PhotographyHiking
Sunrise and Sunset Photography near Lucca
A landscape photographer from Australia came looking for sunrise and sunset photography near Lucca. Here's where I took him.
Journal · Topic
Hiking in Tuscany
Explore the best hiking trails in Tuscany with a certified local guide. From the Apuan Alps to the Apennines, discover routes near Florence, Lucca, Pistoia, Prato and Pisa — with practical tips on difficulty, gear and seasons.
Tuscany’s mountains are far from the postcard clichés of rolling hills and vineyards. The northern part of the region — between the Apuan Alps and the Apennine ridge — holds some of the most rewarding hiking terrain in central Italy. These posts cover trails I guide regularly, from easy walks along the Nottolini Aqueduct near Lucca to demanding ridge crossings at Lago Scaffaiolo.
Whether you’re looking for hikes near a specific city, planning a car-free day on the trails, or wondering what gear to bring, you’ll find practical, trail-tested guidance here.
Hiking
Walk Tuscany Like a Local: When to Go Where
Walk Tuscany like a local: a cool forest for July heat, lunch at a mountain refuge, porcini season, spring hawthorn and a walk for …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Most Beautiful Places in Tuscany You Can Walk To
The most beautiful places in Tuscany on foot: a beech forest, Apuan marble roads, wild horses above Prato, a glacial lake and a …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Hidden Gems in Tuscany: 3 Walks Most Visitors Miss
Hidden gems in Tuscany you can walk to: Lucca's 460-arch aqueduct, sand pinnacles near Florence and Arezzo, a lake on the Apennine …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Monte Forato: The Arch in the Apuan Alps
Monte Forato in the Apuan Alps: a natural arch about 32 m wide between two summits, a sunset that happens twice, and the peaks and …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Candalla Waterfalls: The Valley Above Camaiore
Candalla waterfalls, above Camaiore in Versilia: cold pools and small cascades, mills from the 1500s, a forge still run by water, …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Vallombrosa Abbey and Forest: A Walk Above Florence
Vallombrosa, east of Florence: an abbey founded around 1038, the fir forest its monks grew, Italy's first forestry school and the …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Monte Pisano: The Mountain Between Pisa and Lucca
Monte Pisano, the wooded ridge between Pisa and Lucca: Monte Serra at 917 m, Dante's pass, two aqueducts and a Carthusian …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Balze del Valdarno: a Day Trip from Arezzo
Balze del Valdarno: pale pinnacles of sand and clay 41 km from Arezzo and 42 from Florence. What they are, how to get there, and …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Livorno to Lucca by Train on a Cruise Port Day
Livorno to Lucca takes about an hour by train, changing at Pisa. From the cruise port, allow about two hours to reach the walls.
HikingHidden Tuscany
Lucca or Siena? Where to Stay if You Want to Walk
Lucca or Siena as a base? Siena suits hill towns by car. For walking I'd pick Lucca, which is flat, on the railway and near the …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Is Lucca Worth Visiting? How Many Days to Give It
Is Lucca worth visiting? Yes. The walls and the centre fill one day, and two more let you walk the aqueduct and a mountain.
Hiking
The E1 Trail in Tuscany: Stages, Map and Day Hikes
The E1 trail crosses Tuscany along the Apennine ridge in 22 stages. A local guide on the route, the stage map, and day hikes near …
HikingHidden Tuscany
Lakes in Tuscany: A Walker's Guide Near Lucca and Pisa
Lakes in Tuscany you can walk to: two mountain lakes high on the Apennine ridge above Lucca and Pisa, plus the ones you drive to …
FaunaHiking
Ticks in Tuscany: A Hiker's Guide to Bites & Lyme
Ticks in Tuscany: where you actually meet them, how to remove one properly, why TBE is not a Tuscan problem, and when a bite needs …