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-   -   Hike from Praiano to Positano (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/hike-from-praiano-to-positano-881278/)

gillybrit Mar 9th, 2011 05:37 PM

Hike from Praiano to Positano
 
Hello - I'm looking for some info on the Walk of the Gods hiking trail between Praiano and Positano. I've done quite a bit of digging on line and even purchased the Sunflower Guide (which I was quite disappointed with!) but haven't really found what I"m looking for. Where can I get detailed directions? Is the path clearly marked? How long does it take / how strenous is this hike. I really want to do this but don't want to end up getting lost in the middle of nowhere! We will be there early May, so hoping for great hiking weather. We will be staying at Le Sirene in Praiano.

Thanks!

ekscrunchy Mar 10th, 2011 01:40 AM

The Walk of the Gods is not a trail between Positano and Praiano.

Here are details:


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

ekscrunchy Mar 10th, 2011 01:42 AM

Gilly: I expect to be in that area in September and will be traveling with friends that will probably want to take a few hikes/walks. Would you mind telling me why you do not like the Sunflower guide, so I can pass this info on to my friends who will likely want to purchase a guidebook. Many thanks!

Most of the hotels in the area have detailed info on the popular hikes, or can point you in the direction of such information, if the link above is not enough..

gillybrit Mar 10th, 2011 05:46 AM

From Tripadvisor:
The "Walk of the Gods" from Praiano to Positano is challenging with breathtaking scenery along the way. Be sure to take a bottle of water with you and wear good, sturdy shoes. You don't walk along the seashore; you go up and over the mountainside between the two cities and pass through two very charming towns along the way. Take the Sita bus back to Praiano. The hike takes about 2 1/2 hours.

On the link you sent it appears I could go from Praiano to Colle Serra to Nocelle and on to Positano. Am I mistaken?

As far as the guidebook, not sure what it was that I didn't like about it. I just didn't sem to be able to find what I was looking for, but perhaps that's becuase I'm misguided about where the trail actually goes...?

ekscrunchy Mar 10th, 2011 07:19 AM

GB: I think it is a bit confusing, but the link I provided, from a local walking guide, seems to describe the route, and also say that there is confusion over what the term actually refers to..from the link, yes, it does appear that you can link up to travel from P to P, as you wrote.

I've never done this walk, just read about it, so am not qualified to discuss...I think that there are others here who have actually walked this trail so hopefully someone will respond.

I will await your opinion, so I can plot out a walk for my friends (and maybe myself!) come September..

A_Brit_In_Ischia Mar 10th, 2011 07:42 AM

That guide seems more or less in agreement with what appears under the Praiano entry in the "Travel Directory" to the Sorrento Peninsula and Amalfi Coast, available from the area's official tourism website - which says this...

"The Pathway of the Gods, from Agerola to Positano"

"The trail begins at Bomerano, in Agerola. In places where silence is still precious, this trail is enveloped in an enviable atmosphere of tranquillity. The guides suggest walking it from east to west, so that, from the splendid natural terraces along the way, walkers can admire the views of seductive Capri, immediately opposite, and of the mysterious islets of “Li Galli” on the left. The path leads to the “Grotta del Biscotto” (cave of the biscuit) and then crosses the pass of Monte Serra. Then, from the suburb of Nocelle you can either walk to Positano, or follow the path that leads to atmospheric Montepertuso."

To get a copy, start here...
http://www.costiera.it/weben/index.htm

...or download it directly, using...
http://www.costiera.it/images/pdf/Tr...rectory_En.pdf

Peter

ggreen Mar 10th, 2011 08:17 AM

I did this walk! But in reverse, from Nocelle to Praiano, at the beginning of May last year.

We did not have much to go on, just a blurb in the Lonely Planet Amalfi Coast book. (Fodor's book barely mentioned it at all.) To be honest, I haven't seen any particularly detailed maps of the trails and the photocopied one that our hotel gave us was too small a scale to help much.

