The Outdoors

Italy outside the museums

Most Americans plan Italy around churches, ruins and dinner. Then they spend one morning on a trail above Positano or one afternoon at a Ligurian beach club and decide that was the best day of the trip. Italy has the Alps and the Dolomites, 4,700 miles (7,600 km) of coastline, big glacial lakes and three active volcanoes, and you can reach most of it by train and bus.

The outdoors here works differently from home. Trails are run by the Italian Alpine Club (Club Alpino Italiano, CAI) and local park authorities rather than a national park service with rangers at every trailhead. Mountain huts sell you a three-course dinner and a glass of wine at 8,000 feet. Beaches are mostly divided into private, fee-charging clubs. And volcano access is set by local ordinances that change with the eruptions.

For the regions themselves, see the Dolomites, Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, Milan and the lakes, Sicily and Sardinia.

The classic hikes at a glance

Hiking in the Dolomites

The Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site spread across Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto, are the best hiking in Italy and some of the best in the world. The appeal for Americans is the infrastructure: cable cars and chairlifts carry you to 7,000 feet in minutes, trails are well marked, and a rifugio (mountain hut) with hot food is rarely more than a couple of hours away. You can do serious alpine walks without a tent, a stove or a week of acclimatization.

The main bases are Val Gardena (Ortisei, Selva), Alta Badia (Corvara, La Villa), Cortina d'Ampezzo, Val di Fassa (Canazei) and the Alta Pusteria (Dobbiaco, San Candido). In Alto Adige, places have both Italian and German names, and locals often use German first (Ortisei is St. Ulrich, Selva is Wolkenstein). Most lifts open from mid-June to late September; outside that window, many huts and lifts are shut and the high trails can hold snow.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The three rock towers of the Tre Cime are the Dolomites' signature view. The standard loop starts at Rifugio Auronzo at about 7,600 ft (2,320 m), passes Rifugio Lavaredo and the Forcella Lavaredo saddle, and swings round to Rifugio Locatelli for the best face-on view of the north walls. It is a well-graded trail with a few steep sections, about 6 miles (10 km) and 3–4 hours.

The catch is the access road from Misurina, a private toll road that charges a steep fee per car (tens of euros) and fills by mid-morning in July and August. Summer buses run from Cortina, Misurina and Dobbiaco, and they skip the parking fight. Check the toll and any booking requirement for the current season before you drive up.

Seceda and Lago di Braies

The Seceda ridge above Ortisei is the jagged green wedge you have seen on social media. Ride the Ortisei–Furnes–Seceda lift and walk the ridge, or descend through meadows to the huts below. In summer 2025, farmers who own land on a popular path began charging walkers a few euros to cross it, a sign of how crowded the spot has become. Go at lift opening or late afternoon.

Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee), the start of the Alta Via 1, is a short lakeshore loop of about 2 miles (3.5 km). For much of the summer, cars can drive in during the day only with a prebooked parking slot; everyone else comes by bus from Dobbiaco or Villabassa. Arrive before 8 a.m. to see it without a crowd.

Rifugi and multi-day routes

The Alte Vie (high routes) link huts across the range. Alta Via 1 runs about 75 miles (120 km) from Lago di Braies to Belluno over 9–12 days and is the most popular; Alta Via 2 is longer and harder. You sleep in rifugi on mezza pensione (half board: dinner, bed and breakfast), usually in dorms or small rooms.

Via ferrata

A via ferrata (iron way) is a climbing route fitted with steel cables, ladders and rungs, many first built during the First World War front lines. You clip in with a harness, helmet and a lanyard with energy absorbers. Easy ones suit fit hikers with no fear of exposure; hard ones are real climbing. If you have never done one, hire a guide from a local guide alpine (mountain guide) office for your first day; they rent the gear too.

Hiking the Cinque Terre

The five villages of the Cinque Terre in Liguria are linked by the Sentiero Azzurro (Blue Trail, trail SVA or no. 2) and a web of higher paths through vineyards and chestnut woods. The coastal trail is the famous one, and it is the only part that charges a fee in season. See Cinque Terre for the villages themselves.

• Monterosso to Vernazza: about 2 miles (3.5 km), 1 hr 30 min–2 hr, the hardest and most scenic section, with long stone staircases. Many people walk it from Monterosso so the steep climb comes first.
• Vernazza to Corniglia: about 2 miles (3.5 km), 1 hr 30 min, easier, with a long staircase down (or up) at Corniglia.
• Corniglia to Manarola: the low coastal stretch has been closed for years after landslides. The usual alternative climbs through Volastra and the vineyards, about 2 hr and much steeper. Check the park site to see whether the coastal section has reopened.
• Via dell'Amore, Manarola to Riomaggiore: the short cliff-edge promenade reopened in July 2024 after a 12-year closure, with timed entry slots and a one-way flow. Book your slot when you buy your card.

