beautiful scenery on this path(3-4 hrs.) to positano.... so breathtaking,in fact ,you'll wonder where the time went ! An absolute must if you are in this area. Do yourself a favor ,take a dip in the sea and then take enjoy the very relaxing boatride back to Amalfi !
Great hike - especially if you start early in the morning from Agerola (Bomerano) and head towards Nocelle (Positano)...that will be a mostly downhill (slight downhill) trek with quite a bit of up and down, twists and turns. I started around 9am mid-March, so not a lot of trekkers. In fact, I saw one woman jogging, another with her dogs, and a man who may have been working on the side of the mountains but decided at that point to take a smoking break. :-) Other than that, no one else... Specifics:There are strategically placed picnic spots along the way...you can either rest, take pictures or eat some snacks and enjoy the view or solitude (depending on which picnic table you choose).Bring water (1.5 liters at least)...never hurts to be hydrated (as opposed to being dehydrated).The path is well demarcated with red and white painted bars on the side of rocks or well placed signs...some times (twice at least) you'll wonder which way to go. Advice: always keep the ocean to your left when going from Bomerano to Nocelle...you can't fail. From Bomerano to Agerola took 2 hrs 15 minutes - and that was with me stopping to take pictures (very often) and a 10 minute break...plus I was walking pretty slow (from my usual pace).Lots of rocks. There's a time hikers use for it - can't remember - but if you aren't sure footed, bring some walking sticks or stay off the trail altogether. If you're afraid of heights or have some dizziness issues, spare yourself. Because it is wide open and steep space.... looking down is prob the last thing you want to do.Once you get to Nocelle, you have two options: stay on the path (by this time you're on paved path in a little part of the town...homes, bar, etc) and go towards the bus stop and take it down to Positano OR you veer a little to your left and head down 1500 steps to Atrienzo (about 2 km from Positano beach). I took the steps. Not easy going down but would hate to be going up the steps. Great workout though!Buona passeggiata!
An excellent hike. We did this in Feb expecting likely rain and grey skies. We were pleasantly surprised by sunny open skies the whole hike. We walked up from Possitano after catching a bus there from Sorrento. The first part was difficult as it was not clearly signed. Eventually walking the streets of Positano we found a small sign with a map indicating it would lead us to Monterpertuso. We climbed up stairs mostly vertically for a good half an hour and arrived in Monterpertuso. We are both of high fitness levels and found this first part a good challenge. If you are worried about your knees but still want to climb, start on Nocelle. From Monterpertuso we walked up the road towards to Nocelle and then found the path leading into the area of Nocelle. It is a wilderness area and the path is well maintained. From Nocelle you follow the signs and then end up on the hike known as Sentiero degli Dei or Path of the Gods. We hiked for around two hours return without reaching Agerola and stopping for plenty of photos. We were approximately vertically above Praiano we we decided to turn back and enjoy the rest of the sunshine instead of finishing up in the hills and catching the bus from Praiano or Bomerano.The return leg was slightly downhill and much quicker than the ascent. Reaching Nocelle took us around 40 mins compared to 80 mins out. From Nocelle we decided to climb directly down to Positano following the stairs. Over 1000 stairs later my legs still feel tight the day after. Excellent workout and great hike. Go early and bring a picnic there are a few places along the way to stop and enjoy. Bring water and protection from the weather.
Stunning views abound on this wonderful hike that extends from above Positano (from the small town of Nocelle) towards Ravello. Mostly easy/moderate terrain with abundant sunshine. Take lots of water, although you will find a lovely granita shop close to Nocelle.
My wife and I did this in October. The weather was mild. The path varies between paved and mountain goat track. Signage was subtle but very good once you get used to it. We did take the SITA bus to Bergomo from Positano (make sure you ask for directions at your hotel) and walk down however I cant see that it makes a lot of difference as you go up and down a lot on the trail. We walked all the way to Nocelle then up to Montepertusso and back down the 1500 steps to positano and then back up the 500 steps to our hotel (total on fitbit was 26600 paces and 19km).I must say that a lot of reviews we read tell us how fast they did it. I have the view point that it is beautiful scenery so what is the rush? We took water (i recommend 2 liter each), fruit, snacks, wine and had a few picnic stops on the way down. It is an amazing experience - soak it up. Fans of Cinque Terra will love it.
We started in Nocelle and ended in Bomerano. It was about 5 miles each way. The path is quite rocky and hiking shoes would be a good idea, but I managed to do it in minimalist running shoes in the rain and made it back in one piece with just the soles of my feet a bit sore. The views back toward Positano and the amazing terraced vineyards outside Praiano were spectacular. We took so many photos, but I'm not sure we were able to capture the sheer cliffs and lush vegetation; a glorious place. The only downside was that there was quite a bit of trash littered about, particularly at the beginning and end of the trail. So sad to see in such a beautiful and historical setting.
