NB Destination frame on spine will need adjusting for optical centering for each title depending on whether the word/s contain/s descenders SUNFLOWER LANDSCAPES ‘The hallowed ri 70 blue books’ Sorrento • Amal — SUNDAY TIMES 71 p 69 66 67 Sorrento, Amalfi a and Capri C 68 72 Fourth edition • area covered by this book Backed by the Lattari Mountains, 72 the world-famous Amalfi Coast i ITALIA occupies the southern edge of the f Napoli N 25 km Vesuvio Sorrento Peninsula. Use this book L 1277m to explore the area by car or, better Salerno still, follow the ancient network of 2 Golfo di NapoliSorrento i footpaths from the mountains d Amalfi car tours and walks o o olf n G r ale back down to the coast. Then take S 48 Capri49 a ferry over to nearby Capri, where you can get away from the crowds1 walk planner in no time at all… mal 47 • walks for all ages and abilities 50 A 1h30min • easy-to-use walk planners 6 Torre 56 • car tours and fold-out touring 47 • 51 dello f 1h map 50 Ziro i • Capri 200 m • short picnic excursions 57 56 • timetables for public transport b 54 Amalfi 0 m • update service for the latest 55 64 57 touring map information 2 5555 5656 53 Deserto 460 c hr 2 64 Sant'Agata 53 5252 390 ‘Walk of the month’ selection 52 6565 63 58 WEEKEND TELEGRAPH 61 62 30 SUNFLOWER 30 Sorrento 25 65 65 60 24 59 ISBN 978-1-85691-323-2 90100 2 60 Published in the UK by Sunflower Books 9 781856 913232 18 24 SUNFLOWER SUNFLOWER LANDSCAPES UK £12.99 Julian Tippett Landscapes of SORRENTO, AMALFI and CAPRI a countryside guide Fourth edition Julian Tippett SUNFLOWER BOOKS Fourth edition © 2007 Sunflower Books™ PO Box 36160 London SW7 3WS, UK www.sunflowerbooks.co.uk Published in the USA by Hunter Publishing Inc 130 Campus Drive Edison, NJ 08818 www.hunterpublishing.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. ISBN 978-1-85691-323-2 San Domenico (Walk segment 29) Important note to the reader We have tried to ensure that the descriptions and maps in this book are error-free at press date. The book will be updated, where necessary, whenever future printings permit. It will be very helpful for us to receive your comments (sent in care of the publishers, please) for the updating of future printings. Reports are also welcomed of the more remote walks successfully completed. We also rely on those who use this book — especially walkers — to take along a good supply of common sense when they explore. If the route is not as we outline it here, and your way ahead is not secure, return to the point of departure. Never attempt to complete a tour or walk under hazardous conditions! Please read carefully the notes on pages 15 to 19, the Country code on page 136, and the introductory comments at the beginning of each walk segment. Explore safely, while at the same time respecting the beauty of the countryside. This book differs slightly from other titles in the Landscapes Series. Originally published privately by the author as ‘Walks from Amalfi’, the book was so well received that we have preserved the original format of walk segments and planners, while at the same time expanding the area covered and adding car tours and excursions. With thanks to my wife, Pat, and to Antonio Calvano, for their encouragement Cover: view over Positano from the Sentiero degli Dei (Walk segment 26) Title page: Villa Cimbrone, Ravello (Excursion 4, Walk segment 3) Sunflower Books and ‘Landscapes’ are Registered Trademarks. Photographs and maps by the author A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in the UK by J H Haynes & Co Ltd 10987654321 Contents Preface 4 Introduction 6 The Amalfi Peninsula 7 Planning a holiday 8 Getting about 8 Pronunciation guide 11 The inner man 11 Flora and fauna 12 The footpaths — their nature and origin 14 Hints to walkers 15 The walk planners 17 Guides and maps 18 Excursions with picnic 20 Touring 24 Tour 1: CIRCUIT FROM SORRENTO 26 Tour 2: SANTA MARIA DEL CASTELLO AND MONTE FAITO 28 Tour 3: MONTE PERTUSO AND NOCELLE 29 Tour 4: THE AGEROLA PLAIN 30 MAJOR SIGHTS OUTSIDE THE REGION 30 Tour 5: POGEROLA 32 Tour 6: PONTONE 32 Tour 7: TRAMONTI 33 Amalfi/Ravello (Walk segments 1-17) 34 Plans of Amalfi and Ravello 36 Walk segments and planner 39 Positano/Praiano (Walk segments 18-33) 58 Plan of Positano 59 Walk segments and planner 61 Conca dei Marini (Walk segments 34-38) 81 Walk segments and planner 82 