Va' Sentiero: rediscovering the Sentiero Italia, the world's longest

Va' Sentiero: rediscovering the Sentiero Italia, the world's longest trek

The Sentiero Italia, a route spanning the country for 7,850 km, has been brought back into the spotlight by the Va' Sentiero initiative. Between 2019 and 2021 the association carried out an expedition that fully mapped and documented the trail, turning a often-neglected heritage into a digital guide accessible to hikers and local stakeholders.

Originally created and built by the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and inaugurated in 1995, parts of the Sentiero had fallen into disuse. Va' Sentiero's work produced new tools and resources to support responsible use of Italy's highlands.

• Digital guide: maps, GPS tracks, technical and cultural information, photos and videos;
• Photographic campaign: images by Sara Furlanetto have become exhibition and documentary material;
• National archive: more than 1,000 photographs deposited in the Ministry of Culture's digital collection.

The project goes beyond scenic descriptions: it highlights the human work that shaped mountain cultural landscapes and reveals contemporary dynamics, including young people returning and new local initiatives. For Italian tourism, it stands as a model of sustainable valorization, combining access, protection and local development.

At a recent public lecture organized by the "Progettare Cultura" Master's program, Yuri Basilicò, co-founder of the association, discussed the project's origins, challenges and aims: turning a passion for trekking into a tool for territorial knowledge and enhancement.