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Going to Italy next September. I figure I could slip out for maybe 6 hours of hiking in the Italian Alps- do you have any hiking recommendations? I've tried searching some different things but all I've found so far is super technical or super easy. I should be in real good shape (if I survive next summer) and will hopefully be a 14er finisher by then. Equipment wise I'll probably be limited to hiking boots and a small daypack, and I'll most likely be solo.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? Thanks.

Depends whether you want a nice day hike or an alpine adventure. For the former, try out Cinque Terre (north to south). Monterosso to Vernazza, then on to Corniglia will keep your blood pumping. The segments to Manarola, then Riomaggiore are easy. One would normally come into La Spezia, then take the train on to Cinque Terre. I stayed at Hotel Firenze e Continentale across from the train station--and it was fine enough and good value. Alternatively, you may prefer to stay in one of the five villages. I liked Vernazza the best, but they all have their charms. A bottle of water is about all you would need to bring on the hike, as you can R&R to your heart's content at each village.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe ... que-terre/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the reply. I've also been looking at Via Feratta hikes in the Dolomites- looks pretty awesome, and kind of a uniquely european thing as well.

I hiked the rim of Vesuvius. There's a national park there. Some steam was coming out of vents.

Not exactly in the Alps.

I recommend staying in Castelrotto as a base camp, there is amazing Dolomite hiking above town. It is a short bus ride to get into the upper basin to Alpe di Siusi and from there the hiking options are pretty endless and amazing. Go up the obvious basin to a quaint restaurant and bar at the top, I recall a lodge on the way up in case you get thirsty. Awesome place, amazing views, very few tourists. European hiking at its finest.

Mmmh.... Italy...
Near Naples, I'd recommend the "Sentiero degli Dei" = path of the gods (Amalfi Coast). Had an awesome hike/run there. Happy to provide more info.

In the Dolomites, you'll have lots of via ferrata's to choose from (all kinds of degree's of difficulty). It's been a while that i've been there, but here are a couple things i remember.
- Mt Cristallo (near Cortina d'Ampezzo): not too long via ferrata, approach by lift; the route starts by climbing over the fenced-in terrace of the hut (with restaurant) perched interestingly in a col. This could be a real quick one.
- Paternkofel/Monte Paterno near the famous Drei Zinnen / Tre Cime: longer than the above, but not bad at all. Great views of Tre Cime, and pretty peak. Route a bunch through WWI tunnels.
- Tofane di Mezzo (also near Cortina?): longer day (also WWI tunnels involved).
- Rosengarten: i think also a bit longer. Felt more alpine, if i remember right (with a little longer approach, easy via ferrata, and then unsecured summit ridge)
- Kollatsch (near the Marmolada): via ferrata of dreams (in my case also nightmares)... the lower part over broad ledges is not secured (and was wet when i did it; not so nice given the exposure); then, the actual iron starts with an overhang (yuck); above that, the climbing is awesome (unless your legs are still shaking from the experience before, as in my case).

In any case, for some via ferrata's, you'll want a head-lamp (tunnels!). Of course I'd bring a harness and proper ferrata setup in addition to the boots + daypack you mentioned.

Have fun!!

Cinque Terre is awesome. However, it was hit by some serious storms in the past year which created major erosion issues, so you should call someone at the park regarding trail conditions. The hikes between the Northern towns are awesome and the towns are charming. If you want a little more we did a hike from Riomaggiore to Porta Venere to the south. Don't remember mileage or elevation, but it was a good hike, like 5 hours. Hung out at the port and took a ferry back to Vernaza, where we were staying. I definitely recommend Vernaza to stay in the area.
The Lake Como region has some incredible hiking as well. We found it a little hard to get around and very expensive. Unfortunately the weather was terrible when we were there so little hiking was done. I think there is hiking all around, but I remember that a lot of it originated in Menagio on the west coast. Even in the fog and rain, that was a beautiful place.

When I was stationed in Germany I had a book called "100 Hikes in the Alps." Looks like it is available on Amazon, but I might still a copy buried in my basement. I see you're in Colorado Springs, if I can find it I'll let you borrow it...

Turns out my mom's boss has been in Italy many times and does lots of climbing in the Dolomites, so I think I should be able to figure out what I want to do from him. Thanks for the input, I'll see what he has to say. He's in his early 60s, he just came back from Italy and did 4 days of Via Ferrata climbing.

I'll be in Bolzano in August and have been doing a similar search for some day hikes. I have come up pretty empty, there's a suprising lack of resources on the net. Would love to do some Via Ferreta hikes in the Dolomites but can't find anything on trails near Bolzano. Let me know what you come up with!

I just returned from a hut-to-hut trip in the area above Castelrotto, hiking the Alpi di Suisi and the Schlern area. I was also interested in doing some via ferrata, but was unable to find anything specific online before leaving for the trip. Turns out that the one we found along the way and wanted to do requires that you have your own harness to clip in, so we did not attempt it. We did come upon some fun spots, though, just going up and down some passes, that had cables and re-bar handles and foot-holds built in. Little old ladies were using them in tennis shoes! Amazing.

Information is very hard to come by. Even the maps that we bought in the area don't give as much information as we are accustomed to here in Colorado. Hiking distances are measured in hours and minutes, not distance and elevation gain. The sheer number of trails going every direction is almost overwhelming.

But a cappuccino at a hut in the mid-afternoon, and a beer at the next hut every night sure was nice. Have fun.

Wypatt: There is a via ferrata on the Kessel Kogel in the Rosengarten near Bolzano (=Bozen on german maps). Google "via ferrata kessel kogel". This will turn up http://www.hoehenrausch.de/berge/kesselkogel/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... which is in german, but google translator does a decent job (replace "fireplace" with "chimney" ).
The via ferrata is pretty nice (rated "intermediate"), but note that the summit ridge is exposed and unsecured. The webpage above has a couple of pics, including of the summit ridge.
Happy trails!