Walking the Autumn Isles: Sicily, Corsica, and Crete on Foot

By Simon Laolu

Step off the beaten path and into the heart of the Mediterranean. Lesser-Known Islands of the Mediterranean in Autumn is a richly told hiking memoir and guide, carrying readers through Sicily's ridges and volcanic slopes, Corsica's granite peaks and chestnut forests, and Crete's timeless valleys and gorges. Written in a vivid first-person narrative, it invites you to experience these islands not as tourists see them, but as walkers do-slowly, attentively, and in rhythm with the land.
Across more than 15,000 words of immersive storytelling, the author recounts encounters with harvest-time farmers in Sicily's Madonie mountains, solitary days on Corsica's rugged GR20 trails, and myth-laden climbs to the summit of Mount Psiloritis in Crete. Each section captures both the physical challenge and the cultural depth of hiking in autumn, when the crowds have gone, the air is sharper, and landscapes breathe with color, memory, and history.
This is not simply a trail guide. It is a meditation on walking, on the generosity of strangers, and on the layers of myth, resistance, and tradition embedded in Mediterranean soil. Practical appendices provide travelers with tips on gear, seasonal conditions, village etiquette, and suggested one-week itineraries for each island.
Whether you are planning your own journey or simply longing for armchair travel, Lesser-Known Islands of the Mediterranean in Autumn opens a window into a quieter, more authentic Mediterranean. One of olive groves and chestnut harvests, of chapels tucked into gorges, of ridges where goats wander and stars blaze unbroken.
If you have ever wondered what it feels like to lose yourself in the untamed landscapes of Sicily, Corsica, and Crete-this book will take you there, step by step.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FS7H68D4
• ISBN13: 9798266651470
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 76 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"