Jaya's Ramblings....: 2025

I am not much of a hiker kind of woman. Since my mid 20s, I lived with a man who never enjoyed hiking or anything where bugs would be around, or branches or bushes touched his feet. So, as a family, we never did those adventures.

We walked plenty — but on city streets, not in jungles or mountains. I can count on one hand the times we actually walked on trails — not even in Switzerland, one of the most favorite places in the world for hiking.

But Italy changed one big thing. I’m the planner, and I added one hike to my list. The Path of the Gods is one of the must-do items for anyone traveling the Amalfi Coast. Mr. Husband loves mountains, and I love the ocean, so this hike was perfect — it combined both.

It had been in the itinerary; he knew about it but never questioned it. When we reached the Amalfi Coast, I asked him to read about it in case I was missing anything in planning. That’s when, for the first time, he said, “Maybe we should skip it.” And I said, “Nope — this is the top thing on my list.”

I’m a city kind of woman, and the Amalfi Coast was his kind of area, so if I was picking something that would make me happy there, there was no way we were not doing it.

The day came. We packed our backpacks as light as we could — with some food and lots of water.

We started the hike, and it began with stairs. I had difficulty breathing. Because he’s not used to walking with me, he had no idea what climbing does to me. He got scared and said, “We don’t have to do it,” but I knew that was going to happen, so we kept going.

I learned on this hike that my husband is a lot stronger than me. This is the COVID effect — Mr. Husband went easy on work and focused more on workouts, while I did the opposite. I realized how exhausted and tired I was, and how rapidly my physical health was declining.

Lesson: If you’re not in your best physical shape, you should avoid this hike. I would’ve loved doing it 15 years ago with the kids.

Take at least one liter of water per person and carry food, especially nuts. There’s no bathroom or snack shop along the way.

You’ll find lots of hikers on the trail, so you’ll never be alone. Don’t worry about safety. We saw many people using walking sticks — those really help with your knees. I was okay that day, but I felt the effect the next day onwards.

Some suggestions:

We hiked from Bomerano to Nocelle, then took the bus to Positano.
The hike is about 4+ miles. Keep 3 to 4 hours. We did it in 3, but should’ve taken more breaks.
The trail goes from flat to very uneven rocky sections, with stairs — it’s well marked.
We didn’t go all the way down to Positano (took the bus from Nocelle).
If you want, you can walk the 1,700 downhill steps to Positano.
Keep your backpack light and start early so you have plenty of time.
You’ll meet lots of people on the way, so starting early lets you take breaks and enjoy the views without feeling rushed.
Wear layers.
Carry a backup battery for your phone.
Stop every half hour and sit for a bit — that’s the only way to truly enjoy this beautiful path.

It definitely deserves the name Path of the Gods.

We met a man fixing the walkway to his house — it was impressive to see someone living up in the mountains. I asked what the closest town was for him, and he said it was Nocelle, 25 minutes of hiking. Going downhill to town is easy, but imagine bringing groceries back up!

I’m sure he has one of the best views to wake up to or spend his evenings with. He was young and athletic — I’m sure he’s enjoying all of it.

Route summary:

Cash for the bus drive

Took the SITA bus from Sorrento to Amalfi (1 hour 30 minutes) € 3.40
SITA bus from Amalfi to Bomerano/Agerola (40 minutes) €2.40
Walked to Nocelle
Took the Mobility Amalfi local bus to Positano
Then another SITA bus back to Sorrento

Oct 4th 2025 - Path of the gods

Oct 4th 1994 was the day he asked me to marry him, such a coincidence - he invited me on a roller coster ride and 31 years later we are still climbing mountains. From Balaghat to the Amalfi Coast, from everyday chaos to the Path of the Gods — what a wild, beautiful ride it’s been.

The day began with a ticket to Amalfi from Sorrento and full bus, we got seat only in Positano

Ticket from Amalfi to Bomerano

He was the most sought after man that morning. Only cash :) Ticket conductor at Amalfi bus stop -

Everyone of these folks were on their way to the path of the gods, eagerly waiting for the bus.

so it begins

Some kind of marker

I wish I had a group to party with

This guy wakes up to the view , was happy to chit chat and answer my questions.

Mobility Amalfi local bus to Positano

For one tiny morning, we ate in three places, and everything was amazing.

I think I had enough coffee for the whole week. Bologna was not lively last night — I guess there’s no nightlife — but it was very busy during the day. Bologna really felt like the food capital of Italy.

Too many good-looking people, all dressed up, going to offices, walking, using public transport, and cycling. It looked like public transport is the way of life in this town.

After walking around, going into too many shops, and taking too many pictures, we finally took the bus back to the hotel and checked out.
Remember to have €12 cash for the tax for two people for one night.

We took the bus back to the station, and because it was within 90 minutes, I think we didn’t have to pay again. There are three transaction boxes on the bus — one for passes, one for cash, and one for credit cards. When you swipe your credit card, it says “credit card validated.”

At the station, we went for a quick coffee. Google Maps showed many places, but the actual coffee shop was inside the station. Bologna looks like a smaller town, but the train station is huge, with so many levels of train tracks.

The train we were supposed to take wasn’t showing on the platform screen. I’m so glad I went into the ITALO office — that’s where I found out our train would arrive on Platform 18.

The train was 10 minutes late, and I think they were announcing it only in Italian. The screen on the platform didn’t even show our train. Make sure to note down the train number — on the screen outside the train, it shows the number and the final destination.

I was panicking and asked at least three people if they were waiting for the train to Florence — luckily, they all were.

Since I booked the ticket last minute, I had to buy the Flex seat (more expensive), which means I could take another train if I missed this one. The train journey was interesting — even though it was a premium train, it still got delayed.

The station is humongous. I could never have imagined such a big station in Bologna. With multiple levels, make sure to check with your train company — they have the right information about the platform.