Trekking in the Apennines - A Trekker's Guide

The Grande Escursione Appenninica – the Great Appenines Trek or GEA – described in this guidebook is a 400km trek through the central-north section of Italy’s Apennine chain. Stunning scenery and picturesque villages enhance this beautiful, but little-known walking route along Italy’s 'spine'.

Selca (1:50,000)
Sheets:
Valtiberina e Marca Toscana,
Alto Appennino Forlivese,
Sentieri Montani dell Provincia di Firenze,
Alto Appennino Faentino,
Alto Appennino Imolese,
Alto Appennino Bolognese,
Alto Appennino Modenese,
Alto Appennino Reggiano,
Alto Appennino Parmense

Selca (1:25,000)
Sheets: Parco Nazionale delle Forests Casentinesi.

Walking maps either 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale with details of landscape features, contour lines, road passes and settlements are an essential aid for walkers on this trek. The sketch maps provided in this book are only intended as a guide and due to limitations of space cannot show watercourses and other landmarks essential for orientation and location of exit routes. While Italian walking maps in general leave a lot to be desired in terms of accuracy, a fairly good user-friendly series is published by Selca (www.selca-cartografie.it), as follows. The odd discrepancy will be found in terms of the route description due to recent re-routing and the lack of map updating. (The Italian for 'walking map' is carta escursionistica.)

Stages 1–4: Selca 'Valtiberina e Marca Toscana' 1:50,000 (except for the final stretch after Passo dei Mandrioli - see following map)
Stages 4–7: Selca 'Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi' 1:25,000 (brief off-the-sheet stretch after Chiusi La Verna)
Stages 5–8: Selca 'Alto Appennino Forlivese' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 9 (beginning Stage 5 and end Stage 8 on other maps)
(Stages 7–10 also covered by the Selca 'Sentieri Montani della Provincia di Firenze' 1:50,000, sheet 1)
Stages 8–9: Selca 'Alto Appennino Faentino' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 8 (very start Stage 8 on above maps)
Stages 9–11: Selca 'Alto Appennino Imolese' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 7
Stages 12–15: Selca 'Alto Appennino Bolognese' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 6 (beginning Stage 12 and end Stage 15 on other maps)
Stages 15–17: Selca 'Alto Appennino Modenese' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 5
Stages 17–21: Selca 'Alto Appennino Reggiano' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 4 (start Stage 17 and end Stage 21 on other maps)
Stages 22–23: Selca 'Alto Appennino Parmense Est' 1:50,000 Regione Emilia-Romagna/CAI, sheet 3

Multigraphic 1:25,000 maps also cover a good part of the Trek and are widely distributed, however their unclear graphics and heavy printing style makes them quite difficult to read.

Some of the relevant maps are available in towns and villages in the Apennines, as well as the odd local tourist office. Overseas suppliers include the Stanfords stores in the UK (London, Manchester and Bristol www.stanfords.co.uk). Otherwise maps can be ordered online from www.stella-alpina.com, which corresponds to Libreria Stella Alpina at via F. Corridoni 14 B/r, Florence tel 055 411688. Another reputable Italian bookstore is www.librerialamontagna.it, Libreria La Montagna, Via Sacchi 28 bis, 10128 Torino, tel  011 5620024. As a 'last resort' before embarking on the walk make a stopover in Bologna and visit the tiny but well-stocked bookshop Nuova Libreria Accursio, Via G. Oberdan 29/B, 40126 Bologna tel 051 220983, only 10 minutes on foot from the railway station.