This 13 day walking tour of Venice and the Italian lakes takes you to the two most beautiful and interesting Italian lakes, Como and Maggiore, both forming part of the border between Italy and Switzerland, visiting the smaller lakes of Lugano and Orta along the way.

The walking tour starts on the canals of Venice (two nights) and finishes in the elegant arcades of Turin (two nights). In between, we spend four nights based on the shores of Lake Como, before crossing the Swiss border into the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, and four nights in a marvelous hotel in the lush, green valleys above the northern reaches of Lake Maggiore.

The seven guided walks that are included in this walking tour of Venice and the Italian lakes follow stone paths that were used for centuries by travelers, traders and armies to link northern Europe with the colour and wealth of the Mediterranean - the views along the way, over the lakes and mountains are breath-taking. It also includes guided sight seeing tours of Venice and Turin.  With its mild days and cool, autumn is the ideal time to be there.

This tour will be lead by Simon Tancred.

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This 13 day walking tour starts with two nights in Verona, one of the most beautiful and romantic towns in Italy, and finishes with two nights in glamorous Cortina d'Ampezzo, the ‘Queen of the Dolomites' and seat of the 1956 Winter Olympics.  In between we enjoy some of the finest walking in Europe through some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, being based in two small valleys in the heart of the Dolomites for eight nights.

On the way, we visit Bolzano (a beautiful town on the Adige River), and cross the border into Austria to spend a day in gracious Innsbruck, capital of the Tyrol region which, for centuries, included the Dolomites.  The tour finishes with a drop off in Venice, 1.5 hours drive away.

The seven walks during the tour are straightforward, following well-marked and well-maintained paths with no dramatic climbs or descents (where necessary, we take cable cars to the start of the high walk) and follow good tracks across alpine meadows to the valleys below, stopping at mountain huts along the way for breaks and lunch.

Autumn, with sunny days and cool evenings, is the perfect time for walking.

This tour will be lead by Simon Tancred.

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Starting in fascinating Palermo, finishing in glamorous Taormina and exploring some of the least-visited parts of Sicily along the way, including the Madonie National Park and the volcanic Aeolian islands, our small group walking tour of Sicily (maximum 14 guests) will introduce you to a side of this extraordinary island that others only read about.

The challenge in organising any visit to Sicily lies in what you leave out rather than what to include. We believe our 2011 walking tour in Sicily achieves a balance between exploring the island's rich heritage and traveling at a pace that will allow you to relax and enjoying what we see and do, even leaving you a bit of time to do some exploring yourself. The tour includes guided sight seeing tours of Palermo and Taormina. Going in spring means that we'll be able to enjoy the island's idyllic weather, as well as avoid the crowds of the busier seasons.

This tour will be lead by Simon Tancred.

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"Evidently, the God of the Jews didn't know Puglia, otherwise he wouldn't have given his people Palestine as their Promised Land". 
Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Puglia (1194 to 1250 AD).

800 years later, Frederick's statement is still true.  With its great natural beauty and fascinating towns and cities, Puglia (the ‘heel' of the Italian ‘boot') is still something of a promised land and is still relatively unknown, perfect for a Hidden Italy walking tour!.

Starting in the bustling port of Bari and finishing in the Baroque extravagance of Lecce, this tour will take you off the beaten track to explore the enchanting interior of central and northern Puglia (with its rolling plains, oak forests, vineyards, stone paths and fascinating towns) as well as exploring the austere beauty of the Salento Peninsula in the south (with its rugged bays, fine beaches, national parks, towers and castles, ancient Greek heritage and exuberant Baroque architecture).

The six guided walks (which follow country lanes lined with dry stone walls through forests and coastal paths through national parks with breath-taking views over the Adriatic and Ionian Seas) are straight forward with no mountains or stairs to climb!  The tour includes guided sight seeing tours of Bari and Lecce.  Spring is the ideal time to be in Puglia.

This tour will be lead by Simon Tancred

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