OVERVIEW

The legendary Amalfi Coast is one of the most scenic coastlines in the world and nowhere is that better illustrated than while hiking Path of the Gods.

The Amalfi Coast is located on a long, narrow peninsula about 20 miles south of Naples. It is renowned for its spectacular beaches, delicious cuisine, and beautiful villages built on the mountainside and along the rugged coastline.

Path of the Gods, or as the Italians know it “Sentiero Degli Dei”, is an amazing hike running along the cliffs 2,000 feet above the sea and coastal towns below. The official trail connects two of the region’s villages, Bomerano in the east and Nocelle to the west.

The trail weaves through vineyards, lemon tree terraces, olive groves, and farmland. It features amazing views of gorges, vertical cliffs, lush landscapes, and the quaint villages that make the Amalfi Coast the traveler’s paradise that it is today.

The Path of the Gods is deserving of its reputation as the marquee hike on the Amalfi Coast and is a must do activity when visiting the region.

PATH OF THE GODS HIKING STATISTICS

Distance: 3.5 miles (5.5 km) point to point between Bomerano and Nocelle. If hiking from Bomerano to Positano the trail will be 5.8 miles (9.3 km).

Duration: 3-4 hours.

Elevation Gain/Loss: 700 feet (200 meters) elevation gain and 1,300 feet (400 meters) elevation loss from Bomerano to Nocelle. If hiking from Bomerano to Positano there will be 1,200 feet (365 meters) ascent and 2,300 feet (700 meters) of descent.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Where: On the Amali Coast. The hike is generally done from Bomerano to Nocelle, although other versions are common. We hiked from Bomerano past Nocelle and down to Positano.

When: Ideally shoulder season, March-May or September-November. Summer will be very hot, so start early if hiking from June-August. The summer months are also high season so the trail will likely have hoards of other hikers.

WHERE TO STAY

If hiking Path of the Gods, there are a wide variety of locations to stay, ranging from the small villages dotting the Amalfi coastline to the larger metro areas nearby. The largest cities with reasonable access to the region are Naples and Sorento to the north and Salerno to the east.

Everyone planning to hike Path of the Gods will be traveling through Amalfi town so I use it when citing distances and commute times. A public bus route goes from Amalfi town directly to the trailhead in the Bomerano town center. It takes about 15 minutes.

Distances and Travel Time to Amalfi town:

Rome: 280 km and 3.5 hours.

Naples: 60 km and 1.5 hours.

Sorrento: 30 km and 1 hour.

Salerno: 25 km and 1 hour.

Hiking Path of the Gods is possible, but not very practical from most of these cities. Instead, most hikers will likely be staying in the one of the numerous towns within the Amalfi Coast, including Positano, Ravelo, Amalfi, and Maiori.

There are many other less famous towns along the coast, with their own charm and unique features. There are many hotels and rental properties available in these areas, from lavish five-star hotels to simple bed and breakfasts.

We stayed in Montepertuso, a small town 1,800 steps up from the Positano city center. We booked a lovely rental property named Casa Barba.

Everything about our lodging was wonderful, including the amenities, comfort, views, but mostly the friendly hosts. Although it was a good location for any Amalfi Coast itinerary, it was not the most convenient location for hiking Path of the Gods.

WHAT TO BRING

The trail is well maintained but still has some areas of rocky, dusty, and slippery terrain. Hiking shoes with good tread are critical to avoid rolling ankles and sliding about the path, but poles aren’t necessary.

There’s minimal shade along much of the hike and on a clear day the sun will be very intense along the exposed cliffside. Make sure to bring a protective hat and sunscreen. We are also big fans of long sleeve sun shirts as they are breathable but also incredibly effective at blocking the sun’s blistering rays.

Having a fully charged phone or digital camera will be important to capture the magnificent panoramas from the trail. You might also want a map or GPS to track your position along the trail, although the hike is very well marked with several postings of the distances to Positano and other well-known landmarks.

LOGISTICS

Getting there

Path of the Gods is a point-to-point hike, and therefore requires some planning and transportation arrangements. Depending on where you are coming from, this could pose quite a challenge.

