Arrive independently in Lucca and check into your pre-booked hotel located just outside the city walls. Meet your guide and the rest of the group at 15:00 in the hotel lobby to depart for a two-hour guided visit of fascinating Lucca with a specialist city guide. Lucca was an important city in Roman times, and later became one of the great city-states of Medieval Tuscany. Reconvene at 18:45 for an aperitivo and then dinner together. Overnight Lucca. Overnight Lucca. Hotel included. Dinner included.

After breakfast, we have a 08:30 a.m. transfer to the mountains. We stop on the way to admire the medieval Ponte del Diavolo, which has been gracefully spanning the river for 800 years. We continue to the National Park of Orecchiella and start our hike above the tree line.  We have a sustained climb to the top of Pania di Corfino, which at 1,610m (5,250 ft) is one of the highest mountains of the Apuan Alps. You will be rewarded with wonderful views across the Apennines and as far as Versilia on the Mediterranean coast. We descend a track to Campaiana, a high pasture where for centuries shepherds have brought their animals for summer grazing. We have lunch in a small osteria specializing in mushroom dishes. We finish our hike at about 5 p.m. and transfer to our charming small albergo made up of log cabins, lovely grounds and a welcoming bar and restaurant where we dine tonight. The hike: 11.5 km / 7,1 mls, elevation gain: 588 m / 1929 ft, maximum altitude 1.590 m / 5.216 ft Duration: 4 ½ to 5 hours; Difficulty: middle-challenging.Overnight: Careggine. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included.

A 30 minute scenic drive takes us to the trailhead. Our hike gradually scales Monte Tambura. We hike a section of the historic “Via Vandelli” a commercial and military road built between 1739 and 1752 that once connected the city of Modena with the town of Massa on the coast. At the summit we enjoy an expansive view and a yummy picnic lunch before descending. On our way home, we will stop in the village Vagli Sotto for a quick visit and a cold beer at the only bar in town. We get back to our cozy cabins around 15:30 for some down time before dinner in the village.The hike:  11.80 km / 7.35 mls, max altitude: 6213 ft (1894m), elevation gain:1007m/3303 ft, Duration: approx. 5 hours hiking. Difficulty: middle-challenging with a stretch that is challenging to reach the summit. Overnight: Careggine.  Hotel, breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner included.

Today we summit! Yes, again! After a short drive, we arrive at a collection of isolated houses spread out amongst a forest of old chestnut trees. As we hike we pass a number of metati, which are small huts used for drying chestnuts that were used to make the traditional local staple of chestnut flour. The route climbs towards the exposed (but safe) summit of Mount Sumbra (1,754 m/5,800 ft), considered the most spectacular peak of the Apuan Alps. From here we return back along the same path but with a different view, of course!  After this challenging but rewarding hike, we transfer to the Agriturismo Praddiciolo. The rooms are in a tastefully renovated 1800’s barn, located a short walk from the center of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. We enjoy dinner at Ristorante Al Baretto in the village. The hike: 13 km/8 mls; max altitude: 1767 mt/5797 ft., elevation gain: 914 m/3,000 ft; Duration: approx. 4 ½  to 5 ½ hours. Difficulty: challenging. Overnight Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. Hotel, breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner included.

At an altitude of 1,525 m lies the village of San Pellegrino in Alpe, the highest village in the Apennines. Formerly a stronghold of the region’s defences,  it is the starting point for today's hike. We follow an ancient mule track through the village and up to the cross of Saint Pelligrino where the Saint reputedly resisted the devil’s temptations. To this day pilgrims come here as a sign of devotion and penance. You can atone for your sins by carrying a stone to the site, however, the stone must also reflect the size of your sin! More importantly, the view is wonderful, and the path continues to reward us as we loop back to the village. We have lunch in a rifugio, or back in the village, depending on the conditions. Before dinner, you will have some free time to explore Castelnuovo. Dinner in the village at Ristorante Il Teatro. The hike: 14,20 km/8.85 mls; elevation gain 293m/963 ft - maximum altitude 1.741m/5711ft; Duration: approx. 4 ½ hrs hiking; Difficulty: easy/moderate, hard packed terrain, some in the bush, some on a dirt road. Overnight: Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast, we drive about half an hour to the start of our hike to Monte Forato, the “pierced” mountain. It is one of the most popular destinations in the Apuan Alps thanks to the wonderful trail that leads to the natural arch that unites two peaks creating a large hole visible from miles around. At the end of this very rewarding hike, we check into a special little place on the outskirts of Barga village where you will have your own little wood-panelled chalet in the park of the Villa Nello Castelvecchi, a Liberty Villa with a curious history. Enjoy a little downtime before honing your culinary skills with a cooking class with Rita. She will teach you some local Garfagnana recipes. Tonight, you eat what you cook! The hike:  Loop hike - 10 km/6.21 mls; elevation gain/loss 693m/2273 ft, maximum elevation 1167 mt/ 3828 ft– Duration:  approx. 41/2 to 5 hours hiking; Difficulty: challenging. Overnight Barga. Hotel, breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner included.

One last fabulous hike awaits us! Today, we’ll descend in to the Vallone dell’Inferno (Hell’s Valley), after climbing the summit of Pania della Croce, which at 1,859 m (6,100 ft) is one of the highest mountains of the Apuan Alps. Wonderful views stretch out across the spine of the Apennines to Versilia on the Mediterranean coast. The trail leads us to a charming mountain rifugio for lunch and then we descend along an old mule track to the abandoned village of Col di Favilla. A short drive brings us back to our comfy chalets. This evening, before dinner we have our wine tasting, which is located in an enoteca which is also a craft distillery making specialist gin. This is a new visit for us, but it look like it is gong to both educational and fun! Our final dinner together is at a fantastic, family-run restaurant in the center of historic Barga. The menu features an array of tasty traditional dishes complimented by a wine list featuring excellent local producers.The hike:12.5 km/7.7 mls, elevation gain 768 m/ 2519 ft, maximum altitude 1841mt/6040 ft  Duration: approx 4 ½ to 5 hours hiking. Difficulty: moderate/difficult. Overnight: Barga. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.

Departure at the end of the trip: We have a shuttle to the main train station in Lucca. We  arrive around 10:00 am. From Lucca, you can easily go to Florence where you can make connections  to other destinations in Italy and Europe; there are departures for Rome, Pisa, Milan, etc. every hour (see the www.trenitalia.com and www.italotreno.it website for detailed train information). Breakfast and one group transfer included.

Please note: Some details of the itinerary may change according to the departure date of your tour. Whenever we run a tour we make new discoveries. Sometimes they are good discoveries, like a wonderful new trattoria, and sometimes they are bad, like a trail has been washed away. The result is that we sometimes change our itinerary to improve it by adding new wonderful elements to the tour or by removing something that does not work anymore. Rest assured, our goal is to always provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary prior to departure.  

The hikes are quite mountainous, with a fair amount of elevation gain and loss on hiking trails. These are challenging hikes and are not appropriate for first time hikers. We have designed the trip so that there is always some free time in the late afternoon so you can relax, read, or enjoy the towns where we stay. Breakfast is included every day, and dinners reflect the excellent traditional food of the region. Daily distance between 8 and 14 kms.