Sorrento Amalfi Walk With Us
Hiking in the Sorrento Peninsula and along the Amalfi Coast
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The Path of the Gods
What can I add to all that has already been written about the Path of the Gods, the most famous walk of the Amalfi Coast? However you choose to do it, you will not be disappointed by the views, but you might be disappointed by having to share it with so many other people. It has become very overcrowded during the walking season and at weekends when it becomes extremely congested.
My preference is to start from Nocelle and where the path divides into the Upper and Lower trails, follow the upper one as far as the saddle of Colle La Serra, where the paths meet again. There I will proceed to Bomerano for a coffee and maybe a
Starting Point - Nocelle
Type - there and back with a loop
Distance and difficulty - 12km (6km if one way). Terrain rough at times with some short but steep uphill and downhill stretches including steps, some exposure..
How to get there - from Sorrento SITA bus to Positano (bus stop at junction for Monte Pertuso). Local bus from junction up to Nocelle.
Useful info - tickets for local bus to/from Nocelle purchased on board. Nocelle has one tiny foodstore, a restaurant , and one more (new) bar just before start of path. There are now also public toilets down the steps near the church. Bomerano has bars/shops/water fountain. Tap with drinking water just below Colle La Serra at start lower trail.
More info -
- http://www.giovis.com/sentdei.htm
- https://www.giovistrailmaps.com/5-pathofthegods
- http://www.giovis.com/hpage/pathgodstrailbook.pdf
- Landscapes of Sorrento, Amalfi & Capri (Julian Tippett) Main walk segment 26, connecting segments 18,20,27, 28 and 29.
cake before setting off back, but this time taking the Lower trail from Colle La Serra.
For the less energetic, the walk can be one way either from Bomerano to Nocelle (taking the Upper or the Lower Trail as you prefer), or vice versa.
It is not a particularly easy trail, at times rough and slippery under foot due to loose stones and with several short but steep uphill and downhill stretches. It is the uneven nature of the track that causes problems more than anything else and longer legs can be advantageous when the rougly hewn "steps" are a little high for comfort. It is not advisable for anyone with severe vertigo. Suitable footwear is essential and it can be extremely hot in the summer, with limited shade.
The views are a continual surprise and delight at any time of the year: derelict farmhouses cling to the terraces, the ancient convent of San Domenico appears down below, Positano's pastel-coloured houses emerge from behind a bend and the coastline stretches out far ahead into the distance towards Capri. If it weren't for the many fellow hikers that now populate the path, you could imagine having stepped back in time: mules are still used to carry anything heavy along the trail and herds of goats can often be seen clambering vertically up the rock face, their bells ringing. The scent of wild thyme and rosemary fills the air and in springtime and early summer it is a botanist's dream.
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