This is a lovely armchair guide to exploring Italy on foot. It puts the walks the author loves into a geographic, historical, and cultural context, describing routes and offering suggestions for restaurants, lodging, and tourist attractions, which would add a great deal to a walk. This isn’t, however, a step-by-step, map-oriented walking guide, so it is best used alongside a detailed map. Even so, it is an excellent resource -- and a fun armchair, dreaming-of-travel read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Nonfiction | Adult
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A milestone birthday is approaching for me, and I have been seriously considering a walking tour in Italy to mark this event, so this title is exactly what I was looking for to update the 2003 guide lent to me by a good friend. Martin is a Brit who lives in Italy, so she brings that love of walking to her adopted country, and offers a thoughtful guide that includes some excellent historical and cultural context, suggestions for where to eat and where to stay, and recommendations on the best sections for those who are not able to do full lengths. The book starts at the north, in the Aosta region of the Italian Alps, and makes its way south through Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, and then ending in Rome. That was a disappointment for me – Puglia, Calabria and Sicily are left out completely, as is Le Marche – all places I’m considering. Beautiful photos accompany the text, though caption information is sometimes missing in the advance copy I had. Several “vias” are described – the Via Francigena, the Sentiero di Leonardo, the Via Romeo Germanica, the Via degli Dei and several others. A map showing how these paths intersect and meet would have been SO useful! The routes are well described, with suggestions on where to stop and linger, and what to see in each area. This is not a kilometre-by-kilometre guide (others do that well), but if I do choose a trek in one of the areas described, this book will definitely be in my pack. There are links to maps and other information for each area, main walking routes and area trails, as well as tourist info, accommodation and restaurants. I tried several links and most were just fine – I found one error that I hope is corrected in the final print. What I really missed though are maps. I would like to see the book include an overview map as well as section-specific maps that let me see the route as it’s being described. I kept opening my phone map app to figure out where it was going, and how far it was from specific locations that interested me. There is an index, including references for specific trails and paths, as well as towns, parks and recommended sites. Overall I found this a superbly presented guide, with a frustrating lack of maps and less coverage than expected. My thanks to Pen & Sword Press for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this title: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215952449

Walking Italy : A Guide for Tourists and Armchair Travellers. This is an interesting and entertaining guide to parts of Italy, and would make a good supplement for those walking the trails, or just a book to get lost in, for those just reading about Italy. It is not a complete route planner or guide because it lacks maps and detailed A to B information on routes. However as an extra it is perfect because it adds another level of interest with places to eat and visit from a personal level. Overall a good interesting book.

A book that wants to make walking around Italy as appealing as possible. To that end, there are no maps, and the walks are replete with context, history, background, cuisine and details of beds for the night – and very light on directions. The first walk, for one, is just the first 10 miles or so down from the Great St Bernard Pass, in the Aosta region, but we learn all about the Via Francigena, and how to get accreditation for the pilgrimage in Canterbury, et al – alongside details of the Mont Blanc and Matterhorn cable cars.

The second section concerns the Lake Como area, and rattles off the village names in a way that is almost off-putting when no map has been handily given you. It makes for poor reading, and while this might fit with the ethos that was drummed into us all about how this might be friendly for the armchair traveller, it's not ideal to have nothing to help us visualise the area. We can cover Bologna the same way, rejoin the Francigena at San Gimignano, and bit by bit close in on the capital. But we certainly don't exactly go further than that – stopping way short of Eboli.

Overall, this is not the horrendous, prescriptive, pretentious airline magazine kind of read, but neither is it a proper walking guide – it's somewhere in between. It is gloriously photogenic, much as its source material is, and the way the walks are conveyed you'd like as not want to fit some of them in to your plans. But this is a random, personal selection of some walks in Northern Italy, and to my mind only a nod to get something much more detailed and informative long before you book any flights. It's a blog at best, and nowhere near an instructive guide. For the way it only inspires purchase of something preferable, two stars.

I'm Italian, this means I will surely walk or walked some of this routes but there's plenty of interesting information even if you already visited the places
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A well organized and written guide. I look forward to using during my visit. I found it to be easy to follow.

I love Italy! (Doesn't everyone?) One of things I have been missing while there was a good guide to "wandering". The author has written a book that will help me immensely on my next trip. The book has something for every hiker. Young, fit people who can hike all day, to older, somewhat handicapped people like myself. It has great descriptions of the walks, and places to sit and rest and enjoy a glass of wine while hiking. This is definitely going into my pack for my next visit!

I’d recommend this book for anyone planning on exploring Italy by foot. Rachel Martin includes both great historical background and contemporary information (places to east and stay). There are also beautiful photos and it will give you a good sense of what you can explore. The only thing that I didn’t like is that there were no maps. In a few places I had a hard time really understanding the road/route and felt that even a sketchy map would have helped set the stage. But, she does provide links and recommendations for maps and other helpful materials. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I loved this 'walking' book by Rachael Martin. No matter your skill level, or you time limits, there is something in here for you. Not only that, there is so much other great information, where to eat, stay, what to do, this book is truly a wealth of information. Thanks to NetGaley and Pen & Sword for the ARC and for providing me so much valuable information to use when I finally get to walk Italy!

Walking Italy by Rachael Martin is no ordinary walking book. The author provides wonderful extras such as what and where to eat and drink when in a particular location, a range of accommodations, rich cultural traditions, and descriptions of some who ventured before us to further the Grand Tour.

What an appealing book for every skill level! The long multi-day (or weeks or months) hikes with serious elevation gains to the less taxing one-day hikes to the best short sections for a fulfilling short ramble are all meticulously outlined with clear directions and stunning photographs to guide and inspire. More and more are choosing to connect with nature once again which is heartwarming to me as an outdoors woman. Some go on pilgrimages and obtain a Credential or Testamonium. I live near Italy and am blessed to see it at the most untouched, wild and rugged yet wandering into charming hilltop villages or towns jam packed with history is breathtaking.

The author also discusses knowing one's limits, how to prepare, and safety. She includes digital guides for walks and explains mountain classification. I like that she says to just put one foot in front of the other. Walking is therapeutic and excellent physical recovery (speaking from experience).

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this awe-inspiring book. If this doesn't motivate you to explore Italy on foot, even in tiny distances, what will?

I think walking is a great way to get to know a foreign country, and I don't need to recommend Italy as a destination. I have even hiked one of the trails described in this book. It is a good volume to browse through before traveling, especially considering that most walking guides from this country are not available in English. It is not detailed enough to use on the trail, but if you are looking for inspiration, it will be very useful. In addition to basic facts about the routes, there are some trivia and recommendations for the best local food.

Thanks to the publisher, Pen & Sword – White Owl, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.