Moderate-to-challenging walking on more rugged terrain with significant ascents / descents on most days. Compass skills may be required (check the individual holiday).
The season for this holiday is:
09 May 2020 - 19 July 2020
22 August 2020 - 04 October 2020
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| °C | 8 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| mm | 67 | 55 | 59 | 72 | 56 | 40 | 2 | 22 | 51 | 78 | 112 | 83 |
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
4 nights: 09 May 2020 - 19 July 2020 & 22 August 2020 - 04 October 2020
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 9 - 21 May 2020 | £495 | £60 |
| 28 May - 27 Jun 2020 | £525 | £60 |
| 28 Jun - 15 Jul 2020 | £545 | £60 |
| 22 - 30 Aug 2020 | £545 | £60 |
| 31 Aug - 30 Sep 2020 | £525 | £60 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£15 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £15 |
Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.
Included travel: rail from Bologna and taxi/rail back
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
| Hotel Helvetia, Porretta Terme (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 09 May - 19 Jul 2020 | £70 | £100 |
| 22 Aug - 04 Oct 2020 | £70 | £100 |
| Hotel Il Fondaccio, Lizzano in Belvedere (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 09 May - 30 Jun 2020 | £65 | £72 |
| 01 Jul - 19 Jul 2020 | £72 | £80 |
| 22 Aug - 31 Aug 2020 | £72 | £80 |
| 01 Sep - 04 Oct 2020 | £65 | £72 |
| Hotel Montegrande, Vidiciatico (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 09 May - 30 Jun 2020 | £65 | £72 |
| 01 Jul - 19 Jul 2020 | £72 | £80 |
| 22 Aug - 31 Aug 2020 | £72 | £80 |
| 01 Sep - 04 Oct 2020 | £65 | £72 |
Travelling from the UK
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
| Aberdeen - Bologna (via Paris) | Air France |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Birmingham - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
| Birmingham - Bologna (via Frankfurt) | Lufthansa |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Bristol - Bologna | Ryanair |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh - Bologna | Ryanair |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Humberside - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Leeds Bradford - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) | KLM |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Gatwick - Bologna | easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Heathrow - Bologna | British Airways |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Stansted - Bologna | Ryanair |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Manchester - Bologna | Ryanair |
This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service (£60 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.
Connecting travel options - flying via Bologna
| Outward route | Price per person |
Latest flight arrival time |
|---|---|---|
| rail Bologna Centrale to Porretta Terme (1h05), walk Porretta Terme to hotel (0h05) | included | 1800 |
| Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest flight departure time |
|---|---|---|
| hotel transfer to Porretta Terme (0h20), rail Porretta Terme to Bologna Centrale (1h10) | included | 1200 |
If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?
We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >
We loved our 4 day Quiet Mountains of the Apennines walking holiday and met some lovely people. The final day's walk to the Dardagna falls at the bottom of the valley and then up to the top of the ski slopes to Corno alley Scale above was quite tiring but well worth the effort, but the legs needed a day to recover afterwards. So we were glad we went for the 4 Day option and not the week as this being our first of this type of holiday I think it suited our level of experience. We enjoyed it so much that we are already considering our next walking or cycling trip.
This was a really great walk. The countryside is interesting, varied and remote. The scenery and views are stunning. The three walks get progressively higher so it's worth checking the weather forecast to make sure you get the third walk on a clear day. It's fabulous. Swap with walk 2 if necessary. The first hotel in Porretta Terme was nice with a really good spa, well worth the reasonable cost. The second hotel, Il Fondaccio, was our favourite for view, although we may have been lucky to get the top floor. The lady owner - and her husband who is a vet and fascinating - was also extremely nice. The third hotel, Montegrande, was clear winner for food and wine. On the trip we ate out twice in Porretta. Trattoria Delle Tele was exactly waht we wanted for a simple Italian lunch. La Pace is a traditional local restaurant that did good pizza but avoid the wine! We topped and tailed our stay in Bologna at the hotel Porta San Mamolo which is fairly simple but excellent for us. Eating highlights were Vecchia Malga for the classic street experience of really good prosciutto and pignoletto and Banco 32 for a brilliant selection of fish tapas dishes in the herb market.
HIGHLIGHT: Ascending the Corno alle Scale. If I as a 70 year old could do it, there is no need for others to be deterred.
We loved our 4 day Quiet Mountains of the Apennines walking holiday and met some lovely people. The final day's walk to the Dardagna falls at the bottom of the valley and then up to the top of the ski slopes to Corno alley Scale above was quite tiring but well worth the effort, but the legs needed a day to recover afterwards. So we were glad we went for the 4 Day option and not the week as this being our first of this type of holiday I think it suited our level of experience. We enjoyed it so much that we are already considering our next walking or cycling trip.
This was a really great walk. The countryside is interesting, varied and remote. The scenery and views are stunning. The three walks get progressively higher so it's worth checking the weather forecast to make sure you get the third walk on a clear day. It's fabulous. Swap with walk 2 if necessary. The first hotel in Porretta Terme was nice with a really good spa, well worth the reasonable cost. The second hotel, Il Fondaccio, was our favourite for view, although we may have been lucky to get the top floor. The lady owner - and her husband who is a vet and fascinating - was also extremely nice. The third hotel, Montegrande, was clear winner for food and wine. On the trip we ate out twice in Porretta. Trattoria Delle Tele was exactly waht we wanted for a simple Italian lunch. La Pace is a traditional local restaurant that did good pizza but avoid the wine! We topped and tailed our stay in Bologna at the hotel Porta San Mamolo which is fairly simple but excellent for us. Eating highlights were Vecchia Malga for the classic street experience of really good prosciutto and pignoletto and Banco 32 for a brilliant selection of fish tapas dishes in the herb market.
