Hiking Italy’s Amalfi Coast and Volcanoes

• Accommodation: Hotel in Naples

Benvenuto in Italia! Welcome to Italy! We will meet at the Naples airport (NAP) at 1 pm, so please be sure your flight lands by noon. Your guide will take the group to our hotel, about a 35-minute drive. We’ll check into our rooms and then meet for our orientation meeting. At 4 pm we’ll head to the historic city center of Naples for a locally guided tour. We’ll visit some outstanding monuments including Piazza Plebiscito, Galleria Umberto I, the Naples Cathedral, and San Gregorio Armeno. What better way to celebrate our fist night together in Naples than with dinner at a local pizzeria!

• Hiking Mileage: 5.7 mi. (9.1 km.)
• Elevation Gain: 984 ft./300 m.
• Elevation Loss: 984 ft./300 m.
• Accommodations: Hotel in Naples

After pastries and Italian coffee, we’ll transfer by boat about 1.5 hours to the island of Capri! Upon arrival, we’ll take funicular railways to the famous Piazzetta. We’ll explore the Roman palace, Villa Jovis, inhabited by Emperor Tiberius and continue towards the impressive rock formation, Arco Naturale. The rock formation, contrasted by the green island vegetations and the stunning blue sea is quite a sight. Moving on to the Belvedere of Punta Tragara, we’ll take in the superb views of the Faraglioni: the famous rock formations that have been the subject of countless paintings and films. We’ll return walking through beautiful alleys and you’re welcome to take a dip in the blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea before we our boat departs for Naples. We’ll have dinner in Naples tonight.

• Hiking Mileage: 5.2 mi. (9.1 km.)
• Elevation Gain: 656 ft./200 m.
• Elevation Loss: 656 ft./200 m.
• Accommodations: Hotel in San Lazzaro

This morning’s hike is to the caldera of Mount Vesuvius! This sleeping volcano last erupted in 1944, and the biggest, most famous eruption occurred in 79 CE. It’s a relatively short hike but fairly steep and with some stairs. We then continue on to the Archaeological site of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a guided visit and to learn more about this staggering history. Excavations are still in progress today and many areas are well-preserved including the amphitheater, the Forum, thermal baths, and the Villa des Mystères, etc. The castings of men and women surprised by the ashes on this tragic day gives understanding to the abrupt nature of this natural disaster, even after two millennia. After taking time to explore this uniquely preserved ancient city, we take a 1-hour transfer to reach the San Lazzaro plateau on the Amalfi Coast and our hotel. Dinner this evening is at our accommodations.

• Hiking Mileage: 5.8 mi. (9.4 km.)
• Elevation Gain: 328 ft./100 m.
• Elevation Loss: 2133 ft./650 m.
• Accommodations: Hotel in San Lazzaro

After we’ve fueled up on breakfast, we’ll take a 30-minute transfer to Agerola to start a panoramic excursion along the Sentiero degli Dei or Path of the Gods. This place has a mythological origin: it is believed that the gods themselves created it with their footsteps when they came to save Odysseus from the sirens. This wonderful trail has breath-taking views throughout. As we descend the stairs towards Positano, in a colorful and fragrant Mediterranean scrub forest, we will pass small villages and take in incredible views overlooking the Amalfi Coast up to Capri and the Gulf of Salerno. Once in Positano, we’ll explore narrow alleys with colorful houses, small local craft shops, and taste some gelato or lemonade made with local lemons. Take your time to enjoy a swim before returning to the hotel with a private transfer back to our hotel in San Lazzaro for dinner.

