Chianciano - Valdichiana - Monte Amiata, Freytag & Berndt. Includes English Legend.

 Alpi Apuane - Garfagnana - Carrara - Viareggio, Kompass. Scale 1:50,000

►Italy Topographic Maps - General Menu, all scales.

Umbria and the Marches, Car Tours and Walks, Georg Henke - Pocket-sized full-colour motoring and walking guides with fold-out touring maps and large-scale topographical walking maps. Reviewed in the press as the 'walkers' bibles' and 'the hallowed blue books'. 45 titles in print, especially strong on destinations in southern Europe.

50 Hikes in & Around Tuscany: Hiking the Mountains, Forests, Coast & Historic Sites of Wild Tuscany, Jeff Taylor. Pub date May 2007

Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria, James Lasdun and Pia Davis - This book, now thoroughly updated and revised, is written to satisfy readers who want to build their holiday around walking, or those who simply want to integrate a bit of walking into their holiday. The authors offer routes of one or two hours, half day, and one, three and five days. There are also some extraordinary walks worth going out of the way for. There are recommendations for restaurants, trattatorias and pizzerias, as well as markets and other take-away options.

Walking in Tuscany, Gillian Price - This guide offers suggestions for exploratory walks through the picture postcard landscapes of Tuscany, Umbria and Latium. Over 50 itineraries ranging from brief strolls to a five-day trek take in little-known Etruscan marvels such as ancient sunken roads and monumental rock tombs. Walkers are guided through medieval hamlets, Romanesque churches, unspoilt coast and countryside alive with wildlife and carpeted with expanses of wild flowers and aromatic herbs. There's the Chianti ridge, city walks through Perugia, Orvieto and Volterra, day walks on the island of Elba and along the coast around Orbetell. Practical details cover accommodation in farms, country hotels, convents and hostels, with notes on local specialities in food and drink.

Tuscany North, the finest valley and mounatin walks, Rother Guide - 50 walks between Bologna and Florence, Pisa and Carrara, Lucca and Abetone, in the Appennine and in the Apuane Alps. 49 maps at 1:50,000 and two overview maps at 1:600,000 scale. Translated by experienced British walkers from the German original.

TOURING GUIDES

Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria - "The Rough Guide to Tuscany and Umbria" provides detailed accounts of every sight, from the monuments of Florence, Siena and Assisi to the treasures of tiny Umbrian towns such as Montefalco and Spello. There are insightful reviews of accommodation and restaurants, helping you to enjoy the much-famed Italian dishes on offer. There are also practical tips on a host of activities, from attending Spoleto Festival to walking in the Monti Sibillini or shopping for original designer clothes.

Eyewitness Top 10 Tuscany - From the top 10 sights to the top 10 Tuscan artists. The guide introduces the ten key sights in Tuscany, such as the Uffizi Gallery in Florence or the town of San Giminiano, then divides the region into areas and describes the best sights within each area, catering for all budgets.

Trekking in the Apennines, The Grande Escursione Appenninica, Gillian Price - The mountainous Apennine chain, forming a rugged spine along the slender Italian peninsula, is one of Italy's best-kept secrets. Nearly 400km in length, and ranging between 400m and 2000m above sea level, the exhilarating Great Apennines Trek (GEA) takes just over three weeks criss-crossing the central-north section of the range, following routes established by long-gone invaders and traders, and trodden by pilgrims and shepherds since time immemorial. Dipping in and out of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, the trek makes its way from the southwest to the northwest, traversing two national parks dotted with pretty lakes. It undergoes memorable transitions passing through extensive pine and beech forests, negotiating rocky crests surveyed by birds of prey, and pasture coloured by a riot of wildflowers. The countryside is alive with boar and deer, and there are few other walkers.

Holiday Walks in Tuscany, Norman Buckley - Most of the 25 walks are circular and many can be comfortably accommodated in half a day. Some are linked to the ‘Sentiero del Chianti’ - the 47-mile trail linking Florence and Sienna - to the east of the Chianti wine growing area. Each of the walks is accompanied by a carefully described route, a sketch plan, plus comprehensive information on places of interest in the vicinity, public transport, car parking, refreshments and other possible walks nearby. Limited availability.

Landscapes of Tuscany, Elizabeth Mizon - Detailed descriptions of 50 long and short walks for all ages and abilities, with walking maps of at least 1:50,000 scale. Also contains 15 picnic suggestions, 8 routes for car tours, touring map for motorists, town plans and hints on weather conditions, where to stay and what you need to take with you.

Treading Grapes, Walking Through the Vineyards of Tuscany, Rosemary George -  Tuscany offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe. The unique combination of cypress trees and olive groves mingling with vineyards and woods on undulating hillsides is enchanting. With villages and villas at every turn, what better way to explore the countryside than on foot? Over fifteen months of changing seasons Rosemary George did just that, visiting wine producers along the way, observing and savouring the local colour and the idiosyncrasies of a myriad of winemakers. Each chapter will feature a walk through a wine region and include advice on the key estates, places to visit and favourite restaurants. Chianti, which covers the heart of Tuscany, is the wine we all know and love, with vineyards in the magical hills around Florence and Siena, and the medieval cities of Arezzo and Pisa.

TOURING GUIDES

Tuscany Cadogan Guide - Highly readable comprehensive guides, particularly strong on history and cultural sightseeing but always conveying a good sense of the contemporary life of a place. Written mostly by single authors, each guide is distinguished by an informed, individual and companionable voice. Recommendations for selected hotels and restaurants and concise information on transport. Clear and open layout, with black and white maps.

Tuscany Lonely Planet - Market-leading comprehensive guides, predominantly practical in content and aimed at independent travellers. Frank and informal in style, with a layout that makes for exceptional ease of use, these guides cover an extensive range of sights of interest, activities, accommodation and restaurants. Places highlighted in the text are cross-referenced to excellent black & white town plans and regional maps that have a reputation for reliability.

► See the entire range of Lonely Planet books

TOURING GUIDES

Umbria Eyewitness Guide - High-quality guides renowned for their photographs and illustrations. The emphasis is on culture and sightseeing. Imaginative cutaway diagrams show the layout of many historic buildings: museums, galleries, temples and churches. 3-D bird's eye view illustrations are used with spectacular impact in place of conventional maps and plans. The practical section employs photographs to show you what the local food and money looks like and how to use local telephones, cash machines and so on. A selection of hotels and restaurants is also listed.

Tuscany Everyman Guide - High-quality colour illustrations, largely hand-painted, characterise these intelligent and rewarding cultural guides. The arts, architecture, history and natural history are the main themes, with details of customs and traditions also included. Imaginative visual devices such as cutaway diagrams and bird's eye views are used to great effect in place of conventional plans and maps. A useful photographic practical section supplements the main text.

Umbria Blue Guide  - Full coverage of Perugia, Assisi, Orvieto, Todi and Spoleto, Lake Trasimeno as well as of more hidden gems such as Gubbio, Norcia and Bevagna.

Tuscany Insight Guide  - Richly illustrated with colour photographs, these guides emphasise aspects of everyday life. Magazine style articles cover history and culture. The main sections are colour coded. A practical section offers travel information and a selection of useful addresses and practical advice on how to find out more information locally. An appendix offers a small selection of hotels and restaurants.