What a great week in Tuscany exploring the Apuane and Appenine Alps. This really is a wonderful area of deep beech and chestnut forests and rocky ridges of limestone. I love the autumn season as the trees are heavy under the weight of fruit and nuts. The chestnut trees offer up sweet chestnuts for eating and also for the production of chestnut flour.
The walnut trees are dropping nuts all over the fields and roads and the nuts can just be scooped up as you walk. The fig trees are ripening by the day in the autumn sun - still a very nice 25 degrees - and eaten soft and green are just delicious. Then there are the pear trees and apple trees with fruit rich for the picking! A true basket of plenty provided by the Tuscan countryside.
We have just put our dates on the website or summer 2012 in Tuscany. If you want a truly relaxing mountain holiday with excellent cooking and a pool for the end of the day, then Lavacchio is the place to be either early summer or in the autumn. Mid-summer it is generally too hot for walking, so we prefer to visit earlier and later in the season. The mountains then are so quiet and we really do always seem to get the landscape virtually to ourselves!
Has anyone hiked in any other regions of Italy? And if so what was it like? Also would anyone be interested in a trip in Tuscany involving a few nights in one of the rifugios? Do get in touch if you fancy this kind of trip. Lindsay
Join us in Tuscany on our wonderful Hiking in Hidden Tuscany walking holiday.