British hiker goes missing on solo trip in Italy

The mother of a 33-year-old British man who went missing on a solo hiking trip in Italy said she "just wants him home".

Matthew Hall, from Hull, was staying at the B&B Ploncher hotel when he disappeared from Chiavenna, Lombardy, on 9 July.

His mother, Sara Foster, said: "I'm very wobbly at the moment, obviously, but I'm really trying to stay positive."

Several friends of Mr Hall have arrived in the country to join the search.

Mr Hall was thought to have been planning an eight-hour trek and was wearing a beige top and had a black backpack when he went missing, his mother said.

Italian media reports said he could have headed towards Savogno or Dasile, starting from Borgonuovo, or towards Pianazzola, Daloo or Lagunch, starting from Chiavenna.

Ms Foster said her son, who lived round the corner from her with his cat Betty, started his trip on 5 July.

He was due to have flown back from Milan to Manchester on 12 July.

Ms Foster said Mr Hall was a big Hull KR fan who "loves his trails and walking".

"We'd got lots of photos from him from the Saturday to the Monday and then it seemed to be a blank," she said.

"If you're walking around Chiavenna just keep an eye out. We just want him to come home."

Ms Foster praised the Italian police and rescue workers for their help, and said she was "so impressed" with how they had kept her updated.

Mr Hall's close friend, Ben Lee, has travelled with a group of friends to Chiavenna in the hope of finding the 33-year-old.

Speaking from the Italian town, Mr Lee said his friend was last spotted by a girl at a local church on the day Mr Hall went missing.

"It kind of confirmed which route he was going on before there was a sighting of him later on in the day, at a certain point on the trail.

"We've got mountain rescue out at the minute. There's four teams, three helicopters and they're going to carry on searching."

Mr Lee said he had spoken to the owner of the B&B and the police in Gondorva as part of his search efforts and both had been "very helpful".

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British man missing in Italy and are in contact with the local authorities."

The BBC has approached the UK Embassy in Rome for more information.

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