Hiking The Amalfi Coast
The majority of tourists visit Italy to see the famous historical buildings, museums, and architecture but lots of them don’t know that Italy can be a great place for hiking tours and outdoors activities. While Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples are great places for art, Italy also offers some of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe. Asides from the roman ruins, churches filled with medieval and baroque art, sculptures, and fancy art museums, perhaps the best place to seek the sun, drink some of the best wine in the country and do some hiking tours, there is no better place than the Amalfi Coast.
Over the years, this incredible place has become a paradise for people who love nature and the outdoors.
The Amalfi coastline is legendary and its beauty has inspired many movies, writers, and musicians. There are hiking trails of differing difficulty connecting hilltop villages and coastal communities. The hiking trails are often steep and weave through the dense forest and suddenly you will come across olive groves, vivid colorful whitewashed villages, and the turquoise azure waters.
You can walk along the fragrant gardens of Ravello watching the scary but dramatic plunging off the cliffs and around the fishing villages that lie in the lush green valleys.
Today the entire Amalfi coast has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage area because of its natural beauty, steep coastal mountains which plunge hundreds of feet into the sea. You will get to see stunning hillside views of lush forests, picturesque towns and exotic views of the pristine blue waters. And all this seen on foot.
Hiking Positano and Sorrento
While the entire Amalfi coast offers stunning views, the two towns that sparkle with their grandiose villas and brightly colored homes are Positano and Sorrento. Despite the onslaught of tourists, the area has still managed to maintain its natural beauty. While the stunning mountains and cliff-side hotels are a major attraction, what many people are not aware is that the Amalfi coast offers some of the best hiking trails along the Mediterranean coast. All over the region, there are hundreds of meandering trails that curve and traverse the forest and suddenly open up to reveal superb views of the sea below. Hiking allows one to experience the beauty of the region in more depth and obtain more spectacular views of the coastline. Plus hiking takes you away from the crowds.
Go alone or with a guide?
The best thing about hiking in Amalfi is that most trails are marked so that you are safe from traffic and unforeseen problems with the landscape. While one can go hiking solo but if you do not know your way around, you may miss some of the thrilling sites. Today you can rent professional hikers to take you round the place. Not only do these guides provide you with a history of the place, but take you to some of the most spectacular places, which you would otherwise never see. Plus, the guides are very affordable, love their job and all speak English and other Languages. Finally, with a guide, you will get to eat authentic Italian food and taste some of the best wines in the region. But be sure you hire a local, professional and LICENSED guide who has followed First Aid courses and years of experience in guiding people (Be safe and feel better with a licensed guide).
Where to Hike
While you can start your hiking almost anywhere, some of the places that you should explore include Sant’Agata Sui Due Golfi, located between the Bays of Salerno and Naples. This is the perfect place to start your hiking. From here you can walk along the famous Syrenuse Trail with its meandering and twisting paths over the mountain with the shimmering sea below or going to Sorrento through old narrow streets, lemon gardens and olive trees.
Another place to hike is from Positano to Santa Maria del Castello to explore sites used hundreds hears ago by locals to trade goods (sugar, coffee, tobacco and alcohol).
Finally, do not miss Ravello with it mountain top location overlooking the bay of Salerno. This stunning town is pure bliss. The hike will offer you views that are unmatched. I really love hiking to the Monastery of San Nicola, then down to Minori.
Best time to hike
The best time to visit the Amalfi coast for hiking is early spring, late summer or beginning of fall. If you are lucky we can hike during Christmas time too. The crowds are less, there is freshness in the air, the foliage is just beginning to change color, and there are much fewer cars on the roads. Plus with less heat, you will be able to enjoy your hikes. It does rain more during autumn so you need bring some type of rain protection gear.
Need more info? Feel free to contact Zia Lucy, your local expert of the Amalfi Coast.