The Cinque Terre Card

From mid-March to early November, you need a Cinque Terre Card to walk the paid section of the Sentiero Azzurro. The Trekking Card costs from €10 (about $11) a day in 2026, more on peak days (see the Cinque Terre page for the full price table). The Cinque Terre Treno MS Card adds unlimited regional trains between Levanto and La Spezia, local buses and park toilets, and starts at about €22 (about $25) a day in season, with higher prices on peak days. Children under 6 are free and there are reduced and family rates. Buy online from the national park or Trenitalia, or at the park offices in the stations, where summer lines are long. In the off season, the trail is free.

For quieter walking, try the trail from Levanto to Monterosso, about 2 hr 30 min with big views and a fraction of the crowd.

The Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast

The Sentiero degli Dei traces a ledge high above Positano with views down the coast to Capri. The standard route runs from Bomerano (a hamlet of Agerola) to Nocelle, about 4.5 miles (7 km) and 2 hr 30 min–3 hr, mostly downhill with some rocky, uneven sections. It is a moderate walk for anyone reasonably fit, with drops beside the path in places.

1. Take the SITA bus from Amalfi to Agerola and get off at Bomerano; the ride takes about 40 minutes up switchbacks. Buy tickets before you board, at a tabaccheria or bar.
2. Walk west from the small square in Bomerano, following the signs and the red-and-white CAI markers.
3. At Nocelle, either walk down about 1,500–1,700 steps to Arienzo and Positano (hard on the knees, about 45 minutes) or take the small local bus from Nocelle to Positano.
4. From Positano, return to Amalfi by SITA bus or ferry.

Start by 8 or 9 a.m. from May to September. There is little shade, and the afternoon heat is real. Bring water from Bomerano; there are only a couple of informal refreshment stops along the way. For more on getting around the coast, see the Amalfi Coast.

Gran Paradiso National Park

Italy's oldest national park, created in 1922 out of a royal hunting reserve, straddles the Aosta Valley and Piedmont. It was set up to save the Alpine ibex, and you will see them here, often close up, along with chamois and marmots. It feels wilder and less developed than the Dolomites, with fewer lifts and more walking.

The best base for visitors is Cogne, a village in a broad valley with easy walks along the Valnontey stream and the Paradisia alpine botanical garden (open in summer). The classic day hike climbs from Valnontey to Rifugio Vittorio Sella at about 8,480 ft (2,584 m), where ibex graze near the hut in the evening. From Valsavarenche, trails climb to Rifugio Chabod and Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II, the bases for the Gran Paradiso summit at 13,323 ft (4,061 m).

The summit is a glacier climb, requiring crampons, rope and an ice axe. Unless you have alpine glacier experience, hire a certified mountain guide. Cogne is about 2 hours by car from Turin or Milan; by public transport, take the train to Aosta and the bus up the valley. See Piedmont and the Aosta Valley.

Mountain and trail safety

• Afternoon storms: in July and August, thunderstorms build over the Alps most afternoons. Start early and be off exposed ridges and via ferratas by early afternoon.
• Altitude and cold: at 8,000–10,000 ft (2,400–3,000 m) it can snow in August. Carry a warm layer, rain shell, hat and gloves.
• Rescue costs: call 112 for help. Several Alpine regions can bill you for a helicopter rescue when you are not injured or the call-out was avoidable. Make sure your travel insurance covers mountain rescue, or join CAI or the Alpenverein for their rescue cover.
• Ticks: tick-borne encephalitis occurs in parts of northeastern Italy. Check yourself after hikes in woods and long grass, and ask your doctor about it if you will spend a lot of time hiking there.
• Bears: western Trentino around the Adamello-Brenta park has a population of brown bears, and a runner was killed near Caldes in 2023. Encounters are rare; stay on trails, make noise, keep dogs leashed and follow local signs.
• Heat and fire: on the coasts and islands, summer heat is the bigger danger. Hike at dawn, carry 2 liters (half a gallon) of water, and never light a fire or toss a cigarette; wildfire fines are heavy.

See safety and health for emergencies and medical care.

Beaches and how the beach clubs work

Italian beaches confuse Americans because so much of the sand is private. Along most popular coasts, the beach is divided into stabilimenti balneari (beach clubs, called lidi in much of the south), each with its own color of umbrellas, a bar, showers, changing cabins and lifeguards. Between them are stretches of spiaggia libera (free beach), where you lay down your own towel.

How a beach club works

1. Walk in and go to the desk (cassa). Ask for un ombrellone e due lettini (an umbrella and two loungers) for the day, or for the afternoon, which is cheaper.
2. Staff assign your spot by row and number. The front row (prima fila) costs the most; the back rows are cheaper and often just as good.
3. Your fee covers the spot, usually showers and toilets, and sometimes a changing cabin. Food and drinks at the bar are extra, and many clubs serve a proper lunch.
4. Come back the next day and you can often keep the same spot. Italians rent the same umbrella for the whole summer, which is why August front rows are sold out.

Prices are set by each club and posted at the entrance. In most resort towns, a day with an umbrella and two loungers runs roughly €25–50 (about $28–56), higher on August weekends. In the glamour spots, including Capri, Positano, Forte dei Marmi, Portofino and the Costa Smeralda, a front-row set can run into three figures. Reserve ahead in July and August through the club's website or by phone; many now take bookings online.

