The thrill of the chase, Italian-style

Hounds, horses and hills - but it can't be Britain because the coffee's good. Frances Kennedy goes drag hunting

Horse riders in Italy are embracing the quintessentially British sport of hunting, but they're doing it on their own terms.

Horse riders in Italy are embracing the quintessentially British sport of hunting, but they're doing it on their own terms. They keep the hunt short, the fences manageable, there's a fine meal afterwards and, most interestingly, there's no fox. Anyone who enjoys a morning's ride as part of a holiday can sign up for a day with the Roman riders for less than £100 – or spend a week trail-riding for £1,000.

It's a glorious but abominably cold day for the first Drag Hunt of the New Year on the shores of Lake Bracciano, north of Rome, and there's not a Land Rover in sight. The hunters, most of them from Rome, arrive in dribs and drabs, in gold E-type Jaguars, slick Porsches and a bevy of Volvos and BMWs. Clad in smart overcoats and furs, and wearing sunglasses, they scurry down to the stables of the Relais I Due Laghi ("The Two Lakes Inn") and seek refuge in the club house.

Today's riders are all recent converts to drag hunting. Instead of a fox, the horses and hounds follow a pre-set artificial trail of scent across the countryside. Purists may scoff at this being termed a hunt at all, but the practice dates back to the 17th century, when the British courts hunted stags. Drag hunting was considered useful training for both horses and hounds.

Known as cavalieri (men) and amazzone (women), the riders are mainly affluent professionals, lawyers, industrialists and bankers. Some are experienced riders, others have come to the sport late in life. The atmosphere is jovial as they knock back stiff espressos and croissants. Their jackets are green and, like their jodhpurs, perfectly cut. Numbers are down today – just 18 riders will take to the field instead of the normal 30.

"Many of our regulars are still away skiing or have gone somewhere exotic for the New Year break," says Matteo Marzano, the deferential club secretary. A portly Belgian businessman who calls himself Paolo and considers himself an honorary Roman wants to be interviewed incognito: "If my ex-wife gets wind of the fact that I'm hunting, she'll be after me for more money," he says with a grin. "I rarely miss a hunt. The horses are great, the countryside splendid, and it's a good social occasion as well. I have hunted in England and Ireland, but spending eight hours in the saddle chasing a fox isn't my idea of fun. There are too many dead moments, you get cold and bored. This is much more enjoyable."

Outside, the German stablehands groom and tack the horses, so all the riders have to do is get in the saddle. But no one's in a hurry. Only the hounds are impatient. The bugle finally sounds at 11.30am, and the sea of green jackets and bobbing black cups disappear up the hill.

The drag, which lasts two hours, takes them across the 150 hectares of the Due Laghi estate, an expanse of green rolling hills bordered by two lakes: Bracciano, large and popular, and Martignano, tiny and less accessible. It's ideal territory, free of stones, and scattered with stiles, ditches and other obstacles. The farm is home to 200 goats, which provide milk for the home-made cheese, 40 cattle and 100 sheep. Farm buildings have been converted into a four-star hotel, the Relais, and a restaurant.

Drag hunting has taken place here for three seasons, but fox hunting is not new in these parts. In 1836, Lord Chesterfield brought his wife, Anne, to Rome to cure her lung problems. They mixed with the Roman nobility and introduced the locals to the pursuit.

"When he returned to England, he left his hounds and horses. He'd laid the foundations for the Societa della Caccia Romana, which still exists today," recounts Mauro Betta, author of the book whose title translates, enigmatically, as "The Fox, the Hounds – and the Fox?" He is an expert on the history of hunting here. A textile company owner, he has come from Milan for today's drag hunt with his daughter, Roberta, a contestant on Italian Big Brother and now something of a celebrity.

The idea of introducing drag hunting belongs to the owner of the estate, Federico Nizza, who is master of the hunt. A former professional basketball player, he cuts a dashing figure in his riding kit. "My family are from Milan, but we bought this land in the early Seventies. I felt this frustration, that we were losing touch with nature. We started raising goats, then cattle and sheep, and in 1988 transformed the old farm buildings into an agriturismo, a farm stay." In the Nineties, they expanded the accommodation to become a four-star hotel.

When he finished his basketball career, Nizza picked up riding after a 40-year break and fell in love with it. He wanted to create an equestrian centre, but he wanted one that would bring riders into contact with the countryside rather than confine them to a ring.

"We'd heard about drag hunting and went to Ireland to see for ourselves. We were convinced it would work. We hired an Irish huntsman, Willy Dunne, bought a pack of Irish hounds and some experienced hunting horses and started," he says.

That was 1999. Three seasons on, the number of followers is expanding. German, British and Dutch riders come for weekend breaks, to take in the fortnightly hunts, and there are frequent visitors from Ireland. The Due Laghi club is twinned with the South Dublin Country Harriers; the riders here make a pilgrimage there for St Patrick's Day.

As the riders pause for a break on a hill overlooking Lake Martignano, our support convoy catches up with them. A waiter appears with glasses of port, and voluble banking executive Vinzo Franco lights a cigarette. His mount is Edipo (Oedipus), a cross between the Tuscan Maremma breed, used by Italian cowboys, and a thoroughbred. "I pre-sume he got that name because he tried to do something unsavoury to his mother," says Franco bawdily.

As the refreshed riders, horses and hounds disappear over a hedge and we take the easy way back, Matteo Marzano explains their holidays-on-horseback programme. "We offer trail rides that vary in length and what makes them special is the ground they cover, which is part of a regional nature reserve. You take in Etruscan sites, remains of Roman consular roads, Medieval ruins and what's left of Alfieri castle, as well as a rundown Carmelite monastery. More than just trekking, it's an archaeology and history lesson on horseback," he says.

"We've had American, Swedish and Dutch groups, but Italians too are using riding to discover this area. Many of them only know the local villages – Bracciano, Trevignano and Anguillara. But there are countless gardens, churches and Etruscan ruins to be explored."

The drag hunt ends with a long lunch in a dining hall stuffed with horsey prints. There is some attempt at protocol, to "be like the English", but everyone is too relaxed. The euro, politics, and the cold snap fill the conversation, but the banter gets rowdier with each course. At 5.30pm, the stayers finally leave the table. There is no cleaning or settling down the horses to be done – the stable hands have taken care of that. They simply slip into their cars and head back to Rome after a day of hunting all'italiana.

Country Relais I Due Laghi (Le Cerque, 00061 Anguillara Sabazia; 00 39 06 9960 7059, www.iduelaghi.it) is 38km from central Rome. A drag hunt, including horse hire, hunt fee and lunch, costs around €140 (£83). A week-long trail-riding holiday – horse, accommodation and full board – costs €1,600 (£1,000)