The Amalfi coast (Costiera Amalfitana), overlooking the brilliant turquoise blues of the Tyrrhenian sea from the vantage point of the hill-tiered, perfumed-lemon-groves-dotted Sorrento peninsula, has become famous the world over for its dramatic landscape. While great for the local tourism industry, this immense popularity has lead to thongs of tourists that make solitude a thing of the past. And of course everyone congregates along the tight coastal strip to take in the beauty of the unique coastline. However, do not despair – if you’re up for a bit of walking it is still possible to have it all to yourself, so to speak.
VISIT the amalfi coast in SPRING
If you wish to have a more tranquil experience, it’s a good idea to go outside of the busy summer season concentrated in July and August. In fact, especially if you live at more temperate latitude, you’ll probably find the weather in spring much more tolerable. Accommodation and other prices are also bound to be lower since most events take place in the summer. (Make sure to check for and avoid if possible (local) holidays such as Easter during off seasons). Even early in April though there are significant comings and goings of tourists by the bus/boat-load. So my advice is – go up; and the higher, the better.
look for the stairs
The brave-of-heart can appreciate the vertiginous quality of the coastline by practicing driving on the narrow winding roads passing too close to giant local buses rushing against them. If you’d like a safer alternative, though, you can take up to some of the ancient old stair routes scattered around in the area. These routes form part of the hiking network, and are often posted as hiking paths. To find them, look out for the usual red and white marks painted on the walls (could be at knee level on some walls).
Unlike hiking trails, the stair routes are more convenient as you don’t need hiking shoes or equipment. As long as you are generally physically fit and mind your step, you don’t necessarily need to take along trekking poles. You don’t really need a map either – we basically just took whatever route seemed to lead to the top, backtracking if necessary (which was not often).
It really makes for a pleasant walk with an intimate feeling – the stairs take you through small passageways and arches, pass by hidden lemon gardens and fresh laundry flying in the wind – in a way, through the heart of the little ancient towns. We met only the occasional wanderer, and the quiet made for a wonderfully reflective and peaceful atmosphere.
hiking trails on the amalfi coast – no car needed
to amalfi
We had decided to stay a bit further from the crowds for a better price-to-quality ratio (the place we chose is called World Center if you want to check it out).
Since it’s located to the west of Amalfi, just a hair south from the upper neighbourhoods/villages of Tovere (San Pietro) and San Lazzaro, as an added benefit we could take a stair route to go down all the way to Amalfi.
Unfortunately, for some parts of the way you need to walk on the road alongside the traffic, and it does not seem entirely safe – I would definitely not attempt it when the visibility is bad (yes, there is rain and fog in Amalfi too, check out the picture below) or at dusk/night.
Also, bear in mind you will be descending on the way to Amalfi, so on the way back you will need to walk up – so it’s probably best to avoid going back during the hottest part of the day around noon.
from amafli TO ATRANI & RAVELLO
If you have already strolled around Amalfi, visited all the traditional sights and had some gelato, just take a peak at the back alleys and choose one that leads north-east (up and to your right). There is no set route really, the beauty is in exploration! You can go as far as Atrani without going back down on the road, and even beyond that towards Ravello.
From Amalfi you can easily continue onwards to Atrani along a stair route on the Via Salita dei Patroni/Via Torre dello Ziro, that only merges with the major road Strada Statale 163 at the very end.
The scenery was not as pretty on approach as Amalfi because there was some road construction work at the time. Atrani itself is a much smaller place, which seems literally tucked into the rugged crevice of the hills. It’s nice and shady after walking in the heat, and there are a few open cafes/restaurants where you can sit down for a drink. I don’t believe there was a gelato place though – just to manage your expectations.
If you feel like walking even farther, from Atrani locate the street of Via S. Nicola, right behind the church of Collegiate Santa Maria Maddalena. Continue on it uphill until you merge with Strada Statale 373 (note, do not merge into SS163 immediately behind the church, you don’t want to walk along with the cars). After you mergeon SS 373, walk a bit to the east (that is to say, your right-hand side) and look for stairs leading up to Via Famiglia Bove (these Google coordinates may help to locate the stairs).
Make sure to preload a section of Google maps or other similar service on your phone for offline use. You can plan a convenient loop route along the small alleys to visit, for example, the vertigo-inducing Torre dello Ziro watchtower situated between Amalfi and Atrani; or the other vertigo-inducing viewpoint of Terazza dell’Infinitoon on the uphill hike to Ravello (of note, the famous Villa Cimbrone is very close-by so you could definitely include it in a loop walking route going to Ravello).
stay comfortable
You don’t want your pleasant walk in the sun to end up in a bad headache. Do take water or other means of hydration, as these hikes can easily become a very sweaty experience even in April. There are some small grocery shops in some areas, but generally you would not come across many shops or any fountains on the way where you could get a drink. I would also definitely bring along sun protection such as sunglasses, hat, sun block etc. for maximum comfort. If you feel fancy, why not even bring along a (sun) umbrella.
A little favourite trick of mine to cool down is to buy a small 50-100 ml canister of mineral water spray like Evian, Vichy, Avene etc. to mist on my face and arms from time to time. These are sold at most pharmacies for a few Euro only. Alternatively, for a quick DIY, you can achieve the same effect by taking a small plastic spray bottle and filling it up with (tap or mineral) water.
This post turned out quite long, so I’ll split the further hikes into a separate post. Stay tuned for part 2!
TO be continued…
PART 2, coming soon! A PREVIEw:
hiking trails on the amalfi coast – further away
These trails would require some extra time for a car journey, but they are well within the vicinity of the coast. We were able to enjoy marvellous views, and met only a few locals here.
curious what souvenirs you can get from italy?
Easy and delicious practical gifts from Italy you can find in the supermarket