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To base ourselves in Bomerano, a small town up in the hills northwest of
busy Amalfi Town, was a wise move. We were able to start two out of
three walks directly from our hotel and walk down to the coast. Yes, we
had to take a bus back to Bomerano after finishing our walk in the
afternoon, but that was much better than having to start off earlier in
the day by taking a bus up the hills to the start of most of the walks.
Besides, it was quiet in the afternoon and evening in Bomerano and we
were well satisfied with our evening meals in Hotel Gentile, an older
family run establishment next to the main piazza.
The tour company that organized our tour provided a very convenient
shuttle bus to get us from Pompeii directly to Bomerano and then, four
days later, transported us back to Naples. It was much easier to let an
experienced Italian driver maneuver over the endless switchback between
Bomerano and Naples.
We looked out our window on our first morning in Bomerano to see several
hikers head for the paths that started right next to our hotel. We found
out they were headed for the Walk of the Gods, which we were to tackle
the third day. Our destination our first day, estimated at just 3 hours
walking, was to Marina del Praia, far down the hills below us, on the
Sentiore dell’Agave Fiore,
(The Flowering Agave Walk).
After a good breakfast at our hotel, we bought a freshly made sandwich
from the local deli-bakery for a picnic lunch and set out on the
designated path. Our instructions were good and the path was relatively
well marked, so we had little trouble. The view of the hills behind us
and the coast below us were as good as advertised. The surprise was that
we virtually had the path to ourselves. We met another person only very
occasionally. The route took us on a side loop through Furore, another
small town much closer to the sea. From there we headed back uphill to
avoid a steep canyon between the hills, ending in the town of Praiano,
where we found a shaded park bench to eat our lunch. Fortified, we made
it the rest of the way to the Marina Praia, where several people were
sunning and swimming from the small beach at the end of a narrow cove.
Our instructions were to take the bus to Amalfi town, the transportation
hub, and get a connecting bus back to Bomerano. That is when we learned
the ins and outs of taking the public bus. We found out you can’t buy a
ticket on the bus. You ride to Amalfi and find a ticket seller in the
crowded piazza where all the buses depart. From him, you try to find out
where and when the bus to Bomerano would be leaving, pay for the trip
you just finished, and buy another ticket to Bomerano. Then you
determine if there is time to take in the sights of Amalfi Town before
you board the next bus. The first day we seemed to get conflicting times
for the Bomerano bus departure and ended up spending too much time
walking around town and missed the bus. A gelato while we waited for the
next bus made the extra wait time much more pleasant. We also learned
that it is a good idea to get to the bus early. The Italians don’t
bother with an orderly lineup for the bus. There are more passengers
waiting for the bus than seats available so it is every person for their
self. Usually, I got on the bus first, while Ray politely held back,
knowing he would end up with a seat saved for him by me.
Our second walk, called the Mill Valley-Ravello walk, actually started
in Amalfi Town, so we took the bus from the piazza in front of our hotel
to Amalfi. The first section started straight up the main street of
Amalfi in front of the Duomo, heading up a set of stairs past all the
houses and into woods beside a running stream. There weren’t many other
hikers on the trail. Driving to Amalfi, we had seen standing bundles of
narrow logs, by the side of the road in several places. They are used on
all the terraced orchards and vineyards, including the lemon terraces
that covered the hillsides next to our route.
We entered the woods and the Valley of the Mills. There is a good Museum of paper in town but we were
not stopping to see it. As we walked we passed ruins of paper mills and
of an old aqueduct that once provided the town with water. We stopped at the top of the
valley, where there is an old Ferriera, once an ironworks factory.
A short distance further a sign identified we were on the Sentiero
Guistino Fortunato, a trail named after a local historian, politician
and avid walker. In less than an hour we were in the small town of
Pontone, a good place for a break. From there until our next
destination, Ravello, we followed the directions, partially along a road
and more often, climbing stairs that eliminated the switchbacks on the
road that cars were obliged to navigate. Ravello was one of the
prettiest towns in the area, with old churches and villas to visit, very
popular with tour groups.
From Ravello it was mostly downhill on stairs leading to Atrani on the
coast. The route out of town was through narrow streets and stairs with
close packed houses on either side and along the cliffs above the sea to
return to Amalfi, where we got the bus back to Bomerano.
The next day we were going to do the famous Sentiero degli Dei (Walk of Gods). There were three routes suggested to get from Bomerano to Positano. The first route involved 1700 stairs at the end of the walk. The second route had just 700 stairs at the end of the walk but lasted ½ hour longer. The third route avoided the long stairs at the end of the walk by stopping in Nocello, where a convenient bus went straight to Positano.
We chose the third and It was our
easiest walk yet. The views from the hills to the coast were spectacular
as usual and the day was sunny and warm. One section of the trail
followed a narrow trail right on the edge of a cliff. We heard the
tinkle of bells. A large herd of goats were munching bushes on either
side of the path, overlooked by a shepherd. We passed the herd easily.
We had been taking turns passing one other couple on the trail. We all
stopped to speak to a local man gathering herbs growing beside the
trail. He was harvesting two kinds of Anise seeds, one good for tea, the
other to make an alcoholic drink, such as pastis. The next day we got a shuttle back to Naples for one night before taking a bus to Apulia to start a one week bicycle tour. Return to Naples and read about our extra day or proceed to
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