1. The first itinerary we recommend starts from Le Cicale: 200 steps take you down in a few minutes to the historical centre of Conca dei Marini where the fine churches of San Michele, San Giovanni Battista and San Pancrazio all overlook the sea. Built in the Baroque style, they are rich in works of art. Close to San Pancrazio you can still see an ancient spring issuing from the hillside. The Convent of Santa Rosa is considerably older, dating back to the 11th century, and is famous because it’s here that a popular local cake, the sfogliatella Santa Rosa, was invented. The small church contains various works of art and the body of Saint Barnabas the Apostle. The historical centre of Conca dei Marini is a fine example of local architecture, the houses featuring arches, loggias and vaulted ceilings as well as gardens with pergolas and lemon trees. Wandering among these houses, vegetable gardens and lemon groves in a scenario that has remained unchanged down the centuries is an unforgettable experience, and every now and then you get breath-taking panoramas of the sea and the cliffs.
2. The second itinerary starts from Le Cicale: walking down steps and along roads for about 30 minutes, you come to the Aragonese Tower which dominates the bay of Conca. It is a unique experience to walk out onto the terrace of the Tower and witness one of the most spectacular panoramas the Mediterranean has to offer.
3. The third itinerary starts from Le Cicale: walking down steps and along roads for about 40 minutes, you come to the fishermen’s hamlet. This ancient settlement is lodged like a pearl between the mountain and the beach of Conca dei Marini. All the houses in the historical centre rise sheer above the beach, and the sea is an emerald green. In the 1960s Jackie Kennedy fell in love with the beach of Conca dei Marini while she was staying in style at Ravello.
4. The fourth itinerary starts from Le Cicale: you walk down through the Fiordo of Furore and in 35 minutes come to the ancient hamlet and fine beach. Here you will find a museum dedicated to Anna Magnani, protagonist of a famous film Roberto Rossellini made here in the sixties. The Fiordo is a nature sanctuary and a paradise for several rare species of both plants and animals, including a giant bulbous fern and the peregrine falcon. As well as the traditional fishermen’s houses, known as monazzeri, you can see an ancient chapel cut into the cliff face, a mill that served the paper works, and a lime kiln.
5. The fifth itinerary starts from Le Cicale: in just 30 minutes it takes you to the Grotta dello Smeraldo. Discovered only 50 years ago by a fisherman from Conca dei Marini, this grotto provides a wonderful kaleidoscope of lighting effects, stalactites and stalagmites that has been thousands of years in the making. You will also see a marvellous underwater nativity scene.
6. The sixth itinerary starts from Le Cicale: 30 minutes walk will take you to Punta