Many of the reviews describe complicated steps for transportation to get to the start, and how to get back to Poisitano at the end of this hike. We recommend doing a loop, which allows you to get to/from the same location at the start. We started the hike at Agerola, followed the upper trail until we got to marker 7, and then headed back on the lower trail. After a handful of km, you will come to an option in the trail with a large stone marker on the left. Head to the left, and you will end back at the upper trail near where you started. Total hike, including many photo stops and lunch, was 4 hours. We went in December, no one was there, and the weather was still good. Highly recommended, great views!
We were staying in Positano and took the bus to Amalfi, then Bomerano to the head of the trail. Each leg of the bus ride was about 45 mins with a 30 min stop and transfer in Amalfi. We then walked from Bomerano to Nochelle, and down the 1500 steps to Positano.We we weren't disappointed - the views were simply stunning. This was one of the best experiences on our Italian vacation.The hike took about 4 hours at a very leisurely pace. The trail is well marked and maintained and not too physically challenging. We saw folks that appeared to be into their 60s doing just fine on the trail. however, definitely a word of warning - one person in our party had a fear of heights and struggled. There are portions of the path that have sheer dropoffs right next to the trail. It's definitely not for the feint of heart.There is a fork of the trail that comes up from Priano and if we did it again we would probably start on that path. It would have added a significant uphill section to the hike, and if you take that path you do miss some of the highest section of the hike near Bomerano, but there are still plenty of gorgeous views. From Positano it would have shaved off almost the entire 2 hour bus journey to Bomerano, however depending on what your looking for that ride up the mountain was an experience in itself!With whatever path you decide to take, this hike is a must-do while in the Amalfi coast.
Started the Hike in positano - ascended via steps (1780) to the lovely villages of Montepertuso and Nocelle, where the Trail officially started. What an amazing experience hiking high above the Ligurian See amidst views, where pictures can do no justice. The Path was fairly easy, well maintained and meansers all the way to Amalfi. My wife and I descended towards Praino (another lovely village along the Coastal drive) - the descent was quite steep, we bypassed an idillyc Convent, where wine is grown and sheep wander. The whole Trip took us about 2 hours - We had a great Lunch in Praino, before taking a Car back to positano.
This was one of the highlights of our stay in Positano. We didn't have a formal map of the Path, but had our TED phone with GPS, a map from the guest tables in Positano, and our host at the B&B had drawn us a map (note to self--do not operate off of a hand-drawn map)! We decided to take the bus from Positano to Agerola and catch another bus up to the beginning of the path (instead of taking the bus to Ravello). We waited about an hour for the bus. Quick note: the busses didn't have a sign to say where they were going. You wait on the side of the road, the bus stops, you ask is this bus going here. The first bus said no and the bus to Agerola was about 20 minutes behind, so we stepped over to the little sundries shop to sit out of the sun, sure enough the bus up to Agerola went whizzing by us. Oh well, so we waited for the next one. The ride up is amazing and frightful--literally the bus drivers must have stomachs of steel, a few near death experiences, but made it to the top. There a few signs that have the Path marked, I think they were in Italian, as I can't remember them being in English. So, we went into a few little shops in the town center looking for a map, but nobody had one. We just started following what we had on our GPS, the picture map we got in town, and the hand drawn map. As you get on the path you will notice markers, you will see red and white paint on rocks, fence posts, trees, etc... that will let you know you are on the right track, and they also give you a number. We had been given two points of departure off the Path, one at Nocelle and one into Positano. The steps down from Nocelle were supposedly around 700 steps, so we opted to keep walking. It was really neat and cool all the different houses, gardens, a cool church with a breathtaking little courtyard (and free washrooms), but eventually the Path just stopped. No signage, markings, nothing. We figured we missed something and walked back a bit to see if we overlooked a turn off. We didn't see anything to suggest that was the case, so we kept on and eventually the path put you on sort of a main road. It was really disconcerting since there is no such thing as a sidewalk and cars come within inches of each other. We finally made it down and asked a at few shops how to get down to Positano. Our map said there was set of stairs down, but we couldn't seem to find them. Finally, we did but it was a which side do you choose set of stairs. We just picked one and went for it. The hike was amazing until we reached the road part, it took the serene and peaceful nature of the hike away and was a tad stressful due to walking on the main road. So, I would suggest taking Nocelle down. The hike was really interesting though it goes from farm land, mountains, to desert like terrain, back to mountains and then into people's backyards. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. We packed a day bag with sunscreen, rain jacket, a sandwich and water and it was the perfect amount of "gear". You really don't need professional hiking gear, just a really good map:)!