embarked on a quest in search of unknown walks and untold stories from offbeat Italian places. 

Armed with hiking boots and a pile of dog-eared maps I set out to survey the lesser-known corners of nine regions: Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Abruzzo, Alto Adige, Tuscany, Sardinia, Campania and Basilicata. 

I was tempted to become a goatherd in the Gargano, a bergamot-farmer in Bagaladi, a shepherd in the Supramonte—and never go back home again…