In this issue: • Not your average tour – why these walks are special
• 2008 Featured Excursions - sign up by Janurary 31!
Not your average tour
These walks are unique and personal. With six or fewer participants, there’s a liberating sense of adventure and spontaneity. You get to share my favorite hikes from a decade of exploring, my favorite restaurants – small, family establishments serving delicious regional cuisine, and my favorite lodging, offering comfort, geniality and a bit of old-world atmosphere. We visit towns off the tour-bus circuit and tread little-known paths I’ve scouted out for historic and scenic interest. In the unspoiled countryside, the landscape evokes images of Italy’s past civilizations, and many fascinating reminders of their presence are still to be found.
Remember that the “Featured Excursions” below are only one way to go. You can also design your own excursion, creating a trip just for your party. Either way the cost is quite reasonable compared to other walking tours.
2008 Featured Excursions $1750 per person, double occupancy* Sign up now through January 31 - groups limited to six persons
> Lake Bolsena to Orvieto
15 - 21 April (7 days/6 nights)
Montefiascone, Bolsena, Orvieto – towns linked by the Roman Via Cassia, sharing a legacy of fine wine, wonderful food, beautiful scenery and historical fascination. We’ll experience breathtaking views of unspoiled Lake Bolsena with its two islands, and Orvieto - perched a high volcanic butte, its magnificent Gothic cathedral sparkling in the sunlight. At Bolsena we’ll visit a fascinating Roman town and the impressive Monaldeschi castle, now the town museum. Our walk will include picturesque Civita di Bagnoregio on a crumbling spur above wildly eroded canyons.
Three nights in an elegantly restored palazzo in Montefiascone’s medieval quarter; three nights in a lovely bed & breakfast among olive trees a short walk outside Orvieto. Average daily walk: 6 miles; longest walk: 8 miles. Somewhat hilly terrain.
> Cori and the Lepini Mountains
6 - 12 May (7 days/6 nights)
At the edge of the limestone Lepini range, the colorful medieval towns of Cori, Norma and Sermoneta look down on the broad coastal plain, the arrow-straight Via Appia and the distant sea. Remnants of older, windier roads are still visible in the foothills, as well as defensive walls of massive polygonal masonry and bits of Roman temples. We’ll hike through lush vineyards and orchards to the intriguing ruins of Roman Norba, on a cliff above the romantic Gardens of Ninfa. We’ll visit the 12th-century Cistercian abbey of Valvisciolo, and the historic Roman town of Terracina where the famous Temple of Jupiter overlooks the Mediterranean far below.
Three nights in a refurbished 16th-century monastery at Cori; three nights in an elegant medieval palazzo near Sermoneta’s famous Caetani castle. Average daily walk: 6 miles; longest walk: 9 miles. Somewhat hilly terrain.
* $2000 single occupancy. Includes lodging, three meals a day, transportation within Italy, baggage shuttle during walks, and admission to selected attractions. Air fare to Rome not included. A $300 deposit received by January 31, 2008 will hold your space.
Excursions depart from Rome approximately 10am on the listed start dates. I suggest you arrive there no later than the day before - earlier if you want time to recover from jetlag (see "Optional days in Rome" below).
Rome
Optional days in Rome and other locations can be arranged with these packages.
Special note: throughout next spring I will also be offering short “excursion preview walks”: samples of trips still in preparation. Stay tuned for more details.