Path of the Gods can be hiked in either direction. Most people, however, choose to hike from Bomerano to Nocelle, which is at slightly lower elevation. They may also choose to continue on to Positano, which is a steep 1,500 foot descent down to the shoreline.

Therefore, unless you want to retrace your steps, transportation will need to be arranged – either to get to Bomerano to start the hike, or to bring you back to your car/lodging once completed.

Bus

Essentially all roads to Bomerano run through Amalfi town. Most people take public bus 5080 to Bomerano from Amalfi. In the summer months expect the bus to be jam packed with other thrill-seeking hikers.

We briefly considered busing from where we were staying. However, we learned this would have required three different buses – which we were warned would take up to three hours – to reach the trailhead.

Ferry

Another option if not staying in Amalfi, is to take a ferry there and then a bus from Amalfi to Bomerano. The ferries typically run from mid-March to mid-October. The views of the coastline and beautiful towns are breathtaking from the ferries. High above on the mountainside you’ll also be able to see the Path of the Gods trail.

Taxi

We only had two days total on the Amalfi Coast and wanted to optimize our valuable time. We were also traveling with children, so we opted to pay for convenience and took a taxi to Bomerano from Montepertuso. It cost €130 , so definitely an expensive option, but the ride only took 75 minutes, saving us a significant amount of time. 

Bomerano

Bomerano is a surprisingly nice little town hidden in the mountains. There are several cafes, restaurants, shops and an ATM in the town square if looking for some last-minute food or supplies before heading out on the trail. It’s also a good time to use the restrooms.

Tucked away in the far corner of the plaza is the trailhead, where excited hikers will begin one of the world’s most famous hikes.

OUR EXPERIENCE HIKING PATH OF THE GODS

Arrival to Bomerano

We woke up at Casa Barba on the cliffside over Positano. The owner, Luigi, served breakfast daily down the road at their family restaurant La Tagliata. They had a table already prepared for us as we arrived, and immediately brought out plate after plate of scrambled eggs, vegetables, hot beverages, and pastries including croissants fresh from the oven.

Luigi also had a family farm at La Tagliata. He brought us behind the restaurant and gave us a tour of the elaborate farm that housed pigs, donkeys, colorful birds, rabbits, and two curious emus.

Oliver and Maddie loved exploring the farm and feeding the animals. This was their favorite activity of our entire Amalfi Coast trip.

Luigi called a taxi for us, and one arrived 15 minutes later. The driver raced along the winding roads toward Bomerano as we enjoyed the views along the coast. The car-sickness prone of us (Shirlee) tried to keep her breakfast from coming back up.

He dropped us off right in the heart of Bomerano and oriented us to the town. The town square, Piazza Paolo Capasso, was beautiful and dominated by a large belltower and church.

It was about 9:30 in the morning and several cafes and convenience stores were already open. We grabbed a light snack, used the restroom, tried coffee from a vending machine, and hit the trail.

Leaving Bomerano

Initially the trail was paved as it worked its way through the outskirts of Bomerano. It led us across a couple bridges, through terraces and a farm, and up a few staircases.

The views took shape immediately as a layering of terraces, farms, and groves were visible off to our left. We were hiking in late March so the grass was returning to life and flowers were starting to bloom. The vibrant colors along this early stretch were stunning.

The trail transformed from a paved path into rock and dirt as it continued on toward Positano. This transition actually marked the official Path of the Gods trailhead.

Beginning of Path of the Gods

We rounded a corner and came to a fascinating rock formation on our right. A jagged ledge jutted out from the rocky vertical cliffside. Maddie climbed up to it explore, but quickly informed us that it was full of trash and came back down. 

Just across the trail from the ledge and down a small staircase was a lonely donkey in a pen. Oliver and Maddie went down to visit him, feeding him some grass to wash down the straw he was eating for lunch.

A bit further down the trail we came upon a man selling freshly squeezed lemonade and orange juice in an elaborate shack built from sticks. Perched on top was a colorful rowboat. 

