Italy: Hiking above the fray & visiting Positano.
Path of the Gods
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You may recall that I live just outside of Yosemite National Park. I am a mountain girl through and through so as I was quickly planning this trip, I knew that I would need to get out of the city at some point and into the dirt…I needed a hiking trail and The Path of the Gods seemed like the best option while visiting this region.
Doesn’t it feel like you could reach out and touch those clouds!?
Map of the various routes you’ll find near Bomerano trailhead
I decided to hire a guide because a.) I didn’t know what to expect from this trail and didn’t have a lot of time to research, b.) I was hiking alone c.) I needed to get from Sorrento to Positano and d.) I knew I wouldn’t get the storied history of the area without a guide so I followed Rick Steve’s advice and hired Giovanna Donadio. This is not inexpensive and after having hiked this trail, I can say it is very safe for solo hikers. I do not regret hiring her though because she was super fun and was born to guide! I learned so much from her (including how to make homemade Lemoncello!) so it was a great experience.
There are a few routes you can take and you can either take the trail east to west or west to east.
We hiked east to west which I recommend. You should start early in the morning if you are hiking in the summer because much of the trail is in the sun and it gets hot! It also can become crowded later in the day. Our route was about 4 miles but there are longer routes you can take if you start from another town.
Bomerano to Nocelle:
Giovanna and our driver, Enzo picked me up at my hotel and we three immediately vibed.
“Bonjorno” they say and I say it back. Then Enzo says I must be from southern Italy because my accent gives me away. '
“No”, I replied “I’m a Yankee”. Giovanna said I looked so Italian that they almost passed right by me “you have that Italian look”, she says. Obviously they’re getting a big tip from me! 😄
(embarassing side note: I actually forgot to tip them! I realized this after the fact and I emailed Giovanna to get her mailing address so I could send cash. I made up for this FUBAR by tucking the $ inside a hand painted card I made just for her.)
Giovanna immediately starts telling me factual information about the Almafi Coast and we stop at an overlook which has a view of both Sorrento Bay and Naples Bay which of course, I neglected to take a photo of. Grr. Enzo is offering multiple quips about his mother-in-law (she lives with him and he loves her but a mother-in-law joke seems to always work).
Once we arrived in Bomerano, Enzo dropped us off and we stopped at a cafe for a pastry and cappuccino to rev ourselves up for the hike.
I asked Giovanna how long she has been a guide and how did she start in this career?
“I have been a guide for 22 years and I love it! It started as a summer job when I was at Uni but I loved it so much, I never stopped! I love meeting people and I love to talk so it is the perfect job for me”.
I mentioned that it must have been really hard financially during Covid lockdowns.
“Yes. I went from working 7 days a week to 0 and I drove my husband crazy. I would be talking to him while he was watching football on tv and I could tell he was annoyed. He said I was too cooped up and needed to find someone to talk to (so that he wasn’t the only one having to listen)”. Giovanna laughs as she says this last part, her hands flying as she speaks… that part of Italian myth is true. Lots of talking with their hands.
She said that it was also an opportunity to spend more time with her son, that her family fell in love with cooking together and her garden had become a wonderful place for them to retreat to. This lead us into a discussion on farming in the area and I was shocked at how different (and pathetic) it is here in the States. She said in this region nearly everyone has a backyard garden and they all have their favorite farmers they go to for eggs, olive oil, etc, usually an old family friend. Each season, she orders 150 jars of tomato sauce from her farming neighbor (her garden doesn’t produce enough tomatoes for a year’s worth of sauce).
They don’t really have supermarkets there, just small corner stores and their own crops. She aid everything here is fresh, fresh, fresh and organic. The region is know for its mozzarella cheese and she said if the mozzarella is 2 days old, she wouldn’t even use it in a pasta dish… too old. She explained that many of the local farmers harvest their olives and then take them to one of only 3 mills for pressing. Giovanna says you can’t make an appointment, you just have to show up and wait your turn.
I explained that California is one of the world’s largest agriculturally producing places yet we IMPORT fruits and vegetables from other countries. I told her it is actually hard to find produce grown in the heart of a booming agricultural state.
She looked at me with absolute confusion. She couldn’t comprehend this at all. We both agreed it was ludicrous and stupid!
We talked as we began the trail which starts in the town along side streets and takes you directly into the Lattari mountain range. The name of the trail comes from the story of Homer’s ‘The Odyssey‘. Ulysses, seduced by the winged Sirens of Capri who lured sailors to shipwreck, called upon the Greek gods to save him.
I asked about the history of the trail and Giovanna explained:
“ This trail connects many small villages. During the war it was safer for locals to travel this way versus traveling along the coast. This area used to have a lot of working farms but all of the younger generations moved away to the cities to work and have not continued farming their family land”.
I’m not sure which war she is speaking of but I assume it was the Franco-Spanish War in the 1500’s. I’m also pretty sure she mentioned pirates, too but now I can’t recall with clarity.
On the Trail
Signage as you exit town and begin your hike.
We encountered the resident goats who live on this trail. The area is quite ancient and it’s interesting that a few farmers continue to graze their animals here. The goats have little houses built right into the hillside.
The trail starts out relatively flat and easy going but as you continue, it gets rockier and there are some sections where you scramble up or down some steeper areas. If you have weak knees, these areas might be an issue for you you but overall, the trail is easy-moderate. You definitely want to take water with you!
The views are incredible and there are many vistas where you can pause for a moment and enjoy looking down on the Almafi Coast and Positano.
I’m the least photogenic person on the planet but Positano in the background counteracts this.
Old farmhouse ruins along the trail
Apparently there is a farmer who lives nearby and if you call him, you can visit his home and he will give you refreshments while you visit! Had I known this ahead of time, I definitely would have rung him up and asked if I could see his farm.
There are still a few active farms along this trail
The terraced farming seen here is that of a local winery. Giovanna says it’s great wine and since it’s production is small, their bottles are highly sought after.
The majority of the trail runs along this hillside so you are in the sun though we lucked out and had light fog which kept the temps down as we enjoyed the unsurpassed views of the Almafi coastline. About 3/4ths of the way down, the trail passes through a forested area and the shade from the oak trees is lovely. There are some large step-downs with boulders and such where I saw some hikers struggle a little. Trekking poles might come in handy if you have creaky joints or are currently working on getting in shape.
The trail is maintained by volunteers so for the most part, it is fairly easy (this is coming from the perspective of a person who lives in the mountains though. If you are not a hiker or aren’t in the best shape, there are some areas that are strenuous).
The views truly are spectacular and you can see yachts anchored below in Positano. While that sounds fancy and luxurious, I liked my view better.
Access to nature makes those who enjoy it the richest people on the planet.
I did wonder if any of the yachts belonged to Russian oligarchs but Giovanna said they confiscated all of those since the war in Ukraine and the sanctions placed on the wealthiest Russians.
Nocelle’s answer to GrubHub. The owner kept telling the mule to stop moving (in Italian, Giovanna translated for me while laughing at the conversation between man and mule).
We finished the hike in 2 hours which Giovnna said is a pretty fast time, it typically takes 3-4 hours. It didn’t feel fast to me though. We weren’t in any sort of hurry and we took our time admiring the view. Enzo met us at the end of the trail and handed us the best lemonade slushy I’ve ever had in my life from a little lemonade stand. I don’t even like lemonade but this was fresh squeezed and half frozen which felt like heaven in the summer heat.
Note: The trail ends in Nocelle but you can walk down to Positano from here. Doing so involves 1,500 steep steps you have to navigate. We opted to drive.
Positano
It is summer in Italy and Positano being one of the most popular seaside towns in the entire country means that it is, of course, busy. Giovanna and I strolled leisurely through the quaint streets. This town is gorgeous but not my jam. Why? It’s definitely geared towards tourism. Tons of shopping and tons of tourists. This is understandable though because it is intensely beautiful.
The bougainvillea is prevalent and absolutely stunning as it climbs up the walls of the buildings here.
Giovanna can tell I’m impressed with the fact that these homes and structures are built straight up and into the cliffs of the coast line. She explains:
“ We take great pride in the aesthetics of this area and we maintain the look of it stringently. It looks the same now as it did decades ago. There are very strict renovation regulations in this region. All of the window shapes, paint colors, etc. must be approved and must reflect the style of the buildings that have been here for a long time. I recently renovated my home in Sorrento and it took 9 months just to get the style of the renovations approved. We are very serious about keeping this place pristine”.
She said that in the off season, nearly everything closes because tourists don’t visit and that living in Positano is a very “specific lifestyle”. It’s a little hard because there aren’t roads that connect to side streets. It’s mostly just the main road so if you want to go to the market, you have to be able to carry your bags up staircases with 300 steps. The locals embrace these staircases and after seeing some of them, they must all have buns of steel! I am talking practically vertical stairways that go on forever! As a mom, I thought about how much whining little people must do when they are tired and have to walk home from the beach. I imagine how much whining I would do!
At some point I need to go back and finish these. I only spend about 5 minutes on these, quickly capturing what I’ve seen when traveling. Next time I plan on being more thorough!
Positano from above
Since I am not much of a shopper, we walked the town and the outer edge of town where we saw a few of the old stone watchtowers which were used to alert each seaside village of impending doom. Many of these watchtowers are now owned by the wealthy and have been turned into luxurious vacation rentals
When I say luxurious, I mean thousands of dollars per week to stay there.Think trust fund kids and celebrities…. I’ll leave you a link to the most well known watchtower villa just so you can understand how “Lifestyle’s of the Rich and Famous” this area is.
You can see the watchtower villa at the back of this photo. There’s a pathway that leads you alongside these towers.
Giovanna tells me Jennifer Lopez was going to get married in this are but then Covid hit and the wedding was postponed (and then the engagement was cancelled… we all know the latest story. Vegas 24hr chapel with Ben vs. Positano with that other guy…). Anyhoo… I digress. My day was spectacular and I left Positano appreciating its beauty, grateful for such a wonderful, funny and enthusiastic guide. Giovanna left me with one more word of advice:
Eat a Delitzie al Limone (lemon delight cake) while in Sorrento. I will share those details with you next week (along with a recipe).
Giovanna is lo-fi/old school so to hire her, email her at:
She does tours to Capri and Pompei as well. You will love her! She’s GREAT!
If you want more information on the trail and how to get to Bomerano from Sorrento, etc, I reccommend this blog and this one They explain options thoroughly and are budget travelers!
Become a subscriber to my blog and get Giovanna’s Lemoncello (Limoncello) Recipe!
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