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PhrasesHiking in ItalyAvete una cartina del sentiero?
A1

Avete una cartina del sentiero?

Do you have a trail map?

Pronunciation

Cartina: kar-TEE-nah. It's the diminutive of carta (map/paper) — 'a little map'.

When to use it

Ask at park visitor centres, tourist offices, or rifugi. Physical maps are still widely used in Italian mountains where phone signal is unreliable.

What it means

Cartina is the common word for a small map or trail map. Carta geografica or just carta is used for larger maps. Mappa exists in Italian but cartina is more natural in hiking contexts.

Variations

Dove posso comprare una mappa del parco?

Where can I buy a park map?

Use when asking about shops that sell detailed topographic maps.

C'è una mappa online del sentiero?

Is there an online map of the trail?

Useful for pre-trip planning.

Può indicarmi sulla cartina dove siamo?

Can you show me on the map where we are?

Use when already holding a map.

Mini Dialogue

— Buongiorno. Avete una cartina del sentiero? — Sì, eccola. È gratuita. — Grazie. Può mostrarmi dove siamo adesso? — Certo. Siamo qui, vicino all'ingresso nord.

— Good morning. Do you have a trail map? — Yes, here it is. It's free. — Thank you. Can you show me where we are now? — Of course. We're here, near the north entrance.

Cultural Note

Tabacco and Kompass are the two leading publishers of detailed Italian hiking maps (scale 1:25,000). Local rifugi and outdoor shops stock them. CAI trail numbers printed on these maps correspond to the numbered signposts you'll find on the actual trails.