Antola Park in Liguria yields a talkative carbonaio, an imposing castle, and so many flowers.

Lombardy's protected Acquafraggia waterfalls are awash in wildlife and feuds.

In Parco Regionale Sassi di Roccamalatina, keep an eye open for Gandalf.

Emilia into Tuscany: To the lake and up the mountainside, mushrooms aplenty.

Red squirrels and petrified springs in a sprawling park near Brianza.

A summer trek over two Emilian hills where Hannibal's armies once marched.

In Monte Barro, near Lecco, you can find the wildflowers and birds of your dreams.

Abbadia to Lierna brings meadows, violets, and intimations of Barbarossa.

A Ligurian walk after inclement weather yields the first shadings of spring.

To Colico and Mandonico, more pieces of the Wayfarer's Trail near Lake Como.

A rock-to-port Ligurian walk among cats, fishermen, and motorized wheelbarrows.

The town of Chiavenna was once a northern bastion for the Roman Empire.