With its pastel hued villages perched on rocky outcrops overlooking the turquoise blue of the Mediterranean and dramatic views along miles of spectacular coastline, the Amalfi coast is incomparably beautiful. It is also an area of outstanding cultural and historical interest.
On a vertiginous terrain with a shortage of arable land, generations of ingenious farmers have built up a series of spectacular stone walls to support terraced vineyards and lemon orchards. This is a walker’s paradise, as the ancient network of routes leads across a range of breath-taking landscapes. The crowds and hustle and traffic of the coast are left quickly behind, and in their place are soothing green landscapes, wildflowers and magnificent views in almost every direction.
The journey has been specially designed to mix six days of walking along some of Europe’s most dramatic coastlines with visits to several of Italy’s most important historical sites at Paestum, Pompei and Herculaneum. These wonderful sites offer an unparalleled glimpse into ancient Roman and Greek society and architecture. There are also two nights in the ‘high-octane’ city of Naples with its tangled layers of history and culture.
The Amalfi Coast and this region of Italy, Campania, is known for its food, wine and delightful restaurants which have been carefully chosen (see below) to offer the best of the local cuisine and there will be opportunities for food and wine tastings. For on the Amalfi Coast, one eats and walks well!
Walks are classed as easy to moderate and and are 4 - 6 hours in duration and cover 5 - 10 kilometres walking per day.
The journey has been organised for the Alumni of Cambridge University but is also open to Alumni of Oxford University and their friends and family. Please note that Distant Horizons has sole responsibility for the operation of this tour. The Universities have no direct control over the operation of any tours.
Maximum Party Size: 16
Trip Leader: Dr Alex Koller
Ms Lucia Ferrara (known to all as Zia Lucy or Aunt Lucy) who comes from a family of fishermen in Positano. Her grandmother was a seamstress who entertained writers and art-ists from all over the world. Lucy’s family and friends made her passionate about the coastal mountains and the Mediterranean flora and her mother has passed on legends and folk tales about these enchanted lands and about the secrets they hide. She also knows a few good restaurants chosen for this journey!