Hiking the Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy

And then, there were three! Our Highlights tour group started with 16 people, but on this last full day of the itinerary, only 3 of us, all over age 60, decided to brave the heat and hike part of the Path of the Gods, Sentiero degli Dei. The trail goes from Agerola to Positano, is about 7 km and considered moderately challenging. With the current heat wave in the area, it could be dangerous. We were told to being lots of water, proper hiking shoes and hiking poles.

For highlights itinerary, our hike was only half the distance, i.e. 3.5 km but we will still see some fantastic coastal views along the way. We were informed that some parts of the trail are rocky and there are frequent ups and downs, which can be a little hard on the knees. Veriano was a fantastic guide, he kept the pace slow and enforced frequent water stops. While on the trail, we met two of his family who were guiding other hiking groups, his uncle and his cousin. There were a lot of groups on this trail, although Veriano said this was a slow day due to the heat; sometimes the trail can be jammed up as parts were so narrow that hikers can move in single file only.

It took us about 3 hours to get back into Agerola. We stopped at a bar (coffee shop) to cool down with drinks and gelato and then we had to join the rest of the group (who did not go on the hike). Veriano has scheduled a visit to the cheese factory nearby where they make local mozzarella, called Fior di Latte (Cow's Milk Cheese). Despite the heat, we enjoyed watching the demonstration of how fior di latte is made; the cheesemaker brought some of the equipment outside so that we could all watch, and later tasted the cheese. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Following samples of fior di latte (fresh, smoked, dried) with bread and wine, we all walked back to the hotel. For lunch, we were treated to traditional food of the region, which was very interesting. There were plates of rock hard bagel shaped bread on the table and a large bowl in the middle. Veriano put a piece of hard bread into the ceramic bowl filled with water, waited a few minutes, then took the softened chunks out to drain on the top of the bowl. The softened bread was then eaten with side dishes. Veriano said that this was how people stored bread for long periods of time. I did not care much for the bread, but I liked the side dishes which included cheese, spinach, meatballs, fior di latte with tomatoes and beans.

We relaxed at the pool the rest of the afternoon, and discussed how to make our way to the Naples to catch a flight or train the next day. Instead of waiting for the free shuttle in the evening, I decided to join three other tour mates to hire a driver to take us to the train station and airport immediately after breakfast. Dinner on our last night at the hotel was another wonderful home cooked meal. We had a biscuit with cheese filling for starter, cheese ravioli for 1st course, baked fish wrapped in paper, and panna cotta for desert. And two vegetable side dishes plus wine.

Looking back, I really like this hotel, for its food and the off-the-beaten path location if I were here for a few days just to relax and hike the local area. But going to the Amalfi coast towns daily by bus or minivans took quite a few hours off the itinerary. It was interesting the first day but got a bit tiring after that. I would have liked to have moved closer to town centers for part of the itinerary to see what the night life is like. But in general, the Amalfi towns were too crowded and touristy; perhaps visiting during the cooler months would have been more enjoyable. If I had more time, I would have like to stay a couple of nights in Naples to visit the museums there.