MOUNTAINS OF ITALY: THE 1,001 PEAKS. FROM SICILIAN ETNA TRAIL TO VALDOSTAN TOR DES GEANTS.

TRAIL RUNNING ITALIA: The country of the summits. From Etna trail to Lavaredo in Dolomites or Valdostan Tor des Geants, Italy offers endless possibilities with or without a bib number. Our TRAIL RUNNING ITALIA section brought you yesterday the Italian Ultratrail Championship, cellebrated in Porte di Pietra. Today we will share more information about the countless routes we can do for free there this summer.

Italy offers hugely suggestive mountains all year round: From the Alps to Etna, passing through Dolomites or Apennines,. Italy gives us landscapes of alpine lakes, fable forests, small villages with rich traditions and history and also, of course, a lot of good to eat and drink.

Italy mountains: Brenta Dolomites. Photo: Mayayo

MOUNTAINS OF ITALY: THE 1,001 TRANSALPINE PEAKS.

A journey through the 1,001 Italian peaks could last a lifetime. From the fascinating areas of Carnia, Piancavallo, Tarvisio, in the Friulan Dolomites, you pass to the areas of Trento or South Tyrol, between Val di Fassa, Val Gardena and Val Badia, where, through the Superski Dolomites, the world’s largest ski resort, you can reach the well-known towns of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Madonna di Campiglio. Livigno.

If we march west you will find the imposing Lombardy Alps: Valtellina, with Livigno, one of the highest municipalities in Italy and Bormio, famous for hosting the ski world championships in 1985 and 2005, not to mention Santa Caterina Valfurva, the main ski resort of the same valley. Italy is first and foremost say, a country of mountains.

MOUNTAINS OF ITALY: PRESENT IN 70% OF THE TERRITORY.

If we think of the highest peaks in Europe, we will find them in the Valle D’Aosta. There, at the foot of Mount Bianco are the renowned Courmayer, Chamoix-Mont-Blanc, La Salle and La Thuile, on the border with France. On its way along the French confine of the Val Susa arises the charming Via Lattea, with Sauze d’Oulx, Cesana and Bardonecchia, which traces its origins back to the distant 30s when the Agnelli family built the first structures in Sestriere.

Italy mountains: alpine panorama from Val Ferret, Valle D’Aosta. Photo Mayayo

Descending along the peninsula we find the Apennino Tosco-Emiliano with the famous town of Abetone, one of the most frequented areas of central Italy next to Mount Amiata and the tops of the Sibilinos Mountains National Park. Central Italy most sought-after destination remains, however, the Grand Sasso and surrounding areas.

It is the highest mountain range of the Apennines, yes, the famous starting point of little Marco in search of his mother. Marco is gone, he went to the Andes, but there are his famous towns of Campo Imperatore, Campo Felice and other peaks of the Campo Pericoli basin. Descending south, between Basilicata and Calabria, arises the Pollino National Park, Sila and Aspromonte, a perfect union between snow sports and contact with the purest nature.

On an ideal journey through the mountains of Italy, once the continental Apennines have passed, you reach the Etna, the highest volcano in Europe, with its 3343 meters high and from which the view of Taormina, the Strait of Mesina and the Livari Islands cuts your breath. Winter sports and summer excursions along its slopes are a unique experience.

Etna’s summit, active volcano, during Etna Trail 2019. Photo: Memphis Madrid

THE ITALIAN MOUNTAIN IS VERY ALIVE

Most Italian mountain villages offer numerous cultural and sporting opportunities. Outdoor activities are ubiquitous in both winter and summer. Almost anywhere we can enjoy to the taste of skiing, mountaineering, snowboarding, hiking, Nordic walking, mountain biking, etc., There are also many entertainment offers in optimal structures where you can practice activities such as ice skating, swimming, tennis, horseback riding and much more.

Italian environmental management supports mountain sports: They are considered both an optimal form of environmental education and the best tool for the sustainable development of their small towns. A contrast to the trends south of the Pyrenees, which are forcing the depopulated places where the old trades of shepherd or farmer no longer give to live… but new mountain guides, skiing, hiking and other alpine sports are not allowed to settle in. Empty Spain, driven by an environmentalism perhaps misunderstood.

Mountains of Italy: Lavaredo Ultra at Dolomites National Park. Photo: Riccardo Selvaticco

In addition, there is a large supply by accommodation and structures oriented to all types of demand: from those most suitable for a romantic or family holiday, to those designed for those looking for the most demanding level of relaxation between trails, mountains and thermal centers. As a final summary of the huge, almost infinite possibilities offered by the mountains of Italy, we go with the integral crossing of them: The Sentiero Italia.

MOUNTAINS OF ITALY: LIST OF THE HIGHEST FOR EACH REGION: from Monte Bianco to Marmora.

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TRAIL RUNNING ITALIA: SENTIERO ITALIA.

Sentiero Italia is a hiking itinerary about 6,166 km long. which, in 368 stages, runs throughout the national territory. It departs from the Giant Grotta in Sgonico near Trieste and, crossing the entire alpine arch, the entire Apennine chain, Sicily and Sardinia, reaches Santa Teresa di Gallura (OT).

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