Italian Phrase
Ultimamente mi piace molto fare escursioni.
Meaning
The speaker is saying that in recent weeks or months they have developed a strong enjoyment for hiking. It conveys a personal, enthusiastic feeling about an outdoor activity.
When to use
Use this sentence when you talk about recent hobbies, answer a question about what you do in your free time, or share a new interest with friends or classmates.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ultimamentemipiacemoltofareescursioni
Ultimamente (adverb of time)
Placed at the beginning of the sentence, it signals that the statement refers to a recent period.
Mi piace (impersonal construction)
The verb ‘piacere’ works like ‘to be pleasing to’; the person who likes something is expressed with an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli, etc.).
Molto (adverb of intensity)
When you want to stress how much you like something, put ‘molto’ directly before the infinitive or the verb phrase.
Fare escursioni (infinitive + noun)
‘Fare’ + a noun (escursioni) creates a verbal noun meaning ‘to go hiking’; the noun stays in the plural because you usually do many hikes.
🗨In Conversation
Che cosa fai nel tempo libero ultimamente?
What have you been doing in your free time lately?
Ultimamente mi piace molto fare escursioni.
Lately I really enjoy going hiking.
✕Common Mistakes
Ultimamente mi piacciono molto fare escursioni.
‘Piacere’ agrees with the thing liked, not with the person; the correct form is ‘mi piace’ because the subject is the infinitive phrase ‘fare escursioni’.
Ultimamente molto mi piace fare escursioni.
The adverb ‘molto’ should modify the verb phrase, not be placed before the pronoun.
Ultimamente mi piace molto fare le escursioni.
The article is unnecessary when speaking about the activity in general; ‘fare escursioni’ already means ‘to go hiking’.
↔Alternatives
Di recente adoro fare escursioni.
Recently I love going hiking.
Negli ultimi tempi mi piace tantissimo fare escursioni.
These days I love hiking a lot.
Ultimamente mi diverte molto fare escursioni.
Lately hiking is a lot of fun for me.
Cultural Tip
Hiking (escursioni) is a beloved pastime in Italy, especially in the Alps, the Dolomites, and the Apennine ranges. Italians often combine a walk with a picnic (pranzo al sacco) and a glass of local wine. When you mention hiking, you’ll likely be asked about the trail, the scenery, or the region you explored.