View Full Version : Germany and or Italy
58starter
11-14-2009, 22:38
Has anyone every hiked in Germany or Italy for an extended period of time?. Say 2 to 3 weeks. Is there a map out there of trails for backpackers? My wife and I are interested in trying a few trips.
Not So Fast!
11-14-2009, 22:54
I've hiked the Alta Via 1 and the Alta Via 2, along with many other routes in Italy's Dolomites. My favorite mountains by a wide margin, and overnights at the excellent network of rifugios are a very big bonus.
PM me if you'd like some more information.
generoll
11-15-2009, 08:22
my uncle hiked Germany in 1944. he said the locals shot at him.
my uncle hiked Germany in 1944. he said the locals shot at him.
My Grandfather did a similar hiking tour then, too. Had an M1 rifle. The beer was good in Munich, though. (There is also a photo I saw of him posing with two frauleins.. :-?)
Being serious....
I've always wanted to do this trail:
http://www.amazon.com/Trekking-Apennines-Escursione-Appenninica-Cicerone/dp/1852844167
The trail is 400k and the guidebook has the resources needed and/or listed to hike this trail. Sounds about right for a 3wk excursion.
Strikes me as a bit more off the beaten path than the Alps and what a way to see the mountain culture of Italy. Most of those towns have some of the same basic architecture since they were built! (My family is orginally from a similar type of village much further south that is also found in the Appenines. Was lucky enough to visit it in 2005)
Because the GEA is not walked as much as the Alps, it is a bit less of tourist trail and if not a wilderness experience (this is Europe after all), at least something that is more of the "real" countryside.
One grand journey idea is to start in the Alps, hook onto the GEA and then work my way further down the Appenines to the toe.
ShelterLeopard
11-16-2009, 13:24
Germany would be awesome! (So would Italy, of course) Will you wear your lederhosen?
WalkingStick75
11-16-2009, 17:23
I hiked in Germany and Austria for two weeks last year, it was great. People were very friendly and easy with the public transport to get around. Maps are interesting, be prepared to modify your plans on a daily basis. Some trails lead to black trails (expert trails). I found that one hut I was planning on going to burned down a few years earlier and the trail on the map was not marked as a black trail but was.