The Sentiero degli Dei, or path of the gods, is a popular hike on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Hikers walk over the cliffs near the coast and are rewarded with stunning views of the Tyrrhenian sea. The best way to start is to get a bus or taxi to the town Bomerano. From here you have easy access to the trail and you can walk all the way to the beach in Positano. Trust me, you’ll want a swim afterwards! The path of the gods ends in Nocelle, but from there you can choose to take the very steep stairs down to Positano. Just be aware that this adds another hour or so to your hike!
I was on the Amalfi Coast on a work trip in August. Together with my colleagues I was brought to Bomerano by bus and provided with a lunch pack. We were told it would be an easy, flat walk. We did come prepared with good shoes for the uneven paths, sunscreen and lots of water. The sun was already scorching, even though we arrived in the morning.
First impressions
Our very big group quickly spread out along the path and I found myself among the people in the front. From the moment we started, the views were simply incredible. The sun hit the cool cliffsides and mist raised from the steep cliffs. The sea was the best kind of blue and looked inviting even from a height. I certainly was in heaven.
Certainly no gods
Within no time the sun had completely driven out the clouds. The water looked better and better. We walked and daydreamed about the beach in Positano, which was still a few hours away. We were so busy talking that we didn’t realise we took the wrong path. You see, the path of the Gods has multiple ways down to the water. Our intention was to walk to Nocelle and on to Positano, but I noticed we were descending a bit too much for a path that was advertised as flat.
“This is not a flat walk” I started complaining jokingly. “The Netherlands is flat. This is not flat!” After a while the few people in front of us stopped. I looked behind me and saw the steep track we had just descended, scrambling over the rocks at times. It was pretty long. “We’re in the wrong place”, we concluded. Great. At least we agreed on that. We looked back at the path once more. Well… we quickly decided to continue going down instead of walking back up the way we came.
Luckily only half the group had followed us down. The other half was enjoying the walk, taking photos and had actually continued the right way! I must admit I was really disappointed. Out of everything in our itinerary this weekend, this was my favourite thing. I had not even walked half of the path of the gods! I did get my exercise though since the way down was challenging! We walked past some cool religious sites and eventually appeared at the road from behind a church.
We were at the small town of Praiano and had to meet the others in Positano. It seemed like ages before the bus came and when it finally arrived, the driver said we had to buy tickets somewhere else. Instead of waiting for the next one we found a small taxi company. Squeezed in the backseat with 5 people I made it to Positano.
The lucky few
What a cute town! You walk all the way down the hill through a cozy shopping street and end up at the beach. There is a small part where you can sit for free (without renting a sunbed). We didn’t know how fast to get into the water! Floating in the sea I had a stunning view of the hillside with all the buildings and the path of the gods high above.
In the end our schedule may have been way too ambitious. The second group struggled in the heat and went all the way down the steps to Positano. By the time they reached us we had to go straight back onto the bus. They didn’t have time to see the town or go for a swim. Somehow all the keen hikers had only had a taster of the path of the gods and those that weren’t so interested in doing it had made it all the way through and suffered from sore muscles the next days. If I’m ever back on the Amalfi Coast, the path of the gods will be on my itinerary again!
