Just below Naples are some of Italy’s finest regions for walkers. North from Salerno is the Amalfi Coast while moving south from the city will take you to the Cilento region.
The Amalfi Coast is a land where the mountains, marquis pastures, lemon groves, vineyards and villages meet the sea. A place where you could be strolling on a rugged trail for one moment and then in the next be winding down through a citrus grove, then through a pleasant village towards the blue waters of the Mediterranean - gelati in hand. This is just one of the pleasures of what an Amalfi Coast walking holiday brings.
The Cilento area is a fairly under-visited and remote part of the Italy's Campania province. Explore an area of farming & viticulture and a series of limestone escarpments and peaks, forests and scrub. There are sightings of wolves, wild boar and vultures. Wildflowers such as orchids grow prolifically in some places in the spring. There are interesting fishing villages, some with ancient histories and small sandy beaches.
Walk along the Amalfi Coast using the extensive web of footpaths and mule tracks that thread along the cliffs. It’s a way to relatively easy reach a wealth of natural and cultural treasures. The walking routes pass close to beautiful monasteries, caves and ancient farmhouses. Visit nature reserves and ruins of paper mills, whilst enjoying spectacular views during all the walks. You will also have the chance to walk through the historic towns of Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello, Scala Praiano and Positano; all little pearls set in a fantastic landscape.
In the Cilento region you can choose from a series of walks close to the coast or going from inland areas to the coast along hilly ridges, or opt to circle around the village where you stay. Very different from the Amalfi Coast, it is generally unlikely that you will see more than a few walkers out each day. Even the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paestum, for such an important archaeological site, does not get the visitor numbers one might expect.
The Amalfi Coast and Cilento are probably where the phrase ‘Bella Vista’ was coined.