For too many years the Italian phrase book my wife and I had bought on a whim after watching Eat Pray Love, had sat on a shelf collecting dust. It was time to actually get to Italy and it really didn't disappoint.

Here's how we got on on our walking holiday in Italy.

Arriving into Pisa we took the short train to one of the most picturesque cities in Italy, Florence. The hotel was close to the train station so we had plenty of time to drop our bags and explore this beautiful city and enjoy a traditional Steak Florentine.

The next day we took a local bus out to the start of our walking holiday in Italy. After a short walk uphill through woodlands we reached the top and the trees cleared to give uninterrupted views across the beautiful Chianti region of Tuscany, what a way to start.

The first days walk was short and we meandered around the hills between vineyards and olive groves before arriving into Greve in time for some lunch. Sat in the piazza we relaxed and unwound with a wild boar cured meat sandwich and glass of Chianti Classico wine before settling into our hotel room, which have views across the piazza.

The next day we set off from our accommodation and carried on our exploration of this wine district of Tuscany. Before long we arrived in the beautiful hill top town of Panzano. Her we relaxed in a small rustic wine bar serving classic ragu slow cooked by three generations of chefs. We then carried on our walk down to the valley floor where we caught a bus to another hill top town called Castellina. Once checked in we headed out into the town to relax with a pizza and enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting session.

Today we headed for the ancient city of Siena and with rain forecast for the afternoon we decided to trail run our way there. We were leaving the vine clad hills of Chianti for the rolling hills synonymous with Tuscany. Run walking meant we again covered the 16km in a good pace, allowing us to spend even more time in Siena, relaxing in the main piazza surrounded by stunning architecture as the storms rolled in. That main piazza is epitomised in the James Bond film Skyfall where horses race around its perimeter in the Palio race. Sat on the edge of the square it’s incredible to think of horses galloping round such tight bends, what a spectacle that must be!

After a short bus ride to the base of Colle Val d’Else, another picturesque hill town, we walk along the ancient Via Francigena to the iconic medieval town of San Gimignano enjoying yet more stunning views of rolling Tuscan hillside. There’s plenty of time to walk around and explore this beautiful town climbing its many towers.

A bus picked us up on the last day of our walking holiday in Italy and handily dropped us at the top of a hill within a nature reserve, from where we could see the wilder side of Tuscany before a short walk through more stunning scenery. We had lunch at a quaint little B&B at the foot of Volterra before tackling the not too daunting 400m climb up to this famous hill top town. Staying in the centre of the old district it didn’t take us long to wonder round this town and find a nice place to relax in for a traditional wild boar stew made with chocolate and wine!

The last day of a walk is always a sad one, but it was a lovely walk along the old railway track before catching a bus to the coast enjoying a final drink and pizza along the coast. Here we relaxed and unwound reflecting on a lovely walking holiday in Italy.

It was only a short train ride back to Pisa airport, so we had enough time to drop our bags at a storage depot and make it to the famous leaning tower of Pisa for one last pizza and chianti classico with a view.

Italy was stunning. This self guided holiday walking through Italy allowed us to take it at our own pace. Some days we were up and off early, others we lied in a little longer. Some days we gently sauntered, and on others we ran! The days are long enough to feel like you’re exploring the off the beaten track Italy, but short enough to allow you time to relax for lunch and explore each destination. Then there’s the food, which was never going to be anything but incredible. While before we had appreciated a good glass of wine, on this trip we learnt so much about Tuscan wines and now just a sip of a Chianti Classico takes us back to those historic hilltop villages.