The Ancient Paths Above the Amalfi Coast That Most Tourists Never Find

Stand anywhere on the Amalfi Coast and you’ll see the same things everyone sees: the famous road, the boats, the beautiful chaos of summer crowds. What you won’t see — unless you know where to look — are the paths. Ancient mule tracks and stone steps worn smooth by centuries of feet, rising above the coastline into a world most visitors never discover.

Ancient stone path above the Amalfi Coast with terraced lemon groves and the Mediterranean below — Photo by Dmitry B on Unsplash

The Roads Nobody Drove

Before the coast road was built in the 1850s, the Amalfi Coast’s dramatic terrain made wheeled vehicles almost impossible. Everything — food, mail, stone, firewood — moved by mule along narrow paths cut into the cliff face.

Those paths are still there. They connect the coastal towns to the villages above, to the lemon groves, to the mountain ridges with their views of three seas. Most tourists, understandably, never leave the road.

That’s your advantage.

The Path of the Gods

The Sentiero degli Dei — the Path of the Gods — runs from the village of Bomerano above Agerola down towards Nocelle, high above Positano. At its highest point, the Mediterranean stretches out in every direction.

The name isn’t hyperbole. Ancient travellers who made this crossing believed the view was too extraordinary to be a human place. It felt like something the gods had arranged.

The full walk takes three to four hours, and the path is well-marked with orange dots. It’s best walked early in the morning, before the heat builds, when the light on the water is softer and the terraced lemon groves below catch the first gold of the day.

If you’re basing yourself in Positano, you’ll already know why Positano is one of Italy’s most visited towns — but this walk shows you the side of it no photograph captures.

The Walk to Ravello

Above Amalfi town, a path climbs steeply to Ravello, one of Italy’s great hilltop villages. Most visitors drive the 6 kilometres. Walking it changes everything.

Ravello sits at 365 metres — high enough to look down on the coastline from a different angle entirely. The gardens here, particularly the Villa Rufolo, are so beautiful that Wagner reportedly claimed they inspired the magic gardens in Parsifal.

Most people don’t know this path exists. Those who walk it tend not to tell others. That’s part of its charm.

Scala — The Town Forgotten by Tourists

Across the valley from Ravello sits Scala, the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on the Amalfi Coast. It has a Romanesque cathedral from the 12th century, a population of fewer than 1,500 people, and a view down to the sea that most visitors to Ravello never notice.

Almost nobody goes to Scala. That’s exactly why you should.

The walk between Ravello and Scala takes under an hour on the stone paths that connected these two towns for centuries. It passes farmhouses, small chapels, old olive trees, and — in spring — wildflowers that turn the terraces yellow and purple.

The Interior Villages Nobody Photographs

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Higher still, and further inland, Tramonti was the village that supplied the entire coast with its wine and olive oil for centuries. The hiking paths through the valley connect ancient farmhouses, roadside shrines, and views of the interior mountains that look nothing like the typical Amalfi postcard.

This is the Amalfi Coast that doesn’t appear in travel magazines. The light is different up here — cooler, quieter, less theatrical. It asks for a different kind of attention.

Going Slowly

The temptation on the Amalfi Coast is to see everything — all the famous towns in three days, moving fast, ticking boxes. The paths invite a different approach.

Choose one route. Walk slowly. Stop when something catches your eye. The coast’s clifftop paths reward patience in ways that no day-trip itinerary can replicate.

It’s worth noting that the Amalfi Coast has a kind of fame that outlasts trends — something about the combination of sea, cliff, and terraced green has been pulling travellers here since the Romans first built villas on these slopes.

If you love hidden walking routes, the trails above Cinque Terre offer the same reward — ancient terraced paths high above the famous five villages, where Italy’s most photographed coastline looks entirely different from above.

Italy’s most famous coastline is beautiful from the road, from the water, from every angle you find it. But it is most beautiful from above — from a path the mules once used, with the sea a thousand feet below and lemons growing on the terraces around you, and nobody else in sight.

Some of the best things Italy offers require nothing more than choosing to walk uphill.

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to walk the paths above the Amalfi Coast? The Ultimate Italy Travel Guide has everything you need to plan an unforgettable trip — from the best bases for coastal walking to where to stay on the Amalfi Coast.