Slow tourism

Breathtaking landscapes, silent forests and villages: this is the Italia of the Caminos

by Laura Dominici

9 March 2026

8' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

8' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

There is an Italia that cannot be seen from car windows or high-speed trains. It is an Italia made up of paths that connect millenary abbeys, silent forests and villages where time seems to stand still. From the peaks of the Biella Alps to the Valley of the Temples, 'gentle tourism' redraws the map of the Bel Paese in ten routes that celebrate silence, roots and unexpected beauty, designed for those seeking a holiday capable of nourishing not only the body but also the spirit, amidst breathtaking landscapes and traditions that resist the wear and tear of modernity.

Il Cammino di Oropa

The Oropa Trail, the perfect initiation into walking

The Cammino di Oropa is one of the most popular routes, especially for those who wish to approach the experience of travelling in stages for the first time without sacrificing comfort. Located in the heart of the Biellese area, only an hour away from Milan, this route of about 64 kilometres winds through a surprisingly varied landscape that from the agricultural plain of Santhià gradually rises towards the natural amphitheatre of the Serra Morenica, the largest moraine hill in Europe. The route is ideally divided into four days of walking, with stages varying between 14 and 16 kilometres, passing through ancient beech and chestnut woods, fortified villages and boundless meadows offering spectacular views of Lake Viverone and the Po Valley. The final destination is the imposing Sanctuary of Oropa, located at an altitude of 1,200 metres, one of the most important Marian places of worship in the world, where the dome is visible from most of Piedmont. Here, amidst high-altitude botanical gardens, panoramic cable cars leading to the foot of Monte Mucrone and rock walls engraved with votive offerings to the Black Madonna, the walker finds a goal of rare beauty.

La Via Francigena

The Via Francigena: the millennial artery uniting Europe

The Via Francigena is the path par excellence, a historic route that for centuries led pilgrims and merchants from the heart of Europe to the Eternal City and then down to the ports of Puglia for embarkation to the Holy Land. In 2025 the official candidacy dossier was sent to Paris, with the Region of Tuscany as leader in collaboration with the European Association of Vie Francigene. The route aims at recognition as a Unesco transnational cultural heritage. The itinerary of the Francigena of the North covers about 1,000 kilometres from the Great St. Bernard Alpine pass to Rome, crossing seven different regions and offering an unparalleled variety of landscapes: from the snow-capped peaks of the Valle d'Aosta down through the vineyards of Piedmont, across the rice fields of Lombardy and the hills of Emilia, before crossing the Apennines and plunging into the iconic splendour of the Crete Senesi and the Roman roads of Lazio. The itinerary can be done in stages, each one a plunge into the cultural, historical and artistic richness of the Bel Paese, a journey through Italy's extraordinary food and wine heritage, and customised to suit your needs.

Il Cammino di San Benedetto

The Way of St. Benedict between mysticism and nature in the heart of the Apennines

Over 300 kilometres long, the Way of St Benedict plunges into the greenest and deepest Italy, connecting the three places that more than any other tell the human and spiritual parable of St Benedict of Norcia. The itinerary starts in Norcia, the saint's hometown, protected by the majestic and wild Sibillini Mountains, and then winds through medieval villages, lush valleys and silent forests until it reaches Subiaco, where it is possible to visit the Sacred Grotto and the monasteries set in the rock where Benedict founded his first communities. The itinerary then continues to the final destination, the Abbey of Montecassino, a symbolic place where the 'Rule' was written and from which one can enjoy panoramic views encompassing the entire valley below. It is an experience pervaded by a magnetic and meditative energy, a journey into the most authentic nature where the walker also crosses the tracks of Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Francis of Assisi, making the route a true compendium of Franciscan and Benedictine spirituality. The accommodations are designed for those seeking genuine contact with the territory, amidst small family structures and abbeys, where the slow pace of the walk allows one to rediscover inner balance amidst gentle hills and ancient stone villages.

Il Cammino dei Borghi Silenti

The Walk of the Silent Villages in the Peace of the Amerini Mountains

Created as a project for the enhancement of the territory, this 90-kilometre-long ring-route develops in Umbria, surrounding the Amerini Mountains in a corner of the region where silence is not only the absence of noise, but a precious and regenerating travelling companion. The Cammino dei Borghi Silenti begins and ends in the small village of Tenaglie and takes about seven days of walking through chestnut forests, ancient sheep-tracks and mule-tracks leading to medieval villages that have remained miraculously intact, such as Melezzole, Morre, Baschi and Civitella del Lago, the latter famous for its spectacular view of Lake Corbara. Along the way, it is possible to make an extended stop in Orvieto, one of the most fascinating hilltop towns in Italia, to admire its Gothic cathedral and mysterious Etruscan roots, before returning to immerse oneself in the quiet of the woods. This is a low environmental impact itinerary that actively supports small local communities, offering overnight stays in well-kept family-run establishments where Umbrian cuisine, based on the highest quality olive oil, black truffles and handmade pasta, completes a total sensory experience.

Ortona, il Cammino di Margherita

The Margaret Walk between history and nature

The idea of Margaret's Path was officially born in 2022, the year in which the 500th anniversary of the birth of Margaret of Austria (1522-2022) was celebrated. In that year, the celebrations of the Marguerite Year in L'Aquila and Ortona gave the decisive impetus to create an itinerary that winds its way from the peaks of the L'Aquila Apennines to the cliffs of Ortona, linking medieval villages and Farnese palaces in an embrace of history and nature. Daughter of Emperor Charles V, Margaret was one of the most influential female figures of the Renaissance and indissolubly linked her name to Abruzzo, governing the fiefdoms of the so-called 'Farnese State'. The path winds like a red thread linking the towns and villages that Margherita chose as her home or that she administered with farsightedness. The pivotal points are L'Aquila, where she resided for a long time in the Palazzo Farnese (today's seat of the municipality) as governor, the inland feuds, with villages such as Leonessa (in Lazio, but historically linked to the territory), Cittaducale, Montereale and Penne. Ortana is also part of this circuit, because it was here that Margaret spent the last years of her life. The objective is not just sporting, but identity, because it intends to connect the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic through history, enhancing Farnese architecture, local food and wine, and the mountain landscapes of Gran Sasso and Majella as far as the sea.

