A link to reset your password has been sent to your email

 

Change currency

Currency

 

Change currency

Currency

Exciting Italy Horse Riding Holiday

Come and join Altavia Horses on this horse riding holiday. This interesting trail ride combines two amazing national parks in Italy. Secluded tracks lead you through nearly untouched nature. You will discover medieval little towns, enjoy the vastness of the Majella National Park offering lots of opportunity for long canters, and marvel at the ability of the horses to navigate the steep slopes of the Abruzzo National Park. Ride for hours and feel the excitement!

Key information

  • Rider Weight Limit: 90 kilograms / 198 pounds
  • Tack Type: Western tack

Meet the instructors

Carmine
Read more

Highlights

  • Canter into Abruzzo National Park
  • Approximate daily riding time: 6-7 hours
  • Canter in Little Tibet and the foothills of Alto Molise
  • Ride along the Tratturo track and explore Majella National Park
  • Meals on a full board basis with wine and beer at lunch and dinner
  • Transfer from and to the railway station in Isernia
  • Experienced English-speaking guides / staff
  • 7 nights accommodation

Skill level

  • Intermediate

Styles


6 days with instruction
Group size: 5-8 participants
Hide all

Accommodation

You will be staying for three nights at the Altavia farmhouse and 4 nights in hotels.

Altavia

The house, dating from 1885, is situated at almost 3,000 feet above sea level. It is the only inhabited farmhouse in this little nature conservation area. The nearest neighbors live in Carovilli, a little village four miles away. The front of the house faces a large oak forest whereas the rear offers a splendid view of the mountains and a valley. The house is not very big but quite comfortable. It was completely renovated in 2003. The living room has a nice fireplace, a piano, and a modest library. There are three guest rooms (two double and one accommodating six) and two bathrooms with all modern conveniences. Meals are served on the terrace or in the kitchen diner.

Program

Day 1, Saturday: Arrival

You are expected to arrive on Saturday evening at the farmhouse. After a welcome drink, there will be dinner with your hosts/guides. A three-course Italian dinner will be served every night, accompanied by local wines.

Day 2, Sunday: Briefing and test ride

The morning is yours to enjoy. You may sleep in, take your time over breakfast or do whatever you like. Before lunch, there is a safety briefing. Then, you also groom and saddle up the horses, followed by a short demonstration in western riding.

After lunch, you do a test ride (three hours) to enable you to get acquainted with the horse you are going to ride on the trek. In the evening, you visit the new riding center included a bistro from the host close by, and get served dinner in the bistro.

Day 3, Monday: Campo Lungo - Samnitic temple

After breakfast, you get in the saddle and ride through large stretches of wood and fields until you reach the picnic place, Campo Lungo. There, you can listen to exciting stories from your host about what he knows about that place.

After lunch, you pass the remains of a Samnitic temple. In the afternoon, you arrive at your destination for today, the horses go into a paddock and you return by car to the farmhouse and cook a nice dinner.

Day 4, Tuesday: Tratturo Celano - Foggia

In the morning, you are brought to the horses and at about 11.00 a.m. the ride will start. You follow the Tratturo Celano - Foggia. A Tratturo is a 2.000-year-old track that is still used to move cattle from the far south where the grass is scarce in summer.

You continue along the Tratturo as far as the river Sangro. There, the Tratturo begins to be very wild and quite overgrown leaving you narrow paths to follow. The horses stay overnight at a riding center, which also features a restaurant. You will enjoy dinner there before heading to a nearby hotel for the night.

Day 5, Wednesday: Roccararso

Today’s destination is the town of Roccararso. The trail takes you through increasingly high mountains. Arriving at the top of the pass, you have a picnic and can enjoy two very different panoramas. Looking back, you have the hilly landscape of Molise. In front of you, the Majella National Park welcomes you with its high mountains and vast valleys.

At the end of the afternoon, you canter through one of these valleys. Roccararso will be your station for the next two nights. It is a locally well-known skiing resort. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Day 6, Thursday: Abruzzo National Park

Today, you enter the Abruzzo National Park. The first part of the trail leads you to the Piano delle cinque Miglia (the Valley of the Five Miles). There, you enjoy a long canter! At the end of the valley, tall mountains loom up on either side. A gravel road takes you to the Montagna Spaccata (split mountain) where benches under old oak trees tempt you to stop. Then you turn left and the scenery becomes different, a bit like a lunar landscape with a little lake.

At the end of the day, a skiing track takes you down the mountain. The horses will be left at the stable. The riders go back to the hotel. Having spent about seven hours on horseback, you are bound to be longing for a drink in there. Later, you meet for dinner in another restaurant.

Day 7, Friday: Rocca Miglia - Alfedena

You leave the two parks and start to Rocca Miglia, a town where time seems to stand still. Nearby, you have a picnic before you go downhill to the valley of the river Sangro again. But now, you follow the river along the park of the town with the same name, Castel di Sangro.

There, the inhabitants can find some outdoor activities. Now the last stage of the week starts. Your destination is Sandra’s riding center in Alfedena where you and the horses find comfortable accommodations. But at least let yourself enjoy a canter before you pass the town and arrive for a dinner with Pizza!

Day 8, Saturday: Departure

Departure after breakfast from Alfedena to Isernia.

Notes

  • Due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances the program may have to be adapted.
  • There are two weight limits, 90 kilograms and a BMI (body mass index) of 28.50.
  • In case your personal data are inaccurate, Altavia Horses has the right to adjust the program or exclude your participation without reimbursing your payment.

