Path of the Gods – Positano The Amalfi Coast

The PATH of The GODS

The AMALFI COAST

WHAT is The PATH pf The GODS ?

The Path of the Gods is a beautiful cliffside hike along the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy going from the town of Amalfi to Positano.

Why is it called the Path of the Gods?

The Path of the Gods, known in Italy as Il Sentiero degli Dei, was so named for its use as the path the gods would take from the heavens to the sea after being lured there by the sirens.

Some will tell you it’s because, here, you’re closer to the sky than you are the sea, or because of its otherworldly views. But for us it was more because we were literally up inside the clouds, looking down on all the mortals, wrestling with who to throw lightning bolts at.

The Path of the Gods has remained a walk through the ages for centuries, providing not only pristine views of the Amalfi Coast, but also a peek back into the old world’s way of traveling. This 7.8-kilometer trek is a perfect way to spend the day and experience the full scale of beauty you can encounter in this area. The adventurous journey will lead you through historic towns, following along ancient mule routes and purveying some of the most remarkable panoramas you will come across in Italy while keeping you apart from the bustling hubbub of tourist attractions. Simply follow our guide on how to best approach this once-in-a-lifetime hiking excursion.

Sentieri Degli Dei

The Starting Point

If there’s one quintessential experience you’ve got to partake in when exploring Italy’s stunning Amalfi Coast, it’s hiking the Path Of The Gods Trail. While walking the 7 km path across the ridge from Nocelle to Bomerano, you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the Amalfi coastline from the moment you step foot onto the trail, until the moment you leave.

The Path of The Gods, or II Sentiero Degli Dei in Italian, is a historic trail connecting the two mountainside hamlets of Nocelle and Bomerano. In the past, it was the only way for locals to get from one town to the other. Now, it’s preserved for tourism and all of our hiking pleasures.

The path got its name due to its incredible awe-inducing views, much like one would imagine when looking up into the heavens.

LENGTH of The TRAIL

The Path of the Gods trail is a 7km point to point trail. Walking the length of the trail one way will take 1.5-2 hours depending on your speed and how much you stop to take pictures and breaks. We hike pretty fast, but also stopped to take a bunch of photos and it took us 1.5 hours to hike the length of the trail.

The Path of The Gods is a point to point trail. As such, you can start at either the town of Bomerano or Nocelle. Most people recommend hiking from Bomerano to Nocelle for two reasons. One, it’s slightly easier as most of the path is a slight downhill grade, and two, you get better views as you’re walking perpendicular to the peninsula the entire time.

Our recommendation? Hike both directions, starting and ending at the same point. The Path of The Gods is an easy hike in both directions, especially for those that hike regularly. It only took us an hour and a half to walk the entire length of the trail in one direction. For more of a half day outing, you’ll definitely want to hike both directions. Plus, more time on the trail means more time soaking in those stunning coastline views!

Starting and ending at the same trailhead also makes getting to and from the trail much easier. We picked the trailhead that was closest to our AirBnB, which if you’re coming from Sorrento or Positano will be Nocelle. If you’re coming from Amalfi, the trailhead you’ll want to start at is Bomerano.

There’s only one main road from Sorrento to Amalfi, which means everyone who wants to travel between those places is driving the same route. Once you get close to Positano, it’s a huge bottleneck of traffic pretty much from there to Amalfi. Save yourself the undue stress and time of sitting in traffic and put your vacation to better use walking on one of the most gorgeous trails in the world.

To start your hike in Nocelle, you need to first get to Positano. To do this you can either take a bus, drive or ride a scooter or bicycle from your hotel. It’s an extremely scenic route along the ocean, so if you have a bike or scooter we would highly recommend riding to town.

I would avoid driving into Positano as parking is super limited, which is the main source of the traffic jams that occur on the way into town. Taking two wheels instead of four also allows you to bypass the traffic jam and arrive at the trailhead faster.

You have a few options on where to kick off this great day of activity, and it’s smart to do some research on which starting point best suits you. The more popular area to begin the Path of the Gods, also known as Il Sentiero degli Dei, is in Bomerano, a small section of the Agerola comune. Easily reached by bus, you merely get off at the Bomerano stop and follow designated signs that will guide you to the trailhead.

If you don’t have your own form of transportation, not to worry. You have three options.

1. Take a SITA bus that runs from Sorrento to Positano every half hour. Get off in town at Positano Sponda and walk down the main road to Pezzi Pazzi Sas Di De Martino Celeste where you’ll see a set of stairs heading up the mountain. Walk up the 1700 steps up all the way to Nocelle.

2. Alternately, you can take bus 507037 (Amalfi) and get off at Airenzo where you’ll have to walk back down the road a few meters to find the stairs up the mountain to Nocelle.

3. If you’re super adventurous you can try and get off the 507037(Amalfi) bus at Bivio Montepertuso bus stop and then catch a local bus from there up the mountain to Nocelle. Buses depart for Nocelle from the center of Positano every hour so you might have to wait for a bit at the Bivio Montepertuso bus stop depending on when you get there.

The PEOPLES CHOICE

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