Backpacking the coast of Italy

You want the via Francigena. This website has useful information. Starts at the Swiss border and ends in Rome. Not as well known as the Spanish caminos so it might be harder to find accommodation along the way.

Hello k.marchman,

I'll admit not exactly what you asked but here are several coastal hikes I've been wanting to do:
Cinque Terre High Path:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/italy/liguria--3/alta-via-delle-cinque-terre-the-high-path-av5t-1?u=i
https://www.incinqueterre.com/en/trail-number1-high

There is also some hiking on the island in the La Spezia bay and then on the south side of the bay:
https://blog.studentsville.it/living-in/palmaria-island-and-the-hidden-gems-of-liguria/
http://www.liguriaguide.com/lerici-hiking.html
https://www.alltrails.com/italy/liguria--3/lerici

So I have wondered about hiking the high trail, hiking the nature preserve island and then southern peninsula. And if it were to involve kayaks all the better.

Amalfi Peninsula hikes:
The Path of the Gods is the most famous but hiking trails cover much of the peninsula.
https://www.alltrails.com/italy/campania/amalfi
https://www.theamalficoast.online/amalfi_coast_hiking_trekking_guide.html

I am unaware of a long coastal hiking path in Italy unless there is something on the eastern coast I have missed.

I just found out about this sea to sea trail and it looks really interesting: https://www.kalabriatrekking.it/il-cammino-coast-to-coast/
Hike all the way across Italy - albeit at the narrowest part.

And the ultimate trail Italy is building a 4000+ mile trail to connect all the National parks in Italy by one path:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/italy-new-hiking-trail-connects-national-parks-sentiero-dei-parchi

Also there are several via Francigena paths that criss-cross Sicily: http://www.viefrancigenedisicilia.it/?lang=en
Watch those summer temperatures in Sicily.

I have visited many of these places but without the time or opportunity to hike them. Scotland is the only long trek walking I've been able to make work so far but these are the places I've got my eye on.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!
=Tod

The Camino is well set up for pilgrimages. And it seems at all price points and distances between accommodations. It is tailor made for a walker. It is maybe one of the easiest hikes to coordinate in the world. You can more or less show up anywhere on the route and begin. This is not the case in most long hikes I have looked at in Europe. If you want inn to inn or accommodations it is best to secure it ahead of time through a company. The logistics of accommodations sequentially on day to day dates it hard on your own. Otherwise you may end your hike that day with another long walk to any town that may have space.
If you are backpacking and sleeping wild, then all of this would be irrelevant.
I did the Hadrians Wall trail and used a company. Only once did we finish the day hike and the company had transport from that point to an inn 5-10 k away, which was the closet. Other times were were right near the path. But they were often the only place to stay and only had one or two rooms.
Even knowing the end point towns on a route does not mean there may be choice of accommodations. Recently in trying to replicate the Dingle Way on my own I found it near impossible to find daily inns on the days in a row I would want.
There are companies that deal with sections of the Francigena route. You can delve into that and see if it works for you. I do not think hiking in Italy (excepting the Alps) is really a thing at all. Even the maps will be elusive.

The Via Francigena is well established and signed and has a network of accommodations. The official website is here: https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/ There's an app and an official guidebook and a catalogue of tourist services. The numbers of pilgrims will vary a lot by region, but I'd guess there are an average of at least a dozen hikers a day in the very rural areas of northern Tuscany. Near Piacenza we even saw there was a ferry service for pilgrims across the Po river - scheduled on weekends and available by cell phone otherwise in season. Lucca has had an 'entry point' for the Via Francigena with a museum and hospitality services since 2016.

Ten more named long distance routes are described on this site in Italian: http://www.viaggiatorisidiventa.it/itinerari-a-piedi-i-cammini-piu-belli-da-fare-in-italia/