HIGHLIGHT: Ascending the Corno alle Scale. If I as a 70 year old could do it, there is no need for others to be deterred.
Poretta Terme was great and we would highly recommend the spa at Helvetica. The town of Lizzano and hotel Il Fondaccio is great, with spectacular views of the valley...and a great outdoor pool after a days walking. The food is brilliant rustic home cooking and highly recommend the local Prosecco. The Dardagna Falls all up to the top of Corno alle Scale was indeed a highlight walk.
5 of us went on this trip to the Apennine mountains. Our welcome was exceptional and the places were visited were superb. The whole process from booking to returning home was very easy and everything went effortlessly to plan. The food and wine at each hotel was exceptional. The walks were beautiful and the final day was breathtaking. We went swimming in a mountain lake and paddled in the waterfalls. It was an excellent holiday and I was sad to leave.
This was our first experience of a self guided walking holiday of this type . We were very impressed with the arrangements, walks and walking notes. We had a very enjoyable holiday and would definitely recommend Inntravel to friends.
I discovered InnTravel on line. Your service, cost, execution and thoroughness far exceeded my expectations. I will DEFINITELY be using InnTravel again. I have told many people about it already. I only wish that I had discovered you years earlier!
Thank you, thank you for making the trip seamless, easy & memorable.
Overall this was a really great short trip walking holiday and Inntravel are excellent for customer service.
Inntravel were friendly and helpful from moment of booking. We loved our holiday and found the walking, scenery and overall enjoyment on the highest level. Can't wait to start planning our next trip!
Our 4th Inntravel break did not disappoint. As before we felt we really got under the skin of the country, a little of its history, culture and geography. Lovely stays in hospitable accommodation run by friendly staff.
Great walking break - check the local weather and be prepared for changeable conditions.
The walk was different each day and therefore a surprise awaited us each day. The directions were clear and gave a sense of comfort on the first day, and the hotel staff were very helpful and accommodating. The solitude and peacefulness was just what we were looking for.
We took your suggestion of trying the Trattoria Toscana and enjoyed an excellent local meal. It was moving to look out from Monte Belvedere across a sunny landscape while being reminded of the battle for the summit in the snow in 1945. Then later, to read of the experiences of one of the American soldiers in a book from the hotel lounge. Our holiday extension to Verona was not part of the package, but you supplied, on request, details of a walking tour and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at your suggested restaurant Al Calmiere.
A fantastic family holiday. Amazing family hotels. Friendly people. Wonderful food. Really off the beaten track. The Corne Alle Scale walk was the highlight. Amazing views and a great chance to stretch the legs.
Lovely quiet part of Italy, great hospitality and interesting little towns off the beaten track. Our main recommendation would be to go before July!
One walk alone, taking in Dardagna Falls and Corno alle Scale, made the the trip worthwhile. Add in the excellent service, warm welcome and fantastic food and it was a magical short break.
If you want a very quiet walking holiday then this is the one - I recommend a night in Bologna to complete the holiday.
My friend and I went in early October, just as the season was ending and we had the hills to ourselves. The hotel meals were really excellent and staff and owners could not have been friendlier. A great trip to a great part of Italy.
Brilliant walk on day three to reach the summit of Corno alle Scale. Beautiful unspolit area of Italy - easy to explore with the accurate walking notes.
This was our first Inntravel holiday but will definitely not be the last! The walks were beautiful and a perfect length. The hotels were all good for different reasons. The Hotel Helvetia was perfect as we arrived at Porretta in a huge thunderstorm so had a perfect excuse to go and spend 3 hours in the Spa after a day of travel by car, bus, plane, taxi and train! The recommendation of The Trattoria Toscana for dinner that evening was much appreciated, probably the best pasta we have ever eaten. The family run restaurant were so welcoming, from the prosecco whilst watching the world go by on the tables outside to the fabulous food, it was perfect. The walk on the first day was a beautiful introduction to the area and we found the locals so friendly. We were invited in for coffee and a huge slab of torta limone by a couple living alongside the walk in Ca Serafino and thank goodness for the italian phrasebook we could converse in stilted Italian! They had the most spectacular view from their terrace and we felt quite honoured. Then in Castellucio there was a craftsman mending the church windows who fetched us a couple of chairs to sit and eat lunch whilst looking at the view of Poretta. He then opened up the church and gave us a guided tour. Linda was then there to meet us at our arrival at Hotel Il Fondaccio with a huge jug of iced water with lemon and mint as it was a very hot day. That evening in Lizzano there was the tri-annual meeting of the 10th Mountain Division with a band playing in the main square and a large meal set out. It was quite a spectacle. The evening meal in Il Fondaccio was fabulous, the crespolini pancakes were a definite favourite! The pre dinner prosecco was much apreciated and gave us a chance to meet the other walkers and Inntravellers also staying in the hotel. The real high point was the last walk, taking in the Dardagna Falls and Corno Alle Scale. From the beauty of the falls to the spectacular views all over Emilia-Romana and the amazing picnic provided by Carmen it was a brilliant finale to the holiday. Carmen couldn't have been a more attentive host. She even helped us in our quest to take home some ristora hot chocolate for our three growing boys at home to try when we realised it was going to cost £20 just for the shipping on Amazon!
The holiday was everything that I had hoped it was going to be: small family run hotels with fantastic hospitality and amazing food, beautiful scenery and moderately challenging walks, and the bonus of a chance to talk with locals and get to know a slice of unspoilt Italy.