One road from Innsbruck to Bologna – the line Goethe walked when he needed to become someone new. Become a traveler or companion and tell your story.
A short, gentle quiz to see how you'd like to travel this next chapter of life – tempo, comfort and meaning, not just destinations.
Start the journey quiz
Attract travelers outside of peak season. See how we can develop your business during spring and autumn in just a few clicks.
For hotel partners
A curated circle for storytellers. Share your impressions and receive full attribution, a dedicated page, and portfolio links.
For storytellers
The First Grand Tour
In 1786, Goethe left his old life behind and quietly crossed the Alps into Italy. The road from Innsbruck to Bologna became more than geography – it was a turning point, a way to grow into someone new.
We call this line the Goethe Route – and we treat it as a living invitation for travelers who want their journeys to mean something in the second half of life.
Three ways in
A transformative journey. A partnership that brings guests to your quieter months. A place for meaningful work. This is all the Goethe Route offers.
What about a clear itinerary through the Alps? Carefully selected guesthouses. Visit places and meet people with stories to tell. Travel at your own pace in the morning.
Not tourists hunting discounts. Travelers who choose you for your character - and stay long enough to remember your name. No commission. Just a flat annual partnership fee.
Not buried in image databases? With source references, context, and links to your work. Become part of the FOOTSTEPS guild and document Europe's Grand Tours.
The Founding Issue
FOOTSTEPS is the travel magazine for Silver-Age cosmopolitans – people who cross borders not to collect stamps, but to grow into the next chapter of themselves.
Six issues a year. Each one follows a Grand Tour through the eyes of the people who walk it, the hosts who welcome them, and the photographers who see what others miss.
Our travelers are mostly between 50 and 75. They don't want to rush through ten cities in eight days — they want journeys that respect their energy, their comfort and the meaning of this stage of life.
I think of the Goethe Route as a string of quiet chapters. You decide how many to read this year — and how slowly.
The Founding Circle
The platforms send you tourists hunting for discounts. We send you travelers who want to stay – Silver-Age guests with time, curiosity, and a reason to remember your name.
Shoulder season
Fill your October and April – not just August
Right guests
Travelers who value character over price
12 of 50 founding hotels confirmed – 38 spots remain
"The platforms sent us tourists who wanted discounts. FOOTSTEPS sends us travelers who want to stay."
— Maria, Albergo al Ponte, Trentino
The Visual Guild
Stock sites bury your images in search results. Here, your photos live inside stories people actually read — credited, contextualised, linked back to you.
Your Travel Companion
Silver-age traveler, slow-route cartographer, and the voice behind every letter from the road.
Your first letter
Welcome to the circle. I'm writing this from a bench overlooking Lake Garda – the same view Goethe described in September 1786. In your first packet, you'll find a printable comfort map of the Innsbruck–Bologna spine, three shaded walking loops, and a story about why the best hotels are the ones that remember your name..."
— Enzo
847 founding members already in the circle
Receive Enzo's letters, early glimpses of new routes, and stories from hosts and storytellers along the way.
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