Many of you will no doubt will be familiar with Stuart Haines‘ book entitled ‘Walking in Abruzzo’. Published in 2011, it has now sold over 3,000 copies. We reviewed it here in 2015.
Stuart has been busy updating this particular volume for his publisher Cicerone, and at the same time he has been sidetracked a little by a companion project which we think you will like.
Stuart and his partner Hilary are part-time residents here in Abruzzo. They live for 6 months of the year on the valley floor near the picturesque village of Pettorano sul Gizio. Whilst Stuart has explored almost every single square centimetre of this region, what he knows best are obviously the routes around Sulmona. That’s why this new project is called simply “Sulmona Valley Walks”.
Rather than a paperback guidebook, this time Stuart has totally embraced digital media and is offering the walks only as downloads – either singly or in bundles – via his own website here.
Stuart states: “The Sulmona Valley, or Valle Peligna, is a wonderful place to experience the beautiful and spectacular Abruzzo countryside on foot. From gentle family ambles to serious mountain hikes – they are all here, waiting for you to discover the heart of our region around and about the lovely old town of Sulmona”.
Each walk’s description offers essential info such as how far it is, how long it should take you, difficulty level, where you can park and what the refreshment opportunities are. That is in addition to an annotated map and very detailed written instructions for each step of the way.
The descriptions and GPS waypoint files can be bought and downloaded for printing or for use on a tablet or smartphone, and the waypoints themselves can be saved to an appropriate GPS device.
The finished website containing all content will be ready for Easter 2018 and you can subscribe with your email address to keep in touch. In the meantime, there is a free download of a sample walk available now. Just follow this link.
Without a doubt, one of our greatest resources and a joy to all visitors – young & old – are the spectacular mountains which surround us. We hope that Sulmona Valley Walks will help you to enjoy them at your own pace and in your own way.