How Not To Walk Amalfi Coast Trails: An Unexpected Adventure
Topics: travel Italy, Amalfi Coast, hiking Italy, hikes Amalfi Coast, Amalfi Coast walks
Last September I based myself in Praiano mid way between Amalfi and Positano so I could hike Praiano to Positano one day, and Praiano to Amalfi another day. Years ago I’d walked down paths from Ravello to Atrani and from Scala to Amalfi, on series of stone steps and paths heading down. Easy, pretty walks!
I love hiking, have good hiking boots and go to the gym three times a week, so no problemo!
I looked at local Praiano to Positano maps. Too vague. Not much info on the Net either. At my Praiano hotel I asked the desk clerk how long the Praiano to Positano hike took. “Oh, a couple of hours”, he said.
“I’m going alone”, I said, “how much traffic is on the path?” “Around 50 people a day”, he assured me. It sounded like a southern version of the Cinque Terre paths. I’d be fine.
I looked at my vague map. Maybe it’d take four hours, not two. The sun went down at 7:00 p.m, so I’d be down in Positano by 6:00. I started out at 1:00 p.m. so I’d make it back well before dark. It was hot and sunny, not my normal hiking time or weather, but I had lots of water, a sun hat and sunburn preventer lotion.
I asked in Praiano where the path started. Just past Hotel Smeralda and up a street. At the end of the street, I saw no signs for Positano, just a fork with three paths. I took a rough looking path up to where I could see stairs running up the hill.
On my map, my first destination was Santa Maria Convent, but as I slowly climbed the steps, signs said, “San Domenico 40 minutes”, “San Domenico 30 minutes”. Where was Santa Maria?
Between the San Domenico signs stood crosses set in cement and benches in the shade. I sat on every bench on my way up just like pilgrims may have in the old days. Still no signs for Positano.
I stopped often to look down at the ever farther away coast, wide blue sea, white town of Praiano, wild, dry, green and beige hillsides of Mediterranean scrub and scrawny trees. Beautiful!
Arriving at a second unmarked fork. I looked up and saw a grotto. On my map I saw a grotto. Off I went past the sign “San Domenico 10 minutes” and reached a closed up monastery and church. Santa Maria and San Domenico were the same place!
In the little piazza at the church, an Italian guide appeared with three tourists on their way down to Praiano. He directed me up a path ahead and pointed high up the hillside to a deserted farm house. The path for Positano. “Take this path ahead of us for 20-30 minutes to a junction. It’s not marked. Take the stone steps to the left. You’ll see a farmhouse on the right. Then go for about 1 an hour and 15 minutes to Nocelle and you’ll see signs for the road to Montepertuso and Positano.”
The path from the church turned into steps carved out of rock, so I lost my way for a few minutes.
The junction was hidden a bit by branches, but I saw the farmhouse to the right. I walked up and down steps and flat dirt paths along the cliffs, ever higher up the hillside, looking ever farther down to the sea and coast road. Nobody in sight. No houses.
Not much shade, so I walked slowly, stopped in shade under the few trees, sipped water. One false step and I’d roll all the way down to the sea. Would my cell phone work way up here? Would anyone find me?
At one point, I saw a red arrow spray painted in the rock. The first direction sign on the path!
The vast panorama up there awed me: the church way below, some vineyards, white towns, sea stretching to the horizon and coast of mountains falling to the sea.
Finally about 5:00 I reached the quiet hamlet of Nocelle. A sign pointed down a staircase, “Positano”. I was almost there!! Thankfully the steps winding down through olive trees and scrub were gentle and shady.
Walking down, I saw a sign, “Arienza”. I looked on my map. 3 km before Positano! Never mind, now I just wanted to reach the road and a bus. After 40 minutes on the steps, I wobbled to the road. My legs couldn’t carry me one more step, so I took the bus from Arienza to Praiano.
Next day I read in a brochure that 1500 steps went from Nocelle to the road. I figured I must have walked about 4000 steps in total.
Next morning my legs ached all over. Enough hikes for now! On my map the path for Amalfi looked much longer. I’d walk that path with a guide on another trip! I’d taken a calculated risk once. That was enough.
Margaret Cowan of Vancouver, BC owns a tour company, Mama Margaret Italian Cooking Holidays at www.italycookingschools.com.
They ran their first Italian cooking, wine and walking tour in 1995. Margaret and her local Italian tour partners offer tours all over Italy.
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Celebrate Your Wedding Anniversary In A Unique Way (1)
For celebrating a wedding anniversary or for a romantic getaway, no other destinations in the planet would be as astounding and romantic as French Polynesia - a French overseas country with about 118 islands and atolls in the center of the South Pacific, all of which are grouped into five archipelagos such as the Society Archipelago, the Marquesas Archipelago, the Gambier Archipelago, Tuamotu Archipelago, and the Austral Archipelago.