Italy is under EU pressure to put its beach concessions out to competitive tender, a process the government has pushed toward 2027. You may read about strikes or protests by beach operators; they rarely close beaches for more than a few hours.

Where to go

The lakes

The northern lakes are glacial, deep and ringed by mountains, and each has its own character. Ferries run by Navigazione Laghi link the towns on Como, Garda and Maggiore from spring to fall, and they are the best way to get around. See Milan and the lakes and Verona and Lake Garda.

• Lake Garda is the largest and the most active. At the north end, Riva del Garda and Torbole get reliable winds (a morning north wind and an afternoon southerly) that make them one of Europe's windsurfing and sailing centers. The Monte Baldo cable car from Malcesine rises to about 5,800 ft (1,760 m) for ridge walks and paragliding, and the Ponale trail from Riva is a superb easy walk or bike ride on an old road cut into the cliff.
• Lake Como is steeper and more about villas and walks. The Greenway del Lago di Como follows the west shore between Colonno and Griante for about 6 miles (10 km), and the funicular from Como to Brunate gives a quick hike with a view. Swimming is best from the public lidos.
• Lake Maggiore has the Borromean Islands and gardens. The Stresa–Mottarone cable car has been closed since its fatal accident in 2021; check whether it has reopened before you plan around it.

Cycling

Cycling is close to a religion in Italy, and you will share mountain passes with hundreds of riders on summer weekends. Bike rental is easy in the main hubs, and e-bikes have opened the climbs to ordinary riders.

Skiing and winter

Skiing in Italy surprises Americans in two ways: it is cheaper, and the lunches are much better. A day pass in a big Italian area typically costs a fraction of a walk-up ticket at a major US resort, and mountain huts on the slopes serve proper pasta, polenta and wine. Most areas open in early December and close around Easter, with the high Dolomites and glacier areas often running later.

• Dolomiti Superski covers a dozen ski areas on one pass, including Cortina, Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Val di Fassa and Kronplatz. The Sella Ronda, a loop of about 25 miles (40 km) of linked runs and lifts around the Sella massif, can be skied in a day by intermediates. Check dolomitisuperski.com for this season's prices.
• Cortina d'Ampezzo co-hosted the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in February 2026, including the women's alpine races on the Tofane, and kept a legacy of new and upgraded facilities. Bormio and Livigno in Lombardy hosted the men's alpine events and the freestyle and snowboard events.
• Cervinia, below the Matterhorn, links over the border to Zermatt in Switzerland; buy the international pass if you want to ski across.

Volcanoes: Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius

Italy's volcanoes are active, and access depends on what they are doing. Local authorities and civil protection set altitude limits by ordinance and change them, sometimes overnight, when activity rises. Ask at the trailhead or a guide office on the day.

Mount Etna

Etna, on Sicily's east coast, is Europe's largest active volcano at around 10,900 ft (3,300 m), and its height changes with eruptions. The south side is the main entry: drive or take the morning AST bus from Catania to Rifugio Sapienza at about 6,200 ft (1,900 m), with craters from past eruptions to walk around for free. The Funivia dell'Etna cable car rises to about 8,200 ft (2,500 m), and 4x4 minibuses continue toward the area around 9,500 ft (2,900 m). The north side, from Piano Provenzana above Linguaglossa, is quieter.

The summit craters are off limits without a licensed volcano or alpine guide, and the summit zone closes completely during strong activity. Going above the authorized limit alone can bring a fine. Book a guided summit trek through the cable-car company or an authorized guide office in Nicolosi or Linguaglossa a few days ahead, and expect the combined cable car, 4x4 and guide price to be well above the price of the lift alone. Bring a warm jacket and boots: it can be near freezing at the top in July.

Stromboli

Stromboli, in the Aeolian Islands, has erupted almost continuously for thousands of years, with small explosions every few minutes. After violent eruptions in 2019 and a large brush fire in 2022, the island's authorities restricted climbing. The summit at 3,031 ft (924 m) has been closed to the public, and guided groups have only been allowed up to a fixed altitude of a few hundred meters, with the exact limit set by the current ordinance. Independent hiking above the village has been banned.

Book a guided trek with an authorized Stromboli guide office on arrival or ahead, and check what altitude is currently allowed. The other classic option is an evening boat trip to the sea below the Sciara del Fuoco, the lava slope on the island's northwest side, to watch the explosions after dark. Boats leave from the Stromboli harbor and from Lipari and Milazzo.

Vesuvius and others

Vesuvius above Naples is quiet and easy: a bus to the parking area at about 3,300 ft (1,000 m), then a gravel path of roughly 30 minutes to the crater rim. Tickets are timed and sold online, and the path closes in high wind. See Naples and Pompeii. On Vulcano, the Gran Cratere walk has closed at times because of volcanic gas; check locally.

When to go for what

For month-by-month weather, see when to go, and for gear, see the packing list. If you are traveling with kids, the Garda lakeshore, the Dolomite lift-served meadow walks and the Adriatic beach clubs are the easiest outdoor days; see Italy by interest.