The Path of the Gods: Walking the Ancient Cliff Trails Above the Amalfi Coast
Bypassing coastal highway gridlock by hiking the Sentiero degli Dei, exploring lemon groves, and dining in mountain villages.
Senior Culture & Culinary Editor
While the iconic coastal road of Italy’s Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) is famous worldwide for its hairpin turns and bumper-to-bumper tour bus traffic, there exists a completely different, peaceful Amalfi suspended 600 meters directly above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Centuries before modern roads were blasted through the limestone cliffs, mountain villagers traveled along a network of ancient mule tracks known as the Sentiero degli Dei—the Path of the Gods.
Hiking the Sentiero degli Dei: Bomerano to Nocelle
Starting in the quiet mountain village of Bomerano, the 7.8-kilometer trail winds along dizzying cliff edges fragrant with wild rosemary, thyme, and myrtle. The panorama encompasses the entire Sorrentine Peninsula, with the limestone faraglioni rocks of the Isle of Capri shimmering on the southern horizon.
Along the way, hikers pass through traditional terraced lemon groves where local farmers still cultivate Sfusato Amalfitano—the massive, sweet-skinned Amalfi lemons harvested by hand in woven chestnut baskets and used to produce artisan limoncello.
Staff AuthorTanisha is a cultural journalist and culinary explorer with over eight years documenting traditional culinary techniques, UNESCO heritage sanctuaries, and regional artisan communities across Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
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