Walking The Amalfi Coast – Travel Review

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walking the amalfi coast travel review (2)

By Kevin Pilley, January 2025

Having been married a while and known each other much longer, the only time my wife and I now hold hands with any real meaning is when negotiating exposed, vertiginous cliffs with sheer drops.

Along old mule tracks carved into rock faces overhanging crashing waves, your partner becomes less of a soulmate and more of a handrail—an essential companion rather than a significant other.

Love is… Not letting your partner plunge to their death into a machair chasm or perform an accidental backward bellyflop with a half-pike and gainer into the Tyrrhenian Sea. At any age, the definition of a great holiday is returning home intact.

The Path of the Gods

“Ultimate step-up class”

Italy’s Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) is only 4.34 miles long, but it sits 2,065 feet above sea level and is largely unfenced. Legend has it that this trench was cut into the earth by the gods as they rushed down from heaven to save Ulysses from the Sirens. Today, it’s a medium-intensity trek, but one that reminds you of your own mortality.

After 131 “zones,” your Fitbit is practically foaming.

It’s rather off-putting to climb up the 1,300 steps from Praiano before even starting the famously scenic and scary walk, only to find centipede corpses littering every step. Death by blisters must be long and painful when you have a hundred feet.

The path stretches from Agerola (Bomerano, which many opt to reach by taxi to avoid the gruelling step climb) to Nocelle (where you can catch a bus to Positano).

The Amalfi Coast provides the ultimate step-up class. Building scala (steps) is an ancient South Italian tradition. You can spot the locals by their enormous calves, muscular thighs, and impressive lung capacity.

What begins as a short walking holiday along the Amalfi Coast often transforms into a long, indulgent sitting-and-drinking holiday. The region boasts some wonderful restaurants and bars.

Sky Vista Bar

“Spectacular”

With commanding views of the Bay of Naples, the Sky Vista Bar at Sorrento’s Hotel Mediterraneo must be one of the world’s finest sundowner venues. There, as you sip Vento in Poppo—a cocktail created by the genius Arturo Iaccarino—you can feel the high life coursing through you. A mix of 30ml Tequila Altos Plata, 10ml Mezcal de Maguey “Vidal,” 20ml Amara, 10ml fresh lemon juice, 40ml Minerva orange craft beer, and a coral-thread garnish, the drink literally feels like wind in your sails.

Arturo’s Oltremare (Under the Sea) is another marvel, made with DUBL Brut, Caprisius gin, Italicus, and blue spirulina. His Barrier Reef combines Belvedere vodka, Savoia aperitivo, elderflower syrup, cranberry juice, and aquafaba (canned legume juice). The Red Sea features Annurchino apple liqueur, Aglianico red wine, cinnamon syrup, and fresh lime.

You’ll need something special to toast such a spectacular sunset. So special, in fact, that for non-residents, there’s a minimum spend of €150 to sit on a “front-line sofa” and watch the sun dip into the sea.

Enjoy wine similar to that drunk by the ancient Romans

“Renowned”

After a scorching walk, you’ll have earned your indulgence. One of the region’s most rewarding pleasures is Lacryma Christi (Christ’s Tears), a Neapolitan wine made from grapes grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. It is crafted mainly from Verdeca and Coda di Volpe grapes, with smaller proportions of Falanghina, Greco di Tufo, and Caprettone. The red variant is made from Piedirosso and Sciascino grapes. Archaeologists believe this wine closely resembles the kind drunk by ancient Romans.

The name derives from the ancient myth that Christ’s tears, shed over Lucifer’s fall from heaven, fell upon the land, enabling vines to grow. Christopher Marlowe references the wine in Tamburlaine the Great, Part II, while Hart Crane wrote the poem Lachrymae Christi in his 1926 collection White Buildings.

Salvatore Marrone and Vincenza Sibilla, sommeliers at the renowned five-star Relais & Châteaux Il San Pietro hotel, are well-versed in Lacryma Christi. Located between Praiano and Positano, the hotel offers breathtaking views and luxurious experiences.

Ristorante Zass

“Cliffside retreat”

Executive Chef Alois Vanlangenaeker and Chef Antonio Villani helm the acclaimed Michelin-starred Zass Restaurant. The hotel, built out of a cliff face in the 1970s by Carlo “Carlino” Cinque, was southern Italy’s first five-star luxury hotel and an early magnet for the international jet set.

At this iconic venue, you’ll encounter delights like fennel soup, saffron and totari tagliatelle, and carpaccio of sea bream with Pomino Brut Leonia by Marchesi di Frescobaldi. Even the amuse-bouches—pizza, olives, and walnut bread—are divine.

Every course feels like a mini-banquet. You retire to the terrace with a digestivo, imagining owning your own cliffside retreat—a haven where guests can enjoy the best in life, from the scent of myrtle to the sound of crashing waves.

Il San Pietro is a place where you forget the rest of the world, rest your feet, and remember your taste buds. At length.

Seven-night self-guided walking holiday from On Foot Holidays. Walk from Amalfi to Sorrento, including the stunning Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods),. Additional nights and walking on Capri available Priceas, based on two sharing), included seven nights B&B in excellent small hotels, luggage transfers between hotels from Amalfi to Sorrento, comprehensive pack including route directions, maps, transfer and background information, GPS tracks, local telephone support. Flights and local transfers not included. Available April to November, excluding August.
Direct URL: onfootholidays.co.uk
Contact: On Foot Holidays – walks@onfootholidays.co.uk – 01722 322652

www.ilsanpietro.com
www.mediterraneosorrento.com
www.easyjet.com  flies to Naples
Top image: Susy Pepe

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