Keep calm and walk on – that’s what our LUXE Venice resident editor Gillian Price has been doing for the last 40 years, while documenting every step of the way through her amazing Italy walking guides . In our latest edition of Talking Travel, we caught up with Gillian to see what she’s been up to lately, her best book recs and where she’s headed in 2022:
What was your travel highlight of 2021?
Trekking in Italy in the autumn! Setting out from my home base in Venice, I’ve been exploring my adoptive home country on foot for the last 40 years and writing walking guides to help visitors discover its unique landscapes and natural monuments.
September through October in the Italian Dolomites was simply brilliant with crisp clear skies and gorgeous foliage colours. These are my home mountains and I’m about to publish my fourth walking guidebook to the World Heritage Dolomites.
Something new you discovered in Venice during COVID?
The fascinating range of wild plants that miraculously grow amidst the paving stones of Venice. Hardy and of course, salt-resistant, the queen of these is rock samphire – also known as sea fennel with aromatic fleshy leaves and tiny beady seeds.
Your current fave hangouts in Venice:
Marco Polo bookshop, which did home deliveries during lockdown. They’ve got fiction and non-fiction books in many languages.
Bacaro del Gelato for their amazing assortment of gelato!
Paradiso Perduto for the food and tunes.
Your lockdown essentials:
Walking maps, Zoom to connect with family and friends, Franconia (a red wine from the Treviso province just outside Venice), and plenty of NCIS.
Book recommendations:
PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves books and Ackroyd’s History of England series.
Any travel plans for 2022?
Where do I start? I have a folder bulging with walking routes the length and width of Italy, from Sicily to the Alps.
Learn more about Gillian Price at gillianprice.eu
See also: Talking Travel With… Erica Firpo, LUXE Rome Resident Editor
