Anniversary trip to Italy, part V.

Breakfast at the Hotel Marincanto

Wednesday, October 17

We woke up early and enjoyed a good breakfast on the terrace before meeting our guide, Lucy, and setting off to hike the Sentiero degli Dei or "Path of the Gods." Another client of Lucy's, Megan from Melbourne, Australia, met us on the bus from Positano to Bomerano.


We're aboard a SITI bus exactly like the one we're attempting to pass - not for the faint of heart (like me)


Robert, Megan and Lucy - we alit at this little snack shop to wait for a different bus that would take us to Bomerano


Bomerano

In Bomerano we stopped at several tiny shops for Lucy to purchase provisions for our lunch: fresh meats, cheeses and pastries, then we set off for the trail.


Lucy selecting rolls and other goodies at the bakery


Look at the cute little Halloween cookies!


The butcher/cheese shop


Fresh yogurt - this was so good!


Trailhead

What a fabulous walk this was! The path is set high above the coastline and affords breathtaking views of the sea and the towns that comprise the Amalfi Coast.


Starting out on the hike


Horse corral set way up in the mountains


Doesn't this horse have a lovely view?


Ruins of a house along the Path of the Gods


Spectacular scenery abounds!




Robert, Lucy and me




Robert, Megan and Lucy








A delightful setting for our picnic feast



We walked almost 8 kilometers in about 4 hours, including our picnic lunch; it would have been a lot faster if we hadn't stopped so often to take pictures of the spectacular scenery! The trail was not difficult, but there was a bit of up and down and a few places where we had to scramble up and over a hill. (By walking the section from Bomerano to Nocello we bypassed the 1700 steps from Praiano up to Bomerano and the 2000 steps from Nocello down to Positano.) We returned from Nocello to Positano via a small local bus and bid a fond farewell to Megan and Lucy.

Lucy was a great guide, providing a lot of information on plants we passed as well as on the history of the area. We also really enjoyed the company of our new Australian friend, Megan. Robert and I both cited walking the Path of the Gods as our single favorite thing we did on this trip.

We changed for dinner and the walked a ways through the winding streets of Positano to have dinner at Mediterraneo. What an entertaining meal this was! Pietro serenaded the restaurant guests with his guitar, and Lorenzo, our waiter, also sang along as he flitted from kitchen to table. The songs were cheesy Italian favorites like Volare and That's Amore, but the experience was great fun and we stayed much later than we intended.


Pietro at Mediterraneo


Lorenzo and Pietro serenading me