The Path of the Gods runs 300 metres above the Amalfi Coast sea, with the Gulf of Salerno below and the Lattari mountains above. It is the finest coastal trail in Italy. Here is the complete guide.
Plan my Italy trip →The Amalfi Coast's hiking system rivals the Cinque Terre in quality and exceeds it in dramatic elevation change. The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) runs 300 metres above the sea on a cliff traverse that gives views of the full Gulf of Salerno that no coastal road can approach. Below it: the Ravello to Minori valley trail, the Valle delle Ferriere waterfall walk, and the ancient mule paths that connected the villages before the SS163 made them redundant.
The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods, Trail CAI 327) is the Amalfi Coast's most significant hiking route — a 7.5km traverse along the cliff face approximately 300-600 metres above the sea, connecting Bomerano (the village above Agerola, 654m altitude) to Nocelle (above Positano, 440m altitude). Total walking time: 2-3 hours one-way at a moderate pace. The route runs west to east (Bomerano to Nocelle) to keep the sea views in front. The return: from Nocelle, a steep stone staircase of 480 steps descends to Positano (30 min); return to your Amalfi base by SITA bus from Positano or by ferry. Getting to Bomerano: SITA bus from Amalfi (line to Agerola, 45 min, €3) or taxi from Praiano (15 min, €25). The trail is fully open year-round but closed in extreme weather. The specific view: at the midpoint of the trail, the entire Gulf of Salerno is visible below — the Li Galli islands, the Positano cliff village, Capri on the horizon in clear conditions. This is the most comprehensive single coastal view in Italy. Difficulty: moderate, exposed, requires trail shoes and sun protection. Not suitable for vertigo sufferers on some sections.
Before the SS163 was built (1832-1853), every village on the Amalfi Coast was connected to its neighbors and to the market towns above by a network of mule paths — stone-paved trails cut into the cliff faces and valley walls, wide enough for a laden mule and its handler. These paths were the economic infrastructure of the coast: the lemons from the terraced gardens above Minori descended to the harbor by mule path; the grain from the Agerola plateau above supplied Positano by the same system. The paths had to be maintained constantly — the limestone and schist surfaces required regular repointing and clearing after rain. The construction of the SS163 made most mule paths redundant for commerce within 20 years; the post-WWII automobile culture completed the transition. The hiking trails that visitors use today (the Sentiero degli Dei, the Ravello-Minori route, the Alta Via connections) are these mule paths — unchanged in their routing and largely unchanged in their stone surface. What looks like a scenic hiking infrastructure was the working highway of a pre-modern coastal economy. The specific quality of the old mule path surface (large flat stones laid in a herringbone pattern to prevent downslope erosion) is visible on the lower sections of the Sentiero degli Dei and on the paths between the villages around Ravello.
Valle delle Ferriere (from Amalfi town to the waterfall, 4km, 2 hours round trip, moderate): the valley immediately above Amalfi town contains the Ferriere waterfall and a nature reserve with the Woodwardia fern — a prehistoric fern species surviving in the valley's specific microclimate as a relict population. The trail begins at Piazza Municipio in Amalfi and follows the stream up the valley. Good for mixed groups including less-fit walkers; cooler than the cliff paths in summer. Ravello to Minori (5km, 2 hours descending, moderate): the trail from Ravello (350m altitude) descends through lemon terraces and farmland to Minori at sea level — one of the best demonstrations of the Amalfi agricultural landscape. Positano to Praiano via Montepertuso (5km, 2.5 hours, challenging): passes through the rock arch at Montepertuso (a natural arch visible from the SS163 below), one of the coast's most photogenic geological features. Belvedere di Conca dei Marini (above the Grotta dello Smeraldo, 30-minute walk from the SS163, easy): the ridge walk above the emerald grotto gives views of the coast in both directions from an altitude not accessible by road.
Seven things standard Italy travel guides consistently misrepresent: (1) They underestimate Rome's time requirement. Two days in Rome is a Rome audit, not a Rome visit. The city has more extraordinary content per square kilometer than any city on earth — the first two days cover the obvious (Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi); days three and four cover the extraordinary (Borghese Gallery, Pantheon interior at dawn, the Monti neighborhood, the Protestant Cemetery). The guides that suggest Rome in 2 days are advising a checklist, not an experience. (2) They overestimate the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is genuinely beautiful and the Sentiero Azzurro is a fine trail. It is also one of Italy's most overcrowded summer destinations, with the Via dell'Amore frequently closed and the villages so saturated with visitors in July-August that the experience approaches a theme park. Visiting in shoulder season (May, September-October) or choosing the Alta Via instead of the Sentiero Azzurro makes the difference. (3) They skip Bologna. Bologna has Italy's best food (the Quadrilatero market, tagliatelle al ragù at its source), the world's oldest university, 37km of porticoes, and almost no tourist infrastructure pressure. The standard triangle (Venice-Florence-Rome) walks past it. A single night in Bologna between Venice and Florence costs nothing extra in time and produces the best meal of the trip. (4) They make Venice seem more manageable than it is for first-timers. Venice's address system (sestiere + six-digit number) is difficult to navigate without preparation; the vaporetto routes require study; getting lost (genuinely lost, not tourist-lost) is easy. The guides that say "just wander" are right but incomplete — knowing which direction any canal runs relative to the Grand Canal orientation is the specific skill that makes wandering productive rather than exhausting. (5) They recommend Positano as an Amalfi base. Positano is the most beautiful and the least practical Amalfi base — the SITA buses are full by the time they reach Positano from Sorrento, parking is essentially impossible, and the village's terrain requires significant climbing for any accommodation not directly on the waterfront. Amalfi town is the practical transport hub. (6) They don't address the train booking problem. Italian Frecciarossa high-speed trains sell their cheapest advance fares 3-4 months ahead; the popular Venice-Florence and Florence-Rome services sell out entirely on summer Saturdays. Booking on arrival or 1-2 weeks ahead means paying 2-3× the advance price or being forced onto regional slow trains. (7) They overstate the language barrier. In any Italian city with significant tourism, English communication in restaurants, hotels, and museums is straightforward. The language barrier is real in rural areas, in local markets, and in neighborhood bars — which is exactly where it produces the most interesting interactions rather than the most frustrating ones.