Il Cammino di Guglielmo

The Guglielmo Way and the revival of Irpinia

The Guglielmo Path is the flagship of a new strategy to enhance the hinterland of Campania, combining devotion to St. Guglielmo da Vercelli, patron saint of Irpinia, with an ambitious project supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the 'Tourism of the Roots'. The route takes in sites of immense spiritual and architectural value such as the Abbey of Montevergine and the Goleto complex in Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, continuing on to Basilicata and Apulia in an inter-regional corridor that touches authentic villages often excluded from mass tourism circuits. This rediscovery of the area is closely linked to the relaunch of the Laceno Plateau near Bagnoli Irpino, where the recent commissioning of the new Settevalli and Rajamagra chairlifts has returned Campania's main ski area to its former status as a 'four seasons' destination. The aim is to offer an integrated tourist experience where trekking, mountain biking and religious paths merge with local food and wine excellence, from the famous Taurasi, Fiano and Greco wines to the prized black truffle of Bagnoli, intercepting both the international tourist in search of their family roots and the mountain sports enthusiast looking for unspoilt nature on their doorstep.

Basilicata coast to coast

Basilicata coast to coast for film inspiration

The 'Basilicata Coast to Coast' project offers a 167 km route between Maratea and Nova Siri and retraces the slow travel route proposed by actor Rocco Papaleo in 2010 in the famous film of the same name. It has a positive height difference of 6076 metres and a negative height difference of 6036 metres. It is a slow journey to be made on foot or by bicycle starting from the coast of Maratea, crossing the historic Isthmian road leading to the epic Magna Graecia landings on the Ionian Sea. The route leads through the protected areas of the Pollino National Park and the Lucanian Apennines, passing hermitages and sanctuaries, works of art and outdoor infrastructures, villages and hamlets ready to welcome travellers with the excellent food and cordial Lucanian hospitality. The departure and arrival points of the route are connected by trains and buses to the main national destinations, and all the stages begin and end in towns and villages where it is possible to stay in campsites, room rentals, b&b's and hotels.

The Cammino Materano: from the land of San Nicola to the magic of the Sassi

Starting from the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, a place full of millenary energy where the routes of pilgrims from all over the world cross, the Cammino Materano enters the heart of the lesser-known Puglia to reach Basilicata. The journey begins in the alleyways of Bari Vecchia, where ladies still prepare orecchiette in the streets and children play ball among the votive shrines, and then continues for about 170 kilometres across the Murgia plateau, among fields of almond trees, centuries-old olive groves and villages set in deep ravines such as Santeramo in Colle and Cassano delle Murge. Although the route does not present prohibitive gradients, the stages are rather long and require some training, making it an exciting journey for those who already have some long-distance experience. The ideal time of year is spring, when nature is in bloom and temperatures are mild, allowing the simple pleasures of Apulian life to be enjoyed before reaching the final destination: Matera. Entering the city of the Sassi, with its staggering beauty carved into the rock and its thousand-year history of suffering and redemption, is one of the most iconic and moving milestones a walker can reach in Italia, staying in charming hotels in the cities or cosy agriturismi in the countryside.

La Magna Via Francigena

The Magna Via Francigena, the unusual Sicily between land and sea

Called 'Magna' because of its strategic importance since Roman and Norman times, the Magna Via Francigena crosses Sicily from north to south for 186 kilometres, linking Palermo to Agrigento in a journey from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. This route reveals an unexpected Sicily, far removed from coastal stereotypes: it is the Sicily of the hinterland, made up of vast open landscapes, dusty trazzere, nature reserves populated by birds of prey and villages of Arab origin where the neighbourhoods look like labyrinths perched on hillsides. The charm of the route lies in the small mountain communities like Prizzi and Corleone and in the people who inhabit them, proud custodians of a millenary past and builders of a future based on warm and authentic hospitality. Along the itinerary one discovers hidden waterfalls and some of the tastiest gastronomy in Italia, capable of regenerating the body after the day's exertions, until the final landing in the legendary Valley of Temples in Agrigento. Walking along the Magna Via means discovering the deep soul of the island, made up of solemn silences, luminous skies and a human warmth that turns every pilgrim into a friend, on a journey that culminates in the Doric columns that look out over the sea.

Cammino delle Janas

Cammino delle Janas, a cultural project

The Cammino delle Janas is not a simple hiking trail, but an ambitious cultural and identity project that focuses on the Domus de Janas (the 'Houses of the Fairies'), the spectacular prehistoric underground tombs dug into the rock, typical of Neolithic Sardinia and officially entered in the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in July 2025. The Domus de Janas represent valuable evidence of the funerary practices, religious beliefs and social evolution of the communities that lived on the Mediterranean island in the Neolithic age, between the 5th and 3rd millennium BC. Geographically, they are spread all over the island, often grouped in necropolises. Although many people visit them as individual archaeological sites, the project is to present them as a widespread cultural itinerary, a journey in the historical and spiritual sense. The aim is to connect these sites through gentle mobility routes (trekking, cycling) to enhance the interior of the island, proposing an alternative to beach tourism, bringing visitors to the heart of Sardinia (Sassarese, Barbagia, Sulcis) and at the same time combating the depopulation of inland areas.