2009 06 17 Our 20th Wedding Anniversary - Walk of the Gods

We decided to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary with a hike through the mountains of Praiana, Italy (on the Amalfi Coast.

The track is referred to as Walk of the Gods and is a very popular walk. Our guide, Maruizio, led us up the mountain from the village of Praiano. We were joined by Peter from Byron Bay, Australia for an 8 o'clock start.

The trek started in the village and continued up the stairway terraces into the hills. Up, up, up we went along steps and rocky paths to visit a very old church from 1599.

The church is no longer used for regular services, however it is used periodically throughout the year for holidays and special occasions. It is also interesting that our guide, Maurizio's father was born in the residence attached to the church.

The land surrounding the church has been in Maurizio's family for generations and is still farmed today. Where once the land was a large track farmed by Maurizio's grandfather and relatives, today the land is separated into smaller sections belonging individually to the family members.

Maurizio uses his land to grow fruits and vegetables and of course to maintain his vineyard for personal consumption. There is a cave in the hillside that Maurizio uses for his wine cellar. When it is time to harvest the grapes, the women pick, the men transport and the children stomp the grapes in a family festival sort of way. This is all done at the vineyard and the wine is stored in the cave until it is ready to be consumed.

Inside the Vineyard and veg patch there is a small bulding, honestly a neat little house or retreat. It is room large enough for a bed, table and chairs, a small kitchen area with a gas burner to cook and prepare espresso. It really is an Italian Shangrila in the mountains. It is not just a shelter to be used during farming, it is an escape used for fun and relaxation. In the garden area is a beautiful lemon tree producing an abundance of fresh fruit. Other fruit trees of peach, apple, apricot and fig are grown. Of course there is the vineyard for the wine production, olive trees for olive oil production and the vegetable and herb garden. Inside the "house" hang onions and garlic, fresh herbs dry in tied-bunches from the ceiling. On the wall hang photos of Maurizio's relatives. To allow us to experience his little world was a highlight during our treck. It was a visit to Maurizio's little slice of heaven. It was really neat to experience first-hand how the people in the region grow their food in the little terraces between the cliffs. An up-close view of how they produce wine and vinegar - and their cave-side wine cellar was very special. I just love Amalfi.

Well, we couldn't stay in Shangrila forever - it was time to move on. We continued up, up, and up some more until we reached the narrow track along the sides of the cliffs. No railing on much of this stretch of the track. Maurizio was sure to warn us to stay close to the rocks and to watch where we stepped. He pointed out that while there was vegetation growing along the edge, you did not want to accidentally stepped off, it would be straight down the mountain for hundreds of feet. There was no way I was getting any closer to the edge that I had to. It really wasn't dangerous, you just needed to exercise caution. A description of the walk provided by our hotel suggested that if you had Vertigo, perhaps this wasn't the hike for you.

Five and a half hours after we started, we arrived at the small village of Nocelle. It was only five years ago this village got a road. Before that, the only way to get here was by walking the trail we just hiked. I cannot imagine.

When we reached Nocelle we of course refilled our water bottles, visited the WC, and stopped into the only cafe in town for a cool Coca-Cola. We had only a few minutes before it was time to catch a village bus to Positano, where we switched busses to carry us back to our hotel in Praiano.

Hot, sweaty and exhausted we said of goodbyes to Peter, while Maurizio joined us on our bus ride back to Praiano. We were so glad to get back to the room for a shower, some water and LUNCH! We were starving. It was a wonderful day, we had great company, we enjoyed fantastic scenery, had a great walk - it was a very memorable day indeed.