Pathways of the Gods: Walks on the Amalfi Coast

22 September - 1 October, 2025

Destination:
Italy

Trip Dates:
22 September - 1 October, 2025

Trip Length:
10 days

Trip Price: £2860

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!

Pathways of the Gods: Walks on the Amalfi Coast . Trip Comments:

I think my husband has already sent a quick e-mail to say how much we enjoyed this trip but I would like to add my own thanks for such a lovely holiday. The combination of walking and sightseeing was excellent, and though some of the walks were quite tough (especially for a new hip!) the scenery was stunning enough to take one’s mind off the climbs! Dr. Koller’s knowledge greatly enhanced our appreciation. Without him we would not have got nearly so much out of the trip; his talks, both at sites and in the evening, filled in political and historical background, explained what we were seeing, and were a model of clarity. He was also a very pleasant companion.

‘I really enjoyed this trip with its mix of walking and culture. I had already visited most of the cultural sites but it was great to see them again. I'd been through the walking area before and wanted to walk in that area. The holiday gave me that opportunity. The walks were excellent.’

I am writing to let you know how much Penny and I enjoyed our trip. It was a wonderful mixture of beautiful walks and fascinating historical sights - and superbly organised. Alex and Doru were a great combination as guides, always on top of the practicalities - including the late arrival of WizzAir - and thoughtful about the needs and capabilities of everyone in the group. Doru's selection, preparation and leadership of the walks was excellent and Alex's knowledge of the local culture and (very complicated) history was not only encyclopedic but brilliantly conveyed.

Just to say thank you so much for organising such a briliant trip. I loved it. The combination of walking then culture worked really well, the walking was fine, glad I had my poles with me.

'Wonderful trip. You have a real gem in Lucia Ferrara'

'An excellent holiday, well above expectation as (almost) everything was perfect. Special (positive) mention goes to Distant Horizons' pre-trip accompaniment and clearly personalised messaging of relevant information and also to Peter Sarris who gave most enjoyable, both in content and delivery, presentations.