Hiking the Amalfi Coast Alta Via

After arriving in Salerno and settling into your hotel, you will have time to explore its beautiful medieval town centre. You will also enjoy views of the Amalfi Coast and the beautiful Cilento National Park.

The first day of walking on your Amalfi Coast adventure will take you from the lovely town of Vietri sul Mare to the Medieval hamlet of Corpo di Cava at the foot of the Lattari Mountains. After exploring Vietri sul Mare, you will make your way toward Raito for beautiful views of the coast.

After climbing uphill to the charming village of Albori, you will make your way inland past Iaconti, the church of San Vincenzo, and an ancient Roman aqueduct, before arriving at the Benedictine Abbey of Corpo di Cava.After your arrival, you can go for a walk through the village, before freshening up in the hotel and enjoying a nice meal on the premises.

Today’s hike will take you straight from your hotel along one of the most famous pilgrim routes in the area, to the Madonna dell’Avvocata, situated on a spectacularly panoramic balcony high above the Amalfi Coast. From the Benedictine Abbey of Corpo di Cava you first walk up through the golden chestnut woods to the little clearing of Cappella Vecchia. From here, you enjoy a wonderful view over Vietri sul Mare and Salerno to the south, and the ridge of Monte Avvocata to the west. A well-trodden and relatively easy footpath takes you to the Avvocata Sanctuary. From here, you can see as far as Paestum and the mountains of Calabria to the south, while views of the Amalfi Coast reach as far as Ravello and Conca dei Marini. This is definitely one of the most beautiful views of the entire coast, unknown to most foreign tourists!

After visiting the sanctuary, you will walk back on your route along impressive rock cliffs to your hotel in Corpo di Cava.

Today you start your walk along the second part of the ridge of the Lattari Mountains, high above the valley of Tramonti and with the whole plain of Naples and Mount Vesuvius at your feet. Reach the peak of Cerreto Mountain, the second highest peak of the area (1313m), from where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Amalfi Coast, Ravello on one side, Mt. Vesuvius and Naples on the other.

After a break, your route continues down to the village of San Lazzaro on the high plain of Agerola, a charming and rustic village located in the middle of the Lattari Mountains. It is recommended to walk to the castle and the Punta Panoramica for some of the best views over the whole Amalfi Coast. For the keen hikers a short detour to the convent of Cospiti, presumably founded by St. Francis and located in a stunning position, is an absolute must. Tonight, you’ll dine on local specialties in one of Agerola’s first (and best) agriturismos.

From Agerola you walk into the highest mountains of the Sorrento Peninsula, known as the Monte Sant’Angelo a Tre Pizzi’ (the mountain with the three peaks) offers stunning scenery, with sheer cliffs, grottos, and lush beech forests. First you walk back up to the ridge, and then, along gentle paths through the chestnut forests, you’ll walk all around the valley of Agerola. Upon reaching the ridge the views open up on the bay of Naples & Mt. Vesuvius again.

The Alta Via then brings you through the highest mountains of the area. You follow a stunning path along the northern cliffs of the Monte Sant’Angelo and then start to climb up towards the small church of San Michele, on the edge of the high plain of the Faito. Along the edge of the plateau, you walk down to the area known as Belvedere. The views on the Bay of Naples are indeed grand to say the least. Here you settle in a welcoming mountain inn. At night you dine on local specialties on the premises of the hotel.

From the plain of Monte Faito you walk to the mountains above Positano today for views across the Bay of Naples. The Alta Via will bring you onto the highest mountain of the area, Mt. San Michele (1444m above sea level – at only a mile from the sea shore!).

After spending some time enjoying the best view that one could find in the Amalfi Coast, you continue along one of the most scenic paths of the area, with views ranging from the Cilento National Park, Capri & the Bay of Naples. Then you descend into a nice wooded area with cypresses and olive groves, and a stunningly beautiful, easy last stretch brings you to your agriturismo in Santa Maria al Castello, the old fortress defending the narrow valley between the Amalfi and Sorrento sides of the peninsula. Dinner is on the premises of the agriturismo, based on home grown specialties again.

Begin your hike overlooking Positano, walking through some of the most beautiful pastures in the area, green and covered with wild orchids. Then you continue to the ‘beacon’ of Monte Vico Alvano, after which a long descent brings you to the Colli di San Pietro and Colli di Fontanelle. From here you take a little path along the southern side of the ridge, now fully immersed in the Mediterranean colours and the lovely smells of the Mediterranean herbs.

The path runs parallel to the seashore with spectacular views over the Islands of the Sirens. Then the path descends quite steeply and continues through olive groves towards the little hamlets of Monticelli and Torca. From here you walk up along well-maintained paths to your beautiful agriturismo in the middle of the orchards, where you will have a lovely meal made from local organic produce tonight.

Today you’ll loop the ridge dividing the Bay of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, discovering the very different landscapes and a number of charming small hamlets. Through pinewood, olive grove, and orchards you walk down to the very picturesque inlet of Marina di Crapolla (where Saint Peter is alleged to have disembarked on his way to Rome) where you are free to have a swim. Then, continue along well-maintained paths to the charming little seashore village of Marina del Cantone on the south side of the Sorrento Peninsula. The landscape is spectacular, you walk in a beautiful landscape, dominated by dry-stone walls and olive groves, all the time overlooking the sea.

Reach the beautiful small bay of Recommone, where you can perhaps opt for a swim. The next stretch to Marina del Cantone is a great walk past the ruins of a medieval watchtower. Reach the seashore hamlet of Marina del Cantone. From here you follow the medieval steps up to the small hamlet of Nerano, and from there up to the church of San Costanzo, where you have 360° views over both the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. A spectacular path then brings you to the tip of the peninsula, where, according to legend, Ulysses erected a temple in honour of Athena.

The return, between Punta Campanella and Termini, is on the old Roman Via Minerva, with great views of Capri and a number of medieval watchtowers. From Termini you then take the local bus back to Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, to have another night dining in your agriturismo.

After breakfast you can return by boat or by bus and train to Naples to Rome, and then by shuttle bus to the airport. An extra night in a hotel can be booked upon request.