Not so tall, not so jaggedly dramatic, and rather youthful at merely 20 million years old, the mountain range and smaller parallel chains strut down the centre of the Italian peninsula, curving from northeast to southwest, from thigh to toe, with a bit of a dogleg in the middle. (IT)

It’s just about impossible to go from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean without crossing through the Apennines, up and over or negotiating a series of spooky tunnels blasted out of granite and limestone, stretching for kilometre after kilometre. They’re almost always within view, on the horizon.