While it looked very precarious, it was a fun little spot for the kids to sit to drink their lemon juice mixed with copious bags of sugar. There are also restrooms and a friendly goat to visit.

Hiking along the cliffside

We weaved in and out of the mountainside while hiking Path of the Gods. Much of the trail through here was completely exposed to the sun so it got pretty hot, even in March.

A few vertiginous stretches of the trail ran right along the cliff edge, dropping straight down to the trenches below. Fortunately, the trail was very wide and with a little attention these areas felt very safe.

The trail led up to a small mountain saddle marked by the ruins of a former farmhouse. Maddie couldn’t resist but climb up here to look around and try to identify the different rooms of the building.

Amalfi Coast views

As we crossed over the ridge we were treated to incredible views of Praiano, Positano, and even Capri far off in the distance. A dozen other hikers stopped here to eat lunch while absorbing the immaculate views in front of them.

The next mile or so was the most impressive of the hike. Unobstructed views continued of the coastal villages, turquoise sea, and the lush landscape. The remnants of old stone buildings were scattered about the cliffside. We couldn’t help but wonder what life must have been like far up here in such isolation.

This was also the only part of the trail that had any degree of ascent. There were a few times that we had to scramble up some small boulders, but it was nothing technical or overly challenging.

Our hike along Path of the Gods brought us into a dense forested section. This was a nice reprieve from the hot, exposed, and steep section we had just completed.

The four of us were starting to get very hungry by now. We came upon a posting for a restaurant down a small detour on our left. We passed it up and continued another 10 minutes to Nocelle as there appeared to be more food options there.

Nocelle

We returned to civilization in the adorable town of Nocelle. We ate a late lunch at Il Chiosco del Sentier Degli Dei, a quaint family run restaurant overlooking the coastline. When we stepped in we were greeted by an older gentleman offering homemade limoncello.

The walls were decorated with family photos and wooden tchotchkes. The menu was simple, but we enjoyed the paninis, a meat and cheese platter, and of course the delicious homemade cherry and lemon tarts. They played Frank Sinatra while we enjoyed epic views of the coast below us.

The paved path wove through Nocelle’s maze of stone alleyways and found its way back to the forest. We walked by several farms and a few very irritated barking dogs. Lemon trees dotted the terraces, and we eventually made our way back to the road and Luigi’s restaurant.

Descent to Positano

The last segment of Path of Gods was an uninterrupted descent down 1,800 city steps into historic Positano. The path was sign posted with directions to the city center.

Most of the descent was unremarkable, but there were a few viewpoints highlighting the intricate and colorful buildings of Positano. On our right was also an immense rockface featuring stalactite formations, something you don’t ordinarily see in the middle of a town.

After about 15 minutes we reached the city center. Since we had not previously visited Positano, we spent some time exploring the town and treating the kids to some well-deserved lemon sorbet.

In a crazy coincidence we ran into our taxi driver who had driven us to Bomerano earlier in the day.  Rather than hiking back up 1,800 steps, he drove us up the mountain and we crashed into bed after an exhausting, but amazing day hiking Path of the Gods.

IMPRESSIONS

We only had a couple days to visit the Amalfi Coast but the Path of the Gods was certainly on our bucket list and we enjoyed every minute of this hike.

We were treated to beautiful and varied views along the entirety of the trail. The layered farms and terraces across the deep gorges were very unique, but we also saw phenomenal panoramas of the Amalfi Coast.

I had read a fair amount about the Path of the Gods, but the hike itself had many pleasant surprises along the way. This included the rowboat tree fort, numerous animal encounters, and welcoming restaurants along the path.

The hike was not challenging, but I couldn’t imagine what it would be like in the peak travel months and heat of the summer. Additionally, going in the direction of Bomerano to Nocelle and subsequently Positano allowed us to avoid most of the elevation gain.

The effort, time, and cost of preparing for this hike was substantial. But the dramatic scenery and thrilling experience quickly made up for those factors.

By hiking Path of the Gods we were able to immerse ourselves in nature while escaping the overrun tourist hot spots along the coat. The four of us had an action packed and fantastic day and all agreed this was our favorite activity while visiting the Amalfi Coast.