On the Amalfi coast along the Path of the Gods – Natalino Russo

This article was published on March 26, 2022 on page 27 of number 20 of the Essential. You can subscribe here.

May the young people of the South re-learn the good and holy custom of learning but all and not only the audit the anguished mystery of the dear not sweet land that we had as a legacy ”. With these words, at the end of the nineteenth century, Giustino Fortunato invited the new generations to go to the mountains to gain awareness of the territory and its complexity. In addition to being among the fathers of southernism, Fortunato was also a precursor of cultural hiking: a great walker, he considered the mountain not only a set of peaks and valleys, but above all of people with their vocations, needs and hopes. He was convinced that to know a territory it was first of all necessary to understand it, that is, to understand who lives there.

Giustino Fortunato meticulously explored the southern mountains. In 1877 he crossed on foot the Lattarj mountains, today Lattari, that is the reliefs of the peninsula that separates the two gulfs of Naples and Salerno. The descriptions and reflections of those journeys are contained in the volume L’Appennino della Campania, published in 1884 by the Neapolitan section of the Italian Alpine Club. Exceptional cross-section of a key period in the history of Italy, the book returns a still current portrait of a part of the south. It is a very useful portrait to better understand that internal Italy, sometimes defined as minor, of which so much is said in these years of pandemic.

Even today, the Lattari mountains are among the most interesting places to get to know an environment that is the result of the interaction between nature and human activity. Climbing to the highest peaks, at altitudes above 1,400 meters, the gaze goes north to the Aurunci mountains in Lazio. Further on, Vesuvius, the islands of the gulf, and then a wide arc of mountains, from Matese to Cilento. The Lattari mountains slope gently to the north and more harshly to the south. Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento populate the chronicles of great travelers, but the other centers are much less known. Like Agerola, which is located at about 600 meters above sea level, in a basin between the mountains and at the same time overlooking the Amalfi sea.

Right from Agerola you can leave for an excursion on the southern side of these mountains. Here is the realm of cliffs and large walls. A succession of jumps alternating with small semi-flat edges where centuries of man’s work have created terraces so daring as to seem unattainable. And, in fact, you can only get there by winding aerial paths. The few existing roads have been obtained by digging tunnels and trenches in the rock.

In the high season the Amalfi road 163 is to be avoided by car, but in the rest of the year it is so clear that it is a boon for motorcyclists and cyclists. The vegetable gardens, the land and the most remote houses are connected by a dense network of paths and mule tracks. Donkeys and mules are still used today for the transport of land products and building materials, which is why the tradition of mule drivers is alive and part of the local economy, and the mule tracks are kept efficient.

These routes are gaining a reputation as true hiking paradises. And among these the Path of the Gods stands out, which connects Bomerano, a hamlet of Agerola, to the small town of Nocelle, above Positano. It is a relatively simple itinerary: also considering the indispensable photo stops, it can be covered in less than three hours.

The departure is from Piazza Capasso (640 meters above sea level) in the center of Bomerano. You can get here by bus from the Sita company, or by car, using a free parking lot not far from the square. Once you leave the last houses, the path immediately skirts the high limestone cliffs where the so-called Biscotto cave opens up, a karst cavity brought to light by erosion. Inside, next to small cave houses, you can read the stratification of ancient volcanic sediments.

After a few terraces and rural houses, you reach a high pinnacle of rock that precedes the Colle Serra pass (580 m). Here the path forks: on the right you can follow a high variant, but perhaps the most interesting is the one on the left. A few steps downhill lead to a fountain with an exceptional view of the coast.

One hour before departure, in an area of ​​grassy terraces between high walls, one has the sensation of being suspended. Down there is the sea, a constant and magical presence. Here, on the path, you reach an old dilapidated house. The presence of a pergola with a large wooden table suggests that the house is inhabited. In fact it is the base of Antonio Milo, a young shepherd who has chosen to stay in these mountains together with his goats.

Antonio lives in Agerola but comes here every morning together with his mule named Limone and the donkey Limoncello. All day long he dedicates himself to goats, which are of a native Neapolitan breed called black torca. Antonio leaves them free to graze on the impressive cliffs, shelters them in a sheepfold built close to a cave. In the evening, after milking, Antonio loads the cans of milk onto the back of Limone and Limoncello and transports them to the village to make cheese. The shepherd gladly welcomes passing hikers, offering them tastings of his products or a piece of lawn to set up a tent.

The spectacle of the sunset over the sea is guaranteed from here. And also that of dawn, if you are an early riser. It is one of the reasons why Antonio decided to stay and work here: “This is an open door prison”, he repeats. “The goats do not grant Sundays or holidays, but I would not leave for any reason”.

A little further on, the path passes under a rock wall on which climbers have opened many free climbing routes. Below, the inhabited area of ​​Positano peeps out, with the spectacular coastline that stretches to the Li Galli islets and the Faraglioni of Capri.

The next part of the route has some slippery stretches but it is always easy enough even for less experienced walkers. The crossing in the woods gives some shade. In the distance you can see a small group of houses: crossing an almost always dry valley, you reach it by a path that is now paved. It is Nocelle, a hamlet of Positano at 400 meters above sea level. Here a covered fountain offers shelter from the sun and rain. However, the view is more beautiful from the square in front of the church, where Antonino Di Simone in his tiny Lemon Point prepares the best lemonade on the coast.

Icilio Casola, a mule track with a long tradition, also lives in Nocelle. He carries all kinds of materials and when he is free he also makes himself available to help travelers with their luggage. In the village there are several places to spend the night, and a restaurant.

A staircase of 1,700 steps finally descends to Positano. From here with the Sita company buses you can go to Amalfi and then, with a change, go back to Bomerano. Alternatively, you can retrace the path backwards, which is perhaps the most practical solution. In this case, however, you have to calculate the times well and it is not advisable to go down to Positano, returning directly after the stop in Nocelle.

This article was published on March 26, 2022 on page 27 of number 20 of the Essential. You can subscribe here.