Walking Through History: Discovering Italy's Medieval Castles and More

Hiking is a popular recreational activity that involves walking or trekking through natural landscapes, often on trails or designated paths. I like to visit interesting historical places like castles.

Discovering Italy by walking has become a national sport in the country. It is said that more than 39% of vacationers prefer walking, reaching not only the usual tourist attractions on foot but also the most distant refuges, hotels, and last year, I went for a walk in a place situated very far from the “normal” streets. I don't know how my poor car made out of that adventure alive because the road was completely bumpy. You could only get through with a tank, in my opinion.

There were few parking options on-site, but almost all of them were occupied just by early morning. I passed near a building that was a hotel and a restaurant. In the afternoon, on my way back, I thought about eating there, but it was all booked and they didn't accept me. It was full, and those people—by the way, many of them were well-dressed, not hikers, (!) and there were even those with walking problems—came up till there for lunch! 

I swear, I was really… mmm… surprised. While walking, you meet a lot of people. In the mountains, it seems to me, you find more people than in the city, especially if the weather is good and it's a weekend. I think it’s because hiking promotes mental well-being by reducing stress, offering a chance to escape the routines of everyday life, enhancing mood, and providing a sense of tranquility and mindfulness.

This year I decided to explore the castles.

There are really MANY castles where I can get in 1–3 hours by car. This is convenient. Because not all the places you want to visit can be reached by train or on foot. Sometimes they are far away, and I can't walk a long way and then return to the train station. One of these places is the Castle of Graines.

 To see all the photos of this walk, 

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https://exegi.substack.com/p/the-insiders-guide-to-hiking-to-a

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