart of the unique Dolomiti mountains with a small group of travelers last month. This land of fairytale villages and distinctive pink, lacy mountains which overlook seemingly endless, verdant valleys and flowering meadows are of almost staggering beauty, and a paradise for hikers. It was a relief to leave the crow [...]
Hiking the Amalfi Coast in April 2019
“Closer to heaven than to earth” is how the Amalfi coastline has been described. It certainly feels that way to us, waking in lovely towns perched on high, or alongside the sea. Fragrant lemon trees are everywhere, and colorful bougainvilleas accentuate the balustrades. One feels the thousands of years of geographical, political and agricultural histo [...]
Marvels Of Western Tuscany
Tired of seeing or hearing about some of the more tried and true Tuscan routes? Wine trails and hilltop towns? Journey Through Italy is offering a brand new tour that beautifully fuses together the wild and wooly unknown corners of Tuscany: from the dazzling city of Lucca to the chestnut forests and huts of the Garfagnana area, including charming Barga; [...]
Dolomiti Photo Workshop
We are extremely excited about our Journey Through Italy + The Image Flow tour being offered this July that includes a special collaboration. Our Dolomiti Photography Workshop brings Journey Through Italy’s Director Lorenzo Acciai together with California-based instructor/landscape photographer Leanne Hansen for a rare opportunity to experience, learn a [...]
Sicilian Markets
Sicily is well known for being a place where theater comes to life— even in everyday living. This can easily be seen at their numerous colorful outdoor markets, a tradition dating back to the 9th century Saracen rule of the island, which explains their striking similarity to Arab souks: the sing song cadence to their words as they call out their wares [...]
Back From Our Chianti Tour!
We just got back from our Chianti Tour and once again are reminded how marvelous Tuscany is in the autumn! We all met in Florence for a fascinating tour of some small Renaissance jewels with Lise, our favorite Florentine art expert, and then made the pilgrimage to our countryside home for a delicious homemade dinner prepared by Aunties Alba and Anna. Th [...]
Tania’s Picnics
Tania, our chef, works her magic every day by preparing exquisite picnics for our guests. Each morning before our day starts she sets out in search of fresh local vegetables, meats, cheeses and whatever the surroundings may offer. While our guests are out hiking along unique trails and picturesque sceneries Tania will be setting up a feast. Our picnics [...]
Easter In Sicily
Easter week is referred to as Settimana Santa or Holy Week and features some of the most vibrant processions and festivals in Sicily. Many of these have roots in traditions that can be traced back to Spain and are incredibly colorful, taking place against a backdrop of atmospheric streets and squares. The mixture of religiosity, mysticism, lights, costu [...]
Welcome to Italy
This is a brief post where we would like to explain our philosophy and approach to traveling through Italy. We are native Italians and we have been leading tours for many years. We take pride for the marvelous place we were born in. Therefore we make every possible effort in showing our clients the hidden gems that are scattered throughout our peninsula [...]