We woke around 8AM on Sunday, our first day in Amalfi. We headed up to the 5th floor of the Hotel Amalfi for our complimentary breakfast. Cereal and croissants topped off our tanks before our first hikes into the Lattari Mountain towns. The cliff walls around Amalfi made it seem impossible to get to towns that could be seen above.
We organized our daypack and Sunflower Guidebook by Julian Tippett, which will prove to be indispensable for navigating the intricacies of the route. We would be following routes 6(Amalfi to Minuta), 7(Minuta to Ravella), and 3(Ravella to Atrani). We started up the main road in Amalfi, turned right up a set of steps on the right, and made our way up the mountain and out of town. The sweat began to drip very quickly, but I stopped to take some images on the way, which kept our progress slower. As we climbed up through the lemon trees, the view of the town and the sea opened up in front of us.
After many steps we hit the shortcut to segment 16 which is an out-and-back to Torre Della Ziro. Torre Della Ziro is promontory that overlooks the towns of Amalfi and Atrani. It was once home to Queen Giovanna d’Aragona who was eventually beheaded. Despite this, it was quite a nice view. We retraced our steps back and up to Pontone for lunch at Giovanni’s. Replenished the calories burned with some pizza and vino and continued on to Minuta and Scala. The square in Pontone also provides some nice views and there is a water fountain on the way out of town to fill up.
After reaching the summit in Minuta, it was a leisurely walk along the quiet road to Scala. We prematurely took a set of steps that we soon realized were wrong when we came to a sign to Amalfi. Back up we went with my wife reminding me of the mistake the whole way. I was even accused of doing it on purpose in order to fulfill some quota of climbing elevation.
We continued on down the road and eventually found the correct steps which led us to a hairpin bend in the road and up to Ravello. Ravello was quite busy and we made our way through rather quickly. On heading out of town we found a open air bar with a killer view of Minori and the sea below, which was calling our name. I enjoyed a Guinness, some water, mating pigeons, and the incredible view. While we were there our initial plan of going to Minori was rejected since it was too late in the day for the extra stop, so we rerouted to Atrani instead.
The start of the path to Atrani took us through some back streets of Ravello and eventually to a more rustic olive grove section which was pretty nice. We reached a concrete path that lead to a section that was a down steep steps to Atrani. I don’t think I have ever gone down more steps at one time. Our knees were throbbing and legs like jelly by the time we got to Atrani. From there we followed the main road along the sea to Amalfi.
We headed back to the room, showered up, and headed back out to find some dinner. We attempted to find a different place to eat, but ended up back at Ristorante La Perla again. When you know the food is good and they have such a large selection it is hard to pass up. We enjoyed some Chianti, Bruschetta, Gnocchi and Denise had a veggie platter. For dessert I had Creme Brûlée and a Limoncello. Another great meal!
After dinner it was back to the hotel and off to sleep to rest our weary legs. Get ready for the next days hike to Valle delle Ferriere provided the weather holds up.
