Steven Genesin shares his story on hiking Italy's famed Amalfi Coast.
On our trip to Italy last year, we wanted to incorporate some hiking that captured some of the iconic Mediterranean coastline. Given we were staying in the town of Positano for a few nights, we knew of a hike that hugged the coastline known as the Path of the Gods. With such a name we could not resist attempting at least part of the trailhead to see if the name lived up to the image that it conjures up.
Our research indicated that the trail can be walked in different directions, and for different lengths depending where on the Amalfi Coast you happen to be staying. You also need to consider the finish point of the walk so that on completion of the journey it’s possible to catch home one of the local buses that traverse the narrow roads. Given that we discovered the alternative was 1700 stairs to get down to Positano on our route, we made sure we had purchased our bus tickets in advance and knew the timetable to avoid a crushing walk home.
You can vary the amount you walk if you do not want to walk the whole trail. For instance, it can be an 8km trek to get between the main towns of Positano and Bomerano with varied elevation and steepness on some sections of the trailhead. Any reasonably fit person with appropriate footwear should be able to complete parts of the trail without too much trouble.
We always bring backpacks with an assortment of gear, and it was lucky we packed some wet weather jackets on this occasion. Even though it was late spring, and the day started off in glorious sunshine, heavy clouds rolled in at one stage and there was drenching rain for a good quarter of an hour.
Depending on your direction of travel there are some villages that offer some rest stops in the form lunch areas where you can purchase food and the local famous lemon crush drink, or other beverages if you feel the need something a bit stronger!
Travelling in the opposite direction to us was an organised walking group that seemed to be on a day-long hike to cover just about the whole trail. Led by a guide, I am sure this would be an appealing option for some who don't want to negotiate the transport system on their own. We also shared the path with some goats that belonged to the local farmers-they were more surefooted than us I might add!
Be warned, the sights are stunning! Sections of the trail wind around the cliff faces and when you round some of the corners you are confronted with jaw dropping vistas of the Mediterranean Sea and the villages that dot the landscape. It was hard to focus on the path in front of you when you had his majestic panorama to look at, especially on some of the exposed corners and bends of the trail.
In the end we spent about half a day on the trail opting to retrace our steps back to a bus stop that we had earmarked earlier. It was really an enjoyable and different hike for us as we are more used to the inland trails of the Australian outback. But we left with some fantastic memories of a beautiful part of the world. 
Words_ Steven Genesin