Here's some details I can provide:
- FWIW, we're a moderately-fit couple right about the 40-year mark.
- We took the Sita bus to Positano (we were staying in Amalfi), then hopped a red local bus up the hill to the last stop: Nocelle. There's also a paid parking lot there; you need coins for the meters.
- The path can be very narrow in places, and rather steep in others. That said, it's really not overly exerting. A few parts of the steep places were a bit of a scramble - I needed to use my hands and kind of climb down though my bf did not - but for the most part the inclines were fine. I'll add that it was definitely warm out once we got going, and at the higher elevations there wasn't a lot of shade. There were one or two places where we could refill our water bottles.
- We walked it just fine in sturdy shoes. (Mine were Keen sandals and I think my bf wore sneakers.) At one point, a local grandmother whizzed past us carrying a child on her back and in the merest of sandals!
- Our hotel provided us with box lunches - sandwiches and fruit - which were a welcome break on the trail. We ate on some boulders overlooking the sea, but higher up (closer to Praiano) there are picnic benches along the route with even more spectacular views.
- We were told the path is clearly marked with painted indicators. While this is true, they weren't always in places we thought they'd be; some were quite worn; and at a crucial point the signage was too confusing - more on that later. However, for most of the time it was very straightforward which direction to go.
- It took us the better part of the day, for two reasons: for one, I am annoyingly insistent on stopping for photos; and we got lost!

Okay, so going from Nocelle to Praiano, the path was well marked through the narrow streets of Nocelle and up into the hills. At points where the markers were a little faded, it was still obvious where to walk and there were enough other people on the path that the way was clear.

Our trouble came towards the end of our trek: we were getting tired and low on water, the sun was beginning to go down, and we hit an intersection with the aforesaid confusing signpost! There were three or four directions listed on it, but none said "Praiano" and none matched our pathetic map (though we could tell on it pretty much where we were). Below us, we could see a group of buildings on what from our perspective appeared to be an "island" of a rocky outcropping. Do we descend to there and find our way down? What if we get there and have to turn around and head back up?? We could see a farmer higher above us doing his afternoon chores, but we weren't sure we could communicate with him since our Italian is minimal at best. I was beginning to get very anxious!

While we were debating what to do, a group of young men in outdoor gear and big hiking boots descended from one of the paths above us. We asked them "dove Praiano?" It took a few tries to even get the pronunciation of the town correct enough for them to understand us! Thankfully, they pointed us in the one direction we had not thought to go and we were off.

Well, the way we took was the long, long way down, through someone's farm and then down a series of steep rock stairs that were overgrown with disuse. We got down alright, landing on a paved road above Praiano, taking narrow steps through people's yards until we found a girl we could ask for help. A few more yards down the roadway and we were finally at a Sita stop!

When I returned stateside, I did a little more research on the Sentieri degli Dei. (Our trip had been a last-minute one, so not much research went into it beforehand!) It turns out, the buildings we'd seen on that outcropping are a convent - and that's the way up from Praiano and so would have been the best way for us to descend! However, even with our trek taking all day, it was gorgeous and exciting and probably the best part of a vacation packed with superlatives.

I'll add that the reverse direction should be even more clear. When you ascend from Praiano, if you get to a point where you have to decide a direction, you know that Positano is to the "left" of Praiano, so take any path that leads in that direction. Plus, you can see Positano in the distance once you get to a certain point on the path. Also, I'd imagine that the hike itself would be a bit less strenous, since the steepest climb overall is from Praiano up to the path - you can rest at one of the picnic tables, and it's all easier from there. Oh, and there's a lovely restaurant in Nocelle, right near the bus stop. I wish we'd dined there!

I *really* need to get my photos from that trip up online! I took so many, it was too overwhelming to deal with upon my return (story of my life). But the ones from that day should help to give you a good idea of what the path looks like - so maybe that's my impetus for finally getting it done!

ggreen Mar 10th, 2011 08:20 AM

Oh, and I meant to add that this site gives some useful directional tips, which look to be basically the same as what Peter provided. At the very bottom of the page, it mentions starting from Praiano:
http://www.summerinitaly.com/guide/walk-of-the-gods

gillybrit Mar 10th, 2011 04:13 PM

Thanks everyone. Seems like detailed info and maps are a little hard to come by. Anybody have any idea how long it would take to hike from Praiano to Positano?

ekscrunchy Mar 11th, 2011 01:19 AM

Have you read this thread?


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-the-mills.cfm


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