5 unmissable destinations for walking lovers discovering the best-known trails between the magnificent landscapes of the Amalfi Coast. The most interesting excursions and walks in the Sorrento’s surroundings.
In this article we would like to give some ideas to trekking lovers: we will discover the most interesting routes that combine the exploration of nature with local culture, which pass through the ancient villages of the hinterland and overlook the splendid landscapes of the Amalfi Coast.
From the Path of the Gods to the Fiord of Furore, from Valle delle Ferriere to Monte dell’Avvocata, we will try to illustrate some of the wonders that this land offers and give useful information to those who want to discover these enchanting places.
1. The Path of the Gods: a walk in Heaven
A name like this immediately makes us think about extraordinary, almost divine landscapes of one of the most beautiful and famous coasts in the world. The name of the path seems to derive, in fact, from the legend according to which the Greek gods travelled this road to save Ulysses from the sirens that were situated in front of Positano, on the island of Li Galli.
The Path of the Gods connects Agerola, a village above the well-known Praiano on the hills of the Amalfi Coast, to Nocelle, a hamlet of Positano on the slopes of Monte Pertuso and offers a fabulous view over the coast to Capri.
The route is 8 km long and of medium difficulty.
Between history and legend
This ancient mountain road has been for many centuries the only way of connecting the various villages of the Coast for commercial traffic, until the Bourbons built the current state road 163. Since then, it was used as a mule track and, in the in recent years, it has been rediscovered and adapted to a hiking trail.
Various historical testimonies tell us that these places have been known and admired by some of the most famous travellers of the Grand Tour, including Goethe, Wagner and others who have praised the beauty of the landscape in the works they have left us.
Over the centuries, many local legends and traditions have been handed down along this particular route, helping to increase its charm. For example, is curious the story of the pig who lived in the ravines along the road with her six cubs, and which in the nights of full moon turned into a satanic being, frightening the unfortunates. It is also said that in these places lived the “Fairies”, a kind of magicians with supernatural abilities, who took note of the happy events or wrote the dark omens.
The road and the landscapes
It starts from Bomerano di Agerola or from Praiano and travels towards Nocelle-Positano or vice-versa. The path is well marked by red and white signs with the writing 02.
There are buses that take tourists back in both directions.
During the walk the landscape changes: a vegetation made up of a few shrubs and grass, where you often meet grazing sheep and goats, quickly changes into Mediterranean scrub with a prevalence of holm oaks and many aromatic herbs. There are also many vineyards, with the famous pink vine, a variety of very ancient origins and extremely rare called Pede. Ruins of ancient houses are also often visible along the route. There are winding points, which alternate ups and downs and dizzying views, sometimes even with gorges and precipices.
Before setting out: useful information
The Path of the Gods is a mountain route, so it is always open and free.
It is not suitable for small children as there are sections without protection and being a path it is not possible to use the stroller. We also remember that the route is not recommended for those suffering from vertigo because there are sections in which it reaches 1000 meters in height.
2. Valle delle Ferriere: a path surrounded by the green.
This route is located in the Municipality of Scala (in the province of Salerno, close to Ravello), in a wide valley between Amalfi and Agerola.
It is a protected nature reserve, of great interest from the botanical point of view as a tree fern survives inside it dating back to the glaciations period. Its terrain is characterized by the presence of various water sources and, with the humid sea breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, it manages to maintain a subtropical microclimate that keeps very ancient plant species alive. The fauna is also very rich: many particular insects can be observed, birds such as the peregrine falcon and the red woodpecker and various reptiles, including the spectacled salamander.
Its name derives from the presence of ruins of ancient factories for iron working, which comes from the Island of Elba, Puglia and Calabria when Amalfi was a Maritime Republic. It seems that nails were made mainly for boats.
The route is simple, takes about 3 hours and runs through woods, streams and waterfalls along the Rio Canneto, which once brought water to the ancient mills for the production of paper.
You can choose whether to start from the Campidoglio village and follow the path that crosses the woods and leads to Amalfi, or vice versa, starting from the centre of Amalfi, continuing along via Paradiso until the road becomes a narrow mountain path.
A stretch only for experts
You can make a small deviation from the main route before arriving in Amalfi, but it is quite challenging (and it is to be avoided if you are not trained), as you have to cross the stream on tree trunks, to get to the fenced part of the reserve, where the falls are located.
3. From Agerola to the Fiordo di Furore
A characteristic wild landscape: It starts from Bomerano (Agerola) along path 12 and takes the staircase that descends, passing from the locality of Le Porpore, to the Marina di Furore beach.
Ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in a very suggestive scenario, surrounded by nature and that inspires peace.
The Fiordo di Furore is particularly suggestive because the landscape that opens up to the eye consists of a deep crack in the rock and is crossed by the Schiato stream.
The particular name evokes something frightening: a legend tells that the devil presented himself here and was not liked and chased away by the inhabitants. While leaving, terribly angry, he stomped his feet in the rock leaving a deep mark. Historians derive the name of this area from the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks.
The walk takes about 1 hour and is about 1.5 km long. From the bridge on the Amalfi state road, you descend along a path on the rock that reaches a small, but enchanting, beach.
Some curiosities
The Fiordo, with its characteristic wild landscape, has been chosen as the set for many films: directors of the caliber of Fellini and Rossellini have immortalized it in their films and made it famous among cinema lovers.
It is also known because in the summer it becomes the location of an international diving competition, with the jump from the bridge from a height of 28 meters.
The upper village, also called “the town that does not exist”, is made up of some houses that emerge from the rocks and that complete the equally particular surrounding landscape, made of terraced vines and lemon crops.
4. The Valley of the Brigands: from Agerola to Bomerano
This path crosses the places where brigands once used to hid: even today the older inhabitants of this area recall suggestive stories related to the age of banditry, which lasted until the nineteenth century. Even Boccaccio in the Decamerone tells of Ruggiero di Agerola, a brigand who lived in these woods and hidden caves and made sudden forays to adventurers.
The route takes about 3 hours, has a difference in height of 500 meters (both uphill and downhill).
Starting from the square of Bomerano, cross the town of Pendola, along a path used since ancient times, then taking the road to Paipo. During the walk, you can admire the terraces and their crops and then the chestnut and alder woods.
5. Monte dell’Avvocata: towards the Sanctuary in the footsteps of pilgrims
This route winds from the village of Maiori to the ancient Benedictine Abbey of SS. Trinità di Cava dei Tirreni, crossing the Lattari Mountains (or vice versa).
It is a path that combines the spectacular and unique views of the Gulf of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast in search of spirituality, as it passes, in fact, by the Marian Sanctuary.
The complete route is about 16 km long and takes about 3 hours.
From the stairway in via Casale Alto in Maiori you reach the so-called Acqua del Castagno, a source of fresh water: we recommend to stock it up before continuing your journey.
The Sanctuary, consisting of a convent, a church and a caretaker’s house, plus a wall, is located on Mount Falerzio, overlooking the sea and dates back to 1485, when, according to legend, the Madonna appeared to a shepherd and told him to build the Sanctuary. The panorama is exceptional, characterized by the very rich vegetation of the Mediterranean scrub and by particular animal species, such as the peregrine falcon.
The Feast of the Madonna dell’Avvocata takes place on Whit Monday and still involves many people from all over Campania. It consists of a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary in the night or at the first light of dawn, escorted by the rhythm of the tammorre (typical tambourines of the area) and then continues all day long.
Getting to Amalfi Coast
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