Exploring Italy's natural wonders virtually, or planning your next hike, is easier thanks to the tools offered by Google. So you never forget what you'll soon be visiting.
One of the activities we miss most these days is undoubtedly being out in nature, experiencing it to the full — perhaps through a mountain hike or a walk through vast unspoilt landscapes. That said, we needn't give up on it entirely: Google Street View offers enthusiasts trails to explore on foot and view "virtually" by navigating on Google Maps. It's not the same as pounding the paths, we know, but carefully planning our next destinations in Italy and looking ahead to future hikes can give us a sense of calm and hope. A few ideas for hitting the trail — online for now, in person very soon.
Walking trails during the coronavirus emergency? It's possible thanks to technology — specifically the Loan Trekker Program, the scheme designed by Google to allow tourist bodies, non-profit associations, universities, research organisations and other entities to borrow the Trekker, a technological backpack weighing 25 kilograms and fitted with 15 cameras positioned on its upper section, which capture images along the entire route that then become "navigable" in 360 degrees. To access the virtual trails mapped using this system, simply go to Google Maps and type in the name. This makes it easy to assess the difficulty level and gauge whether a hike is suited to your abilities.
In Italy, one of the first organisations to use this technology in 2019 and map a series of itineraries was Legambiente, thanks to which it is now possible to walk through 5 Italian nature reserves: the Cinque Terre Natural Park, the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, the Pantelleria National Park, the Appia Antica Regional Park and the Monti Simbruini Regional Natural Park. From north to south, then, thousands of images that have become a precise map of some of the most beautiful and spectacular itineraries on the peninsula.
With just a few clicks you can walk up to Montagna Grande (836 metres above sea level), the highest peak on Pantelleria, situated almost at the centre of the volcanic island, or head to Tuscany and the largest of the islands making up the Tuscan Archipelago — and the setting of the Festival nazionale del camminare — the Island of Elba, to discover, for example, the Butterfly Sanctuary.
Read also: In Lombardia arriva il catasto dei sentieri
Or perhaps now is the right moment to plan a trip to that stretch of the Cinque Terre you haven't yet explored, via the trail leading to the small hamlet of Monesteroli on the Costa dei Tramonti. To reach it, you must climb a stairway of over a thousand steps — which some call the stairway to paradise — that leads to the tiny village perched on the cliff above the sea. Even the areas near Rome will seem different: the Archeograb, for instance, the archaeological section of the Grab (Grande Raccordo Anulare delle bici), is a loop of roughly 16 kilometres winding around the Appia Antica, and is one of the capital's most evocative routes, designed and conceived for lovers of the ancient city and recommended above all to cycling enthusiasts. And the Monti Simbruini? It will be interesting to find out where they are and discover that they form part of a typical protected area of the Apennine mountains, with peaks reaching 2,000 metres, extensive beech forests, broad karst plateaus and an abundance of spring water.
Even the highest peaks — those not really within reach of everyone, but only of experts — become accessible to enthusiasts. Again thanks to the wonders of Google and the work of many organisations dedicated to the territory, above all through the commitment of numerous volunteers. When it comes to mountains and trails, it is usually the Cai that takes the lead, but mapping as many as 40 Dolomite trails also required the help of the Fondazione Dolomiti Unesco, the Enti Parco delle Dolomiti Unesco, the Alpine Guides and the Mountain Rescue Volunteers. The result is an enormous wealth of virtual hikes for every walker that, in addition to the Dolomites, covers other vast mountain areas of the Alpine arc. One is Valtellina, where Valfurva, Valdidentro, Bormio, Livigno and Sondalo and the Stelvio National Park have been surveyed, photographed and made available online — 274 kilometres of itineraries with a total elevation gain of 28,400 metres. The same applies to the Aosta Valley, where the trails of Croce Carrel (Cervinia), Lago Bianco and Misérin (Champorcher) and Laghi di Palasinaz (Brusson) are currently available on Google Maps.