The Hidden Trails organization offers great high quality horseback trips to dozens of places around the world. If you’re looking for an exciting summer vacation horse trip please check them out.
Here’s one in Italy that sounded great to me. 8 days, 7 nights. All food, accommodations, horses, tack included. The tack is Western, but Western riding experience is not required. The horses are mostly easy going and reliable Quarter horses.
This exciting new trip starts out in the Province of Isernia in the region of Molise and ventures into the Abruzzo region just north of there. This is a region largely forgotten by the tourist hords that you can find in Tuscany or Amalfi – even the local Italian travelers have jet not discovered the “Jewel in the Rough”. It offers untouched nature and breathtaking mountain vistas.
Because of its mountainous terrain, the economy of the region has for centuries been highly dependent on the transit of shepherds and their flocks from Abruzzo to Puglia. We follow their paths across the hills and through the valleys on our two wonderful mountain treks.
This part of Italy is so unspoilt that UNESCO protects two forests as part of the project MAB (Man And Biosphere). This spacious, green and clean region with its large woods of beach and oak, meadows and rivers is ideal for a holiday on horseback.
The two treks will take you into two National Parks – Parco Nazionale della Majella and Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo
Parco Nazionale della Majella
This 75,000 acre park is one of the biggest in Italy. It is a so-called Pan Park, which means that it is protected by World Wildlife Fund. One of the highlights is Pescocostanzo, a picturesque medieval town at an altitude of 5,200 feet. Two nights will be spent in this lovely place. It is surrounded by several plains which invite to many nice canters.
Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo
This 50.000 acre park, founded in 1922, has still plenty of wildlife. There are wolves, bears, eagles, deer and many more species. In the Valley of Five Miles we enjoy a long canter before we climb up to 6,300 feet the next day to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views over the mountains and valleys. There are not many places left in Europe where you can feel so completely in the middle of nowhere. On Thursday there will be a picnic in Camosciara, which is one of the most protected areas of this National Park.
You can get more information at their website by clicking HERE.