easy hiking on the Amalfi Coast and Ischia
 

I will be leaving for Italy next week... traveling to Ischia, Sorrento, Positano, Ravello, etc. I love to wander off the beaten track a bit ... any suggestions of easy to moderately easy walks that will show off great views of the area? please note if they are via roads or dirt trails, etc.

thank you

There is a very good walking guide to the Capri & the Amalfi coast published by Sunflower books. I first read about it on this site, and thought it was very useful. Their website is http://www.sunflowerbooks.co.uk/walking_titles.htm. They rate hikes by difficulty and time it takes to complete all or each section, and give good directions on how to reach each walk. They publish many other walking guides to various places in Europe.

Julian Tippett's guide to the Amalfi Coast is very good. I used last June and it was pretty accurate for the most part. It also covers Capri, but unfortunately not Ischia. If you can't get it in time, read these:

http://www.giovis.com/sentdei.htm#inglese

http://www.villagesoftradition.it/vi...iera/itin1.htm

Have a great trip!

Ischia is actually the top of a volcano. It isn't an easy walk, but people do walk to the top. You can also drive and walk the rest of the way. It isn't easy. Most of the treking on Ischia is steep. There are magnificent views. Look for more information on www.ischiaonline.it or www.ischia.com

If you're looking for something off the beaten track, you may want to visit Massa Lubrense. This not-as-touristy town is located in between Sorrento, Capri and Positano. On www.massalubrense.it click on "country walks" for descriptions of the trails that have been marked. There has been a little posted about this place on the forum if you want to do a search. If you plan to go and have further questions, let me know - this is my husband's hometown.

Should you find yourself in Ravello, go to to the tourist information office which is off the main piazza. They will give you a map. We walked from Ravello down the hills to Amalfi. It's an uneventful walk until you get to the hairpin turn where the ceramics shop is. From that point on, you're in the gorge and it's, well, gorgeous!!! The hillside is terraced with crops, there are grape vines all over, and there's a lovely view of the blue Meditteranean sea. It will simply take your breath away. The path is paved with stone all the way, and easy to follow. We took a few wrong steps in the town near Amalfi, but seeing that it wasn't that large a place, we quickly found our way through the right staircases that led us into Amalfi. The walk was slightly more than an hour. Just long enough to reward ourselves with a nice cool drink at a waterfront cafe!

Sorrento is also chock-a-block with paths that hardly any tourists walk. If you pick up a town map at the tourist bureau, you will see how it's crisscrossed with dotted lines, indicating the paths. One of the best one leads down to the old Roman ruins where you can go suntanning and swimming in relative privacy. Other paths will lead you up into the hills past the olive orchards. It's all fairly hilly, as you might expect.

dln,

Welcome back!! So how did you cope with Naples, etc.?? Sounds like you guys had a great time. Are you going to post a trip report for those of us who are starving for this part of the world??

Thanks for the nice compliment--we did ejoy ourselves and Italy did not disappoint. It may be a little while before a trip report comes out, but in the meantime, Tom and Ira hold the court with their own great stories. We're not lacking for interesting and funtravelogues on this board!

Ciao mbtnyc,

please feel free to contact me should you require information relating to hikes & trails on the Amalfi Coast.
The Sunflower guide is a must for anyone visiting the area.