Horses

The horses at Altavia Horses have been selected for their character, looks, and intelligence. Altavia Horses has named all of the horses: Barone, Billy, Bullet, Dunito, Dunup, Ebe, Fulmine, Lares, Misty, Patsy, Pride, Promise, Ringo, Siska, and Windy. They are all willing and easy-going, and also born in the mountains so they are very reliable in this mountainous area. All year long they live in a herd which makes them a close group and most of them are related in some way or the other.

On the plateaus and in the valleys you make long canters. The horses, however, have to climb and go down a lot. Therefore, the pace is generally not very fast. The safety of the rider and that of the horse is the main thing.

Instructors

Carmine Di Perna

Location

This horse riding holiday will take place at Majella National Park and Abruzzo National Park, Italy. They are situated close to each other, and both feature mountain ranges but their landscape is very different.

You will also visit Molise. Molise is situated southeast of the Lazio region (Rome) in the north of Campania (Naples).

Nature is still so unspoiled that UNESCO protects two primeval forests. Wildflowers abound, some species of which are very rare or even becoming extinct. The landscape is sloping to mountainous and varied. Vast fields alternate with large forests of beech and oak.

Food

You will have meals on a full board basis with wine and beer at lunch and dinner, starting with dinner on the first day, up to breakfast on the day of departure.

The following meals are included:

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Drinks

The following drinks are included:

  • Soda
  • Alcoholic beverages

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

  • Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

  • 5 and a half days of riding (6-7 hours a day)
  • 7 nights accommodation
  • Full board with wine, beer, and soft drinks at lunch and dinner, from dinner on the first day up to and including breakfast on the day of departure
  • English and german speaking guide(s) / staff
  • Luggage transport by car during the treks
  • Transfer Isernia railway station on the day of arrival at 19:45 and on the day of departure at 8:50 (individual transfers are possible on the riders' charge)

What's not included

  • Supplement for single rooms at the hotels / agriturismos (30 EUR x night to be paid in cash on arrival)
  • Mutual funds for drinks / snacks other than at meals, like at bars and the happy hour: 35 - 45 EUR

How to get there

Recommended Airports

Driving directions from Rome

  • Follow the motorway (A1) in the direction of Naples as far as the exit S. Vittore.
  • Drive towards Isernia.
  • Past Isernia drive on to the SS 650 (keep to the right) direction San Salvo.
  • Take the exit to Pescolanciano / Capracotta, having driven through three tunnels.
  • Follow the SS 651 and drive past Pescolanciano (on your left).
  • Drive past both exits for Carovilli. After the second exit, the road bends to the right.
  • Slow down after this bend. There is a road-sign indicating a crossroads.
  • You turn off the road to the right onto a B-road just after the sign. There is a yellow sign saying “C.da Castiglione - ColleArso”.
  • Follow this narrow forest-road for about one mile and there is Carmine and Astrid’s house at your right.

Driving directions from Naples

  • Follow the motorway (A1) in the direction of Rome as far as the exit Caianello.
  • Drive towards Isernia (SS 85).
  • Past Isernia drive on to the SS 650 (keep to the right) direction San Salvo.
  • Take the exit to Pescolanciano / Capracotta, having driven through three tunnels.
  • Follow the SS 651 and drive past Pescolanciano (on your left).
  • Drive past both exits for Carovilli. After the second exit, the road bends to the right.
  • Slow down after this bend. There is a road-sign indicating a crossroads.
  • You turn off the road to the right onto a B-road just after the sign. There is a yellow sign saying “C.da Castiglione - ColleArso”.
  • Follow this narrow forest-road for about one mile and there is Carmine and Astrid’s house at your right.

Driving directions along the Adriatic coast

  • Follow the motorway (A4) Bologna to Bari as far as the exit of Montenero di Bisaccia / Vasto Sud.
  • Drive towards Isernia.
  • Take the exit Pescolanciano, which is immediately after a short tunnel.
  • Drive past Pescolanciano and Carovilli. After the second exit, the road bends to the right.
  • Slow down after this bend. There is a road-sign indicating a crossroads.
  • You turn off the road to the right onto a B-road just after the sign. There is a yellow sign saying “C.da Castiglione - ColleArso”.
  • Follow this narrow forest-road for about one mile and there is Carmine and Astrid’s house at your right.

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

Arrival by bus

There are busses to the Central Station. You can buy a ticket with the driver. A one-way ticket costs approximately 3 EUR. The journey lasts about half an hour. A one-way train ticket to Isernia costs approximately 6 EUR. The train's destination is Campobasso. Please note that in Italy, train tickets are only valid when stamped in one of the machines which you find on the platforms.

Arrival by train

There is train from Rome / Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO). The Leonardo Express goes to Rome Termini twice per hour. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes. A one-way ticket costs 14 EUR. Altavia Horses advises you to buy your ticket to Isernia at the airport. This ticket (one-way) costs approximately 11 EUR. The train's destination from Rome Termini to Isernia is Campobasso / Termoli. Sometimes it splits up in Montecassino. Please make sure that you are in the right carriage. Platform 15 is between 14 and 16. Please follow 14 or 16. After 400 meters, you will find platform 15.

Transfer from Isernia railway station on the day of arrival at 7:45 p.m. and on the day of departure at 8:50 a.m. (individual transfers are possible on the riders' charge).

Cancellation Policy

  • A reservation requires a deposit of 16.94% of the total price.
  • The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
  • The rest of the payment should be paid 21 days before arrival.
8 days / 7 nights
from --
Minimum group size

This trip requires a minimum of 5 participants

Availability

Arrival: Saturday September 13, 2025
Departure: Saturday September 20, 2025

Select your package:

For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.

Why choose BookHorseRidingHolidays.com

Largest Selection
Friendly Customer Service
Offers for every budget
Best Price
Don't miss out! Join our mailing list to get inspiration, tips & special offers sent directly to your inbox.
Served by www:8000

Logging out

of Tripaneer websites