Maiori/Minori (Walk segments 39-46) 88 Walk segments and planner 89 Sorrento (Walk segments 47-65) 100 Plan of Sorrento 101 Walk segments and planner 102 Capri (Walk segments 66-72) 121 Walk segments and planner 122 Bus timetables 129 Index 134 Country code for walkers and motorists 136 Fold-out area map inside back cover 3 Preface The coastal towns south of Naples have attracted travel- lers for a hundred years and more, Wagner, Ibsen, Ruskin and Longfellow being amongst the more famous. Today visitors come in their thousands to stay in Sorrento or in small towns further along the coast, from where they visit Pompei, take a trip up Vesuvius or catch the ferry to Capri. They also come to soak up the sensational coastal scenery of soaring limestone cliffs, serpentine roads and clinging hillside villages. And they will spend time looking around the towns, drinking cappuccino in the bar of a small piazza, and perhaps relaxing by the pool. All the ingredients are in place for a leisurely Mediterranean holiday. But if you like to walk, another ingredient will intrigue and tempt you. Accident of history and steep- ness of terrain have preserved a network of ancient footpaths which reaches from the towns into the surrounding countryside. These paths let you leave the bustle of town life and the clamour of motor traffic, to walk among lemon groves, visit hillside villages, see remote monasteries and, along the way, be regaled by the most stunning of views. The paths are often paved in stone or, if climbing the steep hillsides, consist of flights of steps. And the flowers are a constant delight: from broom and rosemary in March to freesias and cistus in May. In autumn, the woods are carpeted with cyclamen. Given a little effort, a whole new world awaits you. Most of the paths described here can be followed easily by people who do not claim to be regular walkers, though committed hikers will like them just the same. The walks are des- cribed in such a way as to give many choices when planning an outing; where to go, how long, how energetic. Besides being flexible, the path network is splendidly accessible. Often you can start walking directly from the door of your hotel or, at most, a short bus journey is needed to reach the start of the walk. Just a few of the walks are for experts only, as you will see in the text. 4 Preface 5 When you are ready to explore the area in depth, but perhaps not wanting to walk too much, try one of the ‘Excursions with picnic’ suggested on pages 20-23; these are easy but attractive outings, ideal for hot or ‘lazy’ days. Or, if you are hiring a car, dip into the Touring section to get off the beaten track. A great beauty of walking when abroad is that you get away from tourist haunts. Instead of meeting only people who are there for visitors, you come across farmers or others going about their daily lives. We (my wife and I) have met a craftsman intent on showing us his baskets made from split chestnut; a retired hotel porter who wanted to share a bottle of surprisingly good home-made wine; a farmer harvesting grapes who insisted on replacing the shop-bought grapes we were eating on our picnic. And you come across other like-minded walkers with a sense of adventure. Meeting people one-to-one on a footpath, you tend to get into conversation or, if your language skills are not up to it, there is at least mutual recognition, and especially so here where the local people are so friendly and open. In short, you feel included in the life of the countryside. This splendid feeling, together with the marvellous sights all around, make for an unbeatable combination. I hope the foregoing is persuasive enough to tempt you into trying some of these walks, but beware, you may become hooked! On the flower-filled descent to the Torre Damecuta, with Ischia beyond (Walk segment 71 on Capri) Introduction The guide has been designed as a reference book to dip into according to need. This first section deals with topics that apply to the whole region — defining and describing the region covered by the guide, local transport, food and drink, how to plan a holiday here, advice on walking the paths, notes on flora and fauna. It is followed by a short section, ‘Excursions with picnic’, to give ideas for some outings based on bus travel which will take you off the beaten track with a minimum of physical effort.