Walk the Amalfi coast

Enjoy a warm welcome from the local hosts, the Acampora family, who run the base for the week, Hotel Due Torri. If you have time, you may want to get out and explore the village, Bomerano, a quaint retreat high in the hills and away from the often-busy Amalfi Coast below. Once everyone’s ready, you will enjoy a welcome briefing at the hotel – a great chance to get to know the group a little, meet your leader and ask any questions you may have.

You will walk towards Amalfi, a town popular with the British since Edwardian times when the upper classes favoured it as a pleasant place to spend their winters. The route has a downhill bias, following the path from Bomerano at 2,297ft (700m) to the Mediterranean shores, accompanied by wonderful coastal views. There are approximately 2,000 steps today, but also plenty of opportunities to rest and go at your own pace. On arrival, you will see the large duomo (cathedral) dominating the town with a brightly tiled cupola (dome), which, along with the baroque facade and interior, is a typical example of regional architecture. Take time to explore the town, swim in the small bay or enjoy a gelato before a transfer back to Bomerano.

You transfer to the slopes of Vesuvius to view the volcanic crater, which also overlooks the beautiful Bay of Naples, the waters of which span between Naples, the regional capital, and Sorrento, the town famed for lemon groves. Depending on weather conditions, it may be possible to join an expert volcanologist on an extended walk around the caldera and beyond (optional).

After lunch, you travel by bus to Pompeii. On the lower foothills of the volcano, it was a thriving port town until Vesuvius catastrophically erupted over two days in 79CE and the city was buried in ash and pumice. Lost for 1,700 years, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the preserved remains providing an amazing insight into life in a Roman city, complete with bathhouses, bakeries and homes – some of which still have walls adorned with detailed frescoes. You may explore the site this afternoon, perhaps opting for a detailed tour accompanied by a local guide.

Today’s walk starts in Ravello, a town favoured by the Bloomsbury set and other artists and intellectuals due to its secluded location and inspirational scenery. Before setting off for the walk, you will have free time to explore the town and visit Villa Cimbrone or Villa Rufolo with their meticulously landscaped gardens and breathtaking sea views (optional). The route today is mostly downhill with a considerable number of steps. After descending and taking a quick stop in Pontone village, you continue along wooden bridges and shady paths carpeted with wildflowers in season, to the beautiful moss-clad waterfalls within the closed gates of Valle delle Ferriere nature reserve. Finally, following the stream gently downwards through lemon groves, past the shells of former paper factories (a major local industry from the 12th to 19th centuries) and medieval ironworks, we reach Amalfi.

Enjoy a day at leisure to relax at the hotel or go to the seafront. The hotel also offers a range of private transfers to some of the most popular attractions in the region. Options include visiting Herculaneum, which was also destroyed during the Vesuvius eruption. The city was buried in mud rather than ash; some say this led to the site being even better preserved than the bigger Pompeii. You might instead choose to take a ferry to the chic island of Capri and the funicular through lemon groves up to Capri town. Furthermore, Sorrento or the National Archaeological Museum of Naples are also possible.

You will take one of the finest walks on the planet. Leaving the hotel, it’s a short stroll through quiet Bomerano before we join the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods), which provides some of the most evocative views in the world: ragged cliffs speckled with tiny villages and extensive vistas of the sparkling Mediterranean. The route follows rolling hills, the contours of the land and the coast. The trail is broken by insights into local life, passing shepherd huts and ancient stone houses carved into the limestone before we descend a long series of steps to colourful Positano, an almost vertical town clinging to the rockface of a sheltered bay. Take time to explore the alleyways lined with wisteria and designer boutiques or have a dip in the sea before returning to Bomerano by boat and bus (seasonal) in the late afternoon. Before dinner, you can see how the local smoked mozzarella is made and taste the mouth-wateringly fresh final product.

This morning is your last at the hotel, which may feel more like a second home by now. If your flight leaves later this evening, you’re welcome to make use of the hotel facilities after check-out and enjoy an optional lunch here. Alternatively, speak to your leader for recommendations on what to do in the village.