Italy's Amalfi Coast Day 5

Day 5: Hiking the Path of the Gods

Today we got up early, yet again, to set out on the Path of the Gods. Our driver today was again Francesco, but a different one.  Are all drivers in southern Italy named Francesco?  We will have to wait and see. Our hiking guide for the day, Lucca, was joining us for the 50 min drive to the start of the path in Agerola (only about 13 miles, but an altitude of about 2,000 feet. It is the oldest village on the Amalfi Coast set in a valley in the Monti Lattari (Milky Mountains(. The name derives from the flocks of goats grazing in the area, which provide  good quality of milk (lactis in Latin).  This statue is in the town square in honor of the regions milk production now from both goats and cows.

The Path of the Gods or Il Sentiero degli Dei, has its name derived from Greek mythology. Legend says it was cut into the earth by the gods as they stampeded down from heaven to save Ulysses from the sirens’ song as they lured his ship into the rocks near Positano.  The trail is one of the world’s most stunning hikes with constant views of the rugged Amalfi Coast and Capri in the distance.  

The Path begins in Agerola and extends about 4 ½ miles to Nocelle a hamlet of Positano high up on the mountain. Though the trail has an overall elevation loss of 600 feet, the elevation gain (due to many ups and downs) is about 1800 feet.  

The hike began in town on paved road taking us past beautiful vegetable gardens with ripe tomatoes and eggplants as well as small vineyards.

Lucca was a fantastic guide giving us a wealth of information as we traversed the trail.   He pointed out a wide variety of wild herbs including rosemary, mint, oregano, and dill.

Shortly after getting onto the actual path, we came upon a goatherd who had 150 goats along the path.  He milks all these goats daily and has to hike the Path from his home to the goats each day. 

He also has 2 donkeys to help move the milk, Limone (the large one), and Limoncello (the small one).

The hike was one stunning view after the next. There was never a point where the scenery was not exceptional.

There are distinct vegetation zones along the path including citrus groves, olive trees, vineyards, and forest. Cultivated areas are all terraced.

Chestnut forests are the highest zone of flora at the tree line and the wood is used to produce the pergolas that grape vines are grown on.  

We passed a vertical precipice that Lucca noted was a top rock-climbing spot.  

I just couldn’t resist doing a bit of free climbing. Fortunately, we didn’t have to call Global Rescue to get me off the mountain.

We finally reached Nocelle, the end of the trail for us. If we were heartier (or more stupid), we could have descended 2,000 steps to Positano and then walk a half mile to a spot where are driver could pick us up.

Positano from the Path

The End

Nether of those appealed to us so we opted for pick-up by Francesco (the original Francesco) in Nocelle.

We returned to the hotel and finally got to enjoy the pool. It was a perfect end to the day of hiking. 

Dinner at another restaurant below our hotel, Armandino's, was fair, but the views of the hotel and nearby Saracen Tower (ancient signal towers that were used to warn of impending pirate attacks) at night were beautiful.

Italy's Amalfi Coast Day 4

Day 4: Touring the Amalfi Coast

This morning we finally got a proper breakfast.  Our hotel had a great spread and we definitely took advantage of it. 

Francesco turned up again as our driver and by now we were becoming good friends. We began our drive along the beautiful Amalfi Coast. The roads were all curves and switchbacks with cars parked along the side taking up a good portion of real estate especially for a road that is only the width of 1 ½ lanes in the US.  Add pedestrians, cyclists, sightseeing busses, motor scooters and the dreaded tourist with more balls than brains that rented a car and you have the makings of a terrifying excursion.  Francesco named the main road along the coast, the “Mamma Mia”road.I think the gasps coming from the back seats may have rattled Francesco a bit, but he was an exceptional driver on these roads and after a while we got used to the ride.

The Madonna Holding a Bouquet

Our 1st stop was the town of Amalfi.  

Amalfi Beach

After getting dropped off  we crossed the Mamma Mia Road and entered the “mainly pedestrian” town of Amalfi.  One of the main attractions here is the Fountain of St Andrew. It features intricate sculptures depicting Saint Andrew, nymphs, and cherubs, symbolizing the city's connection to its patron saint and maritime traditions. As with much of Italian art, it  has  a bit of a risqué nature to it.  

We decided to do a church since we were in Italy after all, and visited the Duomo di Amalfi or the Amalfi Cathedral ;a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo, dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are kept here. It was begun in the 9th Century and modified for hundreds of years afterward. The bell tower was constructed in the 12th Century.,

Outside the cathedral are innumerable shop, gelatarias and cafes.

  We were still stuffed from breakfast, but managed to sample the Amalfi lemon sorbet. 

Given the heat, this was very refreshing. Amalfi is known for its special lemons which are a hybrid between lemon and orang and has a sweeter, less acid taste.  They are also about 2-3 times the size of our lemons.  It makes great limoncello and you can get just about anything from underwear to wedding dresses with the signature lemons on it.

Back to the car to ride up into the hills to Ravello, a much quieter place far from the hub-bub of the coast. We first stopped in Scala, a tiny hamlet in the hills overlooking Rovello.  This gave us a bird’s -eye view of our next stop.  

We also got to see local donkeys hard at work carrying heavy loads up the steep roads.  They do much better than some of the small trucks on the road here. 

Ravello, a resort town set 1000 feet above Amalfi,  is the home to iconic hanging gardens overlooking the cliffs.  It was supposedly the inspiration for Wagner’s opera, Parsifal. Today happened to be some-saint’s day, and at noon, the church bells pealed and we were treated to a fireworks display (not in the same league as Newbury, though).   

We wandered into a ceramic shop and nearly came out with $1000 worth of new dinnerware.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed (Jeri) and we instead bought a water pitcher by which  to remember our trip.  The plates were beautiful, though.  Suzie and Rich wound up with an olive oil flask.  I think the proprietor was not thrilled when we passed on the plates after spending an hour with us.

After saving all that money, we decided to sit at a café in the square and have a light lunch We each shared a pannini and lemonade and people watched.

Back in the car to the supposed crown jewel of the Amalfi Coast, Positano, playground  to the rich and famous.  The town is built along the cliff extending from about 700 feet above sea level down to the Bay of Sorrento. We were dropped off about 200 feet above sea level, and walked down the pedestrian way toward the sea.  It was wall to wall people and shop after shop.  The temps were in the high 80s but without any breeze it felt more like 100! 

Window shopping in the heat with the prospect of having to climb back up to the main road was not my cup of tea.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the a/c of our car.  The highlight was a baba au rhum that we bought for 1.50 euros so that we could use the bathroom. Jeri, who is well known for getting locked in bathrooms all over the planet, didn’t disappoint yet again. Fortunately, I realized fairly quickly her predicament, and had someone who worked there extricate her.

Dinner tonight was at Il Pirata, a fantastic restaurant just at the base of the cliff that our hotel sat on.  70 steps took us down to the water where the restaurant sat.  The view, the food, and the service were all exceptional.  

Tomorrow we hike the Path of the Gods