This is how Italo Calvino defined it, with words that were then entrusted to memory, thanks to the decorated majolica tiles that one encounters at the beginning of the path. About eight kilometers of wonder along the Lattari ridge, looking out from the first to the last step on the beauty generated by the harmonious encounter between land, sea and sky. A true Path of the Gods, which can be followed everywhere accompanied by the magic of the myth. From Bomerano, a hamlet of Agerola, to Nocelle, one of the hilly hamlets of Positano, in seven hours round trip or four for one way.
For centuries, it was one of the many paths on the Amalfi Coast that connected the villages of the interior to those on the sea, allowing the exchange of agricultural, livestock and fishing products, but also of timber, building materials and of the goods that arrived from every corner of the Mediterranean thanks to the flourishing trade of the Republic, then Duchy, of Amalfi.
And, in fact, the name “Path of the Gods” identifies two paths: the Sentiero Alto from Bomerano leads up to the Sorrento Coast, to Santa Maria del Castello in the territory of Vico Equense, while the Sentiero Basso is the one from Bomerano to Nocelle. Furthermore, you can also start from Praiano or from Vettica Maggiore, but tackling long stairways, to go from sea level to that of the high hills, through Passo di Colle Serra.
The Sentiero Alto is the most difficult, as it has many uphill stretches, especially since between the 650 meters of Bomerano and the over 600 of Santa Maria a Castello, it reaches the over one thousand meters of Capo Muro.
The Sentiero Basso, the "classic" Path of the Gods, is less demanding, due to the various downhill stretches, but it is absolutely not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo and in any case it has stretches in which maximum attention is required and also appropriate equipment with shoes and trekking poles.
The route, marked by the CAI indications, winds its way through breathtaking panoramas in a wild environment, of uncontaminated nature, among the fragrant shrubs of the Mediterranean scrub - holm oaks, strawberry trees, rosemary, heather - and some "Per 'e palummo" vineyards obtained between the terraces. It is not uncommon to come across grazing goats and sheep.
Starting from Bomerano, the first stop is the Grotta del Biscotto, at an altitude of 632 meters, decidedly suggestive with its ravines and cliffs that reach 200 meters. In the vicinity and in other points of the itinerary, one encounters unexpected rupestrian villages, shelters dug into the rocks in inaccessible points overlooking the sea, where the coastal populations took refuge to escape the pirates.
Another particularly spectacular point is a rock spur from which a limestone spire rises, known as the Pistillo. Proceeding, you reach Colle La Serra at 578 meters, with a panorama that includes up to the Faraglioni of Capri. There is a fountain where you can drink, as in other parts of the path. There is a crossroads from which a path leads to Praiano.
If instead you continue taking the right in a north-easterly direction, you cross the Cannati with 537 apple trees and Mediterranean scrub. A few steps and you arrive on a small terrace from which you can admire a panorama of extraordinary beauty, which frames the spectacular settlement of Positano.
Another special point is the so-called Vallone delle Grotte, an amphitheater full of caves that reach down to the sea. After a few bends, walking among the prickly pears, at 420 meters you will find the highest houses of the hamlet of Nocelle, which marks the end of the route. Unless you want to continue up to the nearby Monte Pertuso.
Once in Nocelle, 300 steps lead down to the beautiful beach of Arienzo, while 1500 steps and about 500 meters of road allow you to reach Positano. From there you can reach Amalfi by bus or hydrofoil. And to return to the starting point in Agerola, you can take advantage of the shuttle bus.
Instead, to reach Bomerano from which the experience of the Path of the Gods begins, take the Statale 163 Amalfitana until Vettica Minore and then an internal road with hairpin bends which, after 11 kilome