• Hiking Mileage: 5 mi. (8.1 km.)
• Elevation Gain: 1312 ft./400 m.
• Elevation Loss: 1312 ft./400 m.
• Accommodations: Hotel in San Lazzaro

Today’s hike is a village-to-village hike through the Amalfi Coast. Starting with a 55-minute transfer to the charming village of Minori, we begin our hike and soon start climbing stairs up through fragrant lemon trees, meeting panoramic views of the coast toward Ravello. This beautiful town has attracted several artists over the centuries. They all came here for inspiration: Wagner, Wolf, Bernstein, Mirò. Take a break here to appreciate the beauty and understand just why these artists were drawn here.  Our visit to Villa Rufolo is highlighted by its wonderful gardens and the Villa Cimbrone with its terrace “dell’infinito,” the Terrace of Infinity. We will pass through the village of Atrani where we can relax with a drink on a terrace or enjoy a swim. We’ll finally continue on another 40 minutes and end in Amalfi where we will have a delicious dinner at our hotel.

• Travel Time: 6 hours
• Accommodation: Hotel on Stromboli

Today we will rest our legs from the trails and make our way to the island of Stromboli. We’ll first drive about 1.5 hours to Naples where we’ll enjoy some of their famous street food options and then board a ferry boat. We’ll relish the views and the rest day on this 4.5 hour ferry ride through the Aeolian islands and disembark on the black sand beach where the port is positioned. At the base of Mt. Stromboli volcano lies the small village, home to approximately 500 residents, where we can take some time to explore before dinner.

• Hiking Mileage: 2.5-5 mi./4-8 km.
• Elevation Gain: Up to 1315 ft./400 m.
• Elevation Loss: Up to 1315 ft./400 m.
• Accommodation: Hotel on Stromboli

Our hike today depends on the volcano’s conditions, so we’ll remain flexible and be ready for whichever of two plans unfold: morning hike/evening boat ride or morning boat ride/evening hike. As this is an active volcano (in almost continuous eruption for the last 2,000- 5,000 years), we will have a specialized volcanological local guide. The trail brings us towards the Sciara del Fucoco or “the road of fire,” a magnificent depression created by numerous collapses on the volcano’s Northwest flank. We’ll walk through volcanic ash and typical Mediterranean vegetation, up to the 1,315 ft./400 m. limit. In the evening, we’ll take an early evening cruise from Stromboli to admire the volcano’s activity from the sea, an incredible spectacle offered by the sprays of fire spewed out by the volcano.

Please note: as we are hiking an active volcano, our itinerary may be altered according to the volcano’s current conditions

• Accommodation: Agriturismo on Etna, Sicily

Today we’ll say ciao to Stromboli and transfer by boat to another island in the Aeolian chain, Sicily, around 1.5 hours. We’ll disembark on the Eastern side in Catania where Mount Etna lies. This area is particularly well known for its excellent wines and local fruits and vegetables due it the fertile volcanic soil. We have quite the treat for the next two nights, staying at an Agriturismo farmhouse. We’ll enjoy a product tasting and farm tour this afternoon and you can also enjoy the pool, wine bar, and grounds.

• Hiking Mileage: Up to 4 mi./6.4 km
• Elevation Gain: Up to 1312 ft./400 m.
• Accommodation: Agriturismo Hotel on Etna, Sicily

From our farmhouse, we’ll drive 35 minutes to the Rifugio Sapienza where we will take a cable car and then a 4×4 vehicle to reach an elevation of 9,515 ft/2900 m. From here, we begin our trek towards the summit of Mt. Etna. Once at the Torre del Filosofo area we will gain about 1,312 ft./400m to reach the crater. According to meteorological and current volcanic conditions, our specialized volcanological Etna guide will lead us among craters and recent lava flows in the summit area, sharing fascinating insights and wonders of Europe’s highest active volcano. The 4×4 vehicle transfer will bring us back to the cable car station to get back down to Rifugio Sapienza where our private shuttle will return us to our accommodations.

Please note: as we are hiking an active volcano, our itinerary may be altered according to the volcano’s current conditions

• Travel Time: 1 hour

After we enjoy one last, fresh, Italian breakfast, we’ll head to the Catania airport and say our goodbyes. What an incredible 10 days we’ve had, exploring the heart of Italy. We will arrive to the airport about 10 am so plan for flights no earlier than noon.