Every step of the way
11 9 2022
Every step of the way

Discovering Sentiero Italia, 7000 kilometres of trail through Italy

In Robert Zemeckis’ masterpiece Forrest Gump, there is an iconic scene. The funny protagonist is running in a desert with hundreds of people behind him. This is what was on Sara Furnaletto's mind while walking on the paths of Italy, fellow walkers by her side. Covering the entire Italian peninsula, Sentiero Italia CAI, is the world’s longest trekking route. A trail of over 7000 kilometres that, starting in Trieste and ending in Sicily, traverses all twenty two Italian regions.

After creating the project Va Sentiero in 2016, Sara Furletto, photographer and blogger, began her journey in May 2019 with a team of 8 people. From Trieste they walked the whole alpine arch reaching the Appennino of the Marche region in October. In each stage (the route counts around 700) they documented life on the path. After several interruptions due to the pandemic, Sara and her team arrived in Sicily in late 2021, after a total of fourteen months travelling. The amounts of reports, photos and notes they took during the way became the body for a twelve-book guide. Two of them were written by the journalist and photographer Andrea Greci, who played an essential role in the shaping of the Sentiero Italia’s guide books.

In this incredible journey Sara and her team were never alone. In fact, Va Sentiero was an open expedition, allowing other people to join the party in each stage of the way. As Furletto said, this was an incredible opportunity to meet walkers and travellers from all over the world and to spread the popularity of the Sentiero. The guides show Italy's beauties, from the amazing mountains of Sudtirol, to the charming beaches of Sardinia, enhancing the culture, the gastronomy and the people of the country. The aim of these books is not just to provide information about the Sentiero. They also tell the journey by describing the connection with nature and the people Sara’s team met along the way.

The event was chaired by the writer Davide Longo.