Best Hikes Near Prato: Mountains an Hour Away
- 24 February 2026
- Hiking
Most people know Prato as Italy’s textile capital, a working industrial city overshadowed by its famous neighbor Florence. What they don’t …
Cammino di San Jacopo: Tuscany's Hidden Pilgrimage
- 20 February 2026
- Hiking
Everyone knows about the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Hundreds of thousands walk it every year, books have been written about it, and it has become …
Car-Free Hikes Near Pisa and Lucca Train Stations
- 18 February 2026
- Hidden Tuscany
The advice you’ll find everywhere about exploring Tuscany on foot is almost always the same: rent a car.
For most of the region, that advice is …
When to Travel to Tuscany? An Honest Guide
- 17 February 2026
- Hidden Tuscany
People ask me this often.
And the honest answer—the one that never quite satisfies—is that the whole year works.
Not because I’m being …
Mushrooms of Acquerino: A Seasonal Forager's Guide
- 15 February 2026
- Mycology
The Acquerino reserve is one of the most mycologically rich landscapes I work in regularly—a mosaic of beech, oak, chestnut, and fir creating …
Forest Conservation in Tuscany: What the Data Actually Shows
- 14 February 2026
- Trees and Flora
Last Friday, I attended an event at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Calci that challenged something I’ve heard repeated countless times: that …
Best Hikes Near Florence (Local Guide to the Tuscan Mountains)
- 12 February 2026
- Hiking
Within an hour of Florence you can reach some of the best hikes in Tuscany.
Florence draws millions of visitors every year. Most of them spend their …
Best Nature Reserves in Tuscany You've Never Heard Of
- 9 February 2026
- Hiking, Photography
Ask most people what comes to mind when they think of Tuscany, and you’ll hear the same answers: rolling hills, cypress trees, vineyards, …
Asphodelus Albus: White Asphodel in Tuscan Mountains
- 8 February 2026
- Trees and Flora, Photography
There are botanical moments in the Tuscan Apennines that stop you mid-stride, that make you forget the trail ahead and simply stand in wonder. For me, …
Acquerino: Tuscany's Wild Mountain Sanctuary
- 7 February 2026
- Hidden Tuscany, Hiking
Every mountain guide has a place where they return to find themselves. For me, that place is Acquerino.
When life becomes complicated—when the noise …
Leccinum Scabrum: The Birch Bolete's Rare Appearance in Tuscany
- 6 February 2026
- Mycology
In the forests of Northern Europe—Scandinavia, the Baltic states, Russia—Leccinum scabrum is so common that foragers almost take it for granted.
In …
Douglas Fir at Acquerino: When North America Grows in Tuscany
- 6 February 2026
- Trees and Flora
Walk through certain sections of Riserva Acquerino and you might notice something unexpected among the native beeches and chestnuts.
Tall, straight …
Calocera Viscosa: The Yellow Stagshorn of Acquerino's Pine Stumps
- 6 February 2026
- Mycology
During autumn hikes through Riserva Acquerino, among the more familiar mushrooms fruiting in the beech and pine forests, there’s one that stops …
Oudemansiella Mucida: The Porcelain Jewel of Acquerino's Beech Trees
- 5 February 2026
- Mycology
During autumn hikes through Riserva Acquerino, when the beech forests turn golden and the air carries that distinctive scent of decay and renewal, …
Pholiota Squarrosa: The Scaly Mushroom of Tuscany
- 4 February 2026
- Mycology
While mushroom hunters often focus on the prized edibles, some of Tuscany’s most visually striking fungi are those we admire rather than …