The Top Resorts With The Best Golf Lessons (2)
Each resort is unique in what they provide for golf lessons, however many offering what would be considered the standard golf lesson experience including a few hours of lessons with an instructor, a 9 and 18 hole game, and of course a nice little golf gift bag to take with you afterwards.
Why Go On Holiday To Menorca? (3)
This means that if it's sun and beaches you are after it is definitely what you are going to get. Although the island has seen a massive increase in the number of tourists over recent decades, it still remains relatively unspoilt and quiet.
Hurghada Holidays In Egypt - Discover Seashore Resort (4)
Here life begins at its many clubs at night. Many hotels have their own discotheques. Ministry of Sound also has opened a nightclub in 2007. Mike is a travel writer.
Starting A New Life In The Caribbean: A Checklist Before Moving (5)
Luis Hospital, and Myrah Keating Community Health Center. Art Gib is a writer for TropicJobs.com (www.tropicjobs.com) who, since 2000, have been making the task of finding jobs in the Caribbean easier.
Best Hotels Around The Popular Tourist Destinations (6)
Transparency in rate is another character of the best hotels. You wont be charged something extra for any reasons. Be aware of extra charges. If you're not careful, you can sometimes end up paying much more than you had expected when you check out of your hotel.
Travel Agents: Real Life Experience Beats Web Browsing (7)
A recent study confirms that travel agents are still held in high regard by many travelers, due to their personal service, knowledge, flexibility and choice of vacations they offer. There is a host of compelling reasons to use a travel agent: Travel agents (a.k.a.) life savers are out to find the consumer the best rate available.
The City Of Green Spaces (8)
It is now a museum but has seen its fair share of uses, including at one time in history it was a prison. Representing Renaissance design, it is Scandinavia's oldest building of this style.
Buying A Property In Spain (9)
Though there have been speculation over a price crash, the general record has been proven that properties in Spain are fairly priced. However, due to the rising demands, more properties are being built but prices will likely to continue rising which in the short-term make it more difficult to buy.
The All Inclusive Vacations Guide (10)
The huge number of options can be confusing, airfare and accommodation, accommodation and food, accommodation, food and amenities, like water sports, or any combination of the aforesaid. The best way of choosing this type of package deal to one of your favorite tourist destination is to follow some basic steps.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Holiday Rep Jobs; More Than Just Free Travel (1)
Granted the appeal of being out of the country for extended periods of time is great, but it takes determination to really succeed in this field of the travel industry.
Family Fun Australia Tours (2)
Tour highlights include a private elephant feeding, a green screen family photo op, the opportunity to get up close and personal with cuddly wombats, giant pythons, playful possums, and other animals, and the truly unique opportunity to feed a Galapagos tortoise.
Popular Choices In Shopping For Luggage (3)
Some travelers will determine the popular choices in the luggage that they use by the number of inches that each piece will be. For carry-on luggage, a seasonal traveler will know that they need luggage that is 23-inches or less because that is the width of the aircraft seating.
Prices For Disney World Vacations - Economical Budget Travel To Disney (4)
Choose an accommodation that is suitable for your budget travel. There are available resort and campground facilities that can go as low as $41 a night. For your budget travel, you can also take pleasure to travel during the seasons when Disney has what it calls the Value Rates.
Research, Research, Research - The Key To Finding A Great Cheap Hotel (5)
Cheap hotels do not have to equate to a bad hotel so long as the research is carried out to eliminate any of the questions you have before departing on your short break.
Dollywood: Entertainment For The Whole Family (6)
Some of the country's best musicians play bluegrass, country, Southern gospel, and classic rock. Listen to Apple Jack tell tales of his life in the Great Smoky Mountains or marvel at the winged performers at Wings of America Birds of Prey A Place That Really Caters To The Whole Family Dollywood isn't just about entertainment - it's about family entertainment.
Barcelona Spain's Second Largest City (7)
Camp Nou Tour Even without experiencing a football match in Barcelona, it is possible to go on a tour of the Camp Nou stadium and museum. It may be surprising to note but this tour is one of the most popular attractions for tourists to the city of Barcelona.
The Benefits Of Travel Offers (8)
There are people who prefer travel packages for a specific destination. The motives behind utilizing the vacation packages are more than one. The major chunk of travelers who are usually accompanied by their families think the best way to enjoy traveling is by taking up travel packages.
Plan A Romantic Escape To Tahiti (9)
Usually, these resorts come with an array of guest rooms complete with most sophisticated amenities and balconies with commanding views of the surroundings. Likewise, many of the resorts in Tahiti as well as French Polynesia are attached with two or more restaurants serving a variety of cuisines from traditional Polynesian dishes to French, American, and Asian specialties.
My Other House Is A Jungle Hut Or Maya Palapa Basics 101 (10)
But these aren't ordinary posts. We use zapote tree hearts for this. A zapote tree can fall down in the jungle and the heart of the tree not rot for 10 years.
Permalink to How Not To Walk Amalfi Coast Trails: An Unexpected Adventure