One must not omit the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA); a whopping 900 km, 59-day schlepp from the Novena Pass in Switzerland, through the cantons of Wallis/Valais and Ticino and into the Italian region of Piedmont, before finishing in Viocene, not far from the Mediterranean sea. The trail uses ancient mule and sheep tracks, and upon its inception in 1979 was designed to offer struggling and remote mountain communities a much needed financial boost. The trail itself is technically not difficult though the high altitude at times, and steep climbs and ascents make this trail a formidable physical endurance test. Those with less time on their hands ought to consider the classic short crossing along the E5 hiking trail from Oberstdorf in southern Germany across the Lechtal and the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol/Austria and into Meran in the German speaking part of Italy (for more info see: https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/sports/hiking/hiking-tours/a-weitwanderweg-e5). This is an ambitious, yet achievable 6-day tour of 180 km with a total vertical ascent of over 10,000 metres. Each daily stage lasts at least 6, sometimes 9 hours across high-alpine territory, so you have to be experienced and fit.