Ten Italian photography locations that produce extraordinary images without the crowd overhead: (1) Riomaggiore harbor at 6am before the Sentiero Azzurro opens — the fishing boats, the tower houses, the morning light on the cliff faces before a single other visitor arrives; (2) Alberobello trulli rooftops from the church terrace — the concentration of the conical white-limestone roofs visible from the Belvedere dei Trulli in the early morning light; (3) Matera Sassi at night from the opposite canyon side — the cave dwellings lit from inside after 9pm, viewed from the Belvedere Murgia Timone across the canyon, gives the most extraordinary photograph of any Italian city; (4) Pienza from the Valley below — the perfectly preserved Renaissance ideal city on the Crete Senesi ridge, best photographed at golden hour from the Val d'Orcia road below; (5) Palermo's Ballarò market at 8am — the light and the chaos of Italy's most extraordinary surviving street market before the tourist hour; (6) Venice from the Burano water taxi at dawn — the passage through the lagoon from Burano to Venice in early morning mist gives the approach that the Grand Canal crowds can't replicate; (7) The Castelmezzano-Pietrapertosa rope bridge, Basilicata — two medieval villages on opposite Lucanian Dolomites peaks connected by a suspended cable, virtually unknown outside Italy; (8) Orvieto from below on the autostrada approach — the volcanic tufa cliff with the cathedral on top, best seen from the valley, is the most vertical Italian hilltop town profile; (9) Furore fjord from inside by kayak — the narrow sea inlet with 30-metre walls, the Ponte di Furore above, the turquoise water: impossible to photograph from the road; (10) The Infiorata of Noto (third Sunday of May) — the main street of the Baroque town covered in a carpet of fresh flower petals in elaborate designs, the most extraordinary street decoration in Italy.
Eight Italy transport facts that matter: (1) Trenitalia and Italo are competitors on the high-speed network — both run Frecciarossa-class services on the Rome-Florence-Milan axis. Checking both trenitalia.com and italotreno.it for the same journey often produces different prices; the cheaper operator varies by day and route. (2) Regional trains do not require advance booking — InterCity and Regionale services have no booking fee and can be purchased at the station on the day. Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, and Frecciabianca require a specific seat reservation (included in the ticket price but must be booked). (3) Convalidare il biglietto — regional train tickets must be validated (punched in the yellow machines at the platform entrance) before boarding; failure to do so results in a fine even if you have paid. High-speed tickets with a specific seat reservation do not require validation. (4) Milan has two main stations — Milano Centrale (high-speed Frecciarossa, most international services) and Milano Porta Garibaldi (some regional services and the Malpensa Express). Arriving at the wrong station for a connection adds 30 minutes minimum. (5) Rome has two main stations — Roma Termini (all high-speed and most regional services) and Roma Tiburtina (some northbound high-speed services, useful for connections to the GRA ring road). (6) Naples Centrale is at Piazza Garibaldi — the highest-risk tourist area in Naples (see Naples Safety Guide). Arrive with valuables secured; ignore offers from unlicensed taxi drivers. (7) Venice Santa Lucia is a terminus — the train arrives at the island's edge; the station exit opens directly to the Grand Canal. There is no road, no taxi, no car beyond this point. Water transport only. (8) Airport buses in Italian cities are not always the best value — Rome's Fiumicino Express (€14) is fast (32 min to Termini) but the hourly schedule can mean a 50-minute wait. A taxi to the center (fixed rate €50 from Fiumicino, €30 from Ciampino) is faster door-to-door at off-peak hours.
Five things the standard Sentiero degli Dei descriptions don't tell you: (1) The exposed sections require comfort with heights. The trail is not a via ferrata and requires no technical equipment, but there are sections where the path is 1-2 metres wide with a 200-300m drop to the sea on the south side and no protective railing. Visitors with vertigo should assess honestly before committing. (2) The official trailhead at Bomerano is 45 minutes from Amalfi by bus — the SITA bus to Agerola (Line Amalfi-Agerola, hourly, €3) is the only public transport option; the taxi alternative costs €25-35 from Amalfi. The return from Nocelle descends 480 steps to Positano and then requires a SITA bus or ferry back — build 2 additional hours into the day for the return logistics. (3) Water sources on the trail are unreliable. The single bar at the midpoint trail junction is not always open; carry 1.5 litres minimum for a 7.5km trail in any weather above 20°C. (4) The trail runs west to east for a reason. Walking Bomerano to Nocelle (the standard direction) keeps the sea in front of you throughout — the views improve progressively toward Positano. The reverse direction walks toward the Agerola hills, which is less rewarding visually. (5) The trail surface has loose stone sections after rain. The mule path stone paving is excellent in dry conditions; in wet or recently wet conditions some sections become slippery. Trail shoes (not hiking boots specifically, but not trainers either) are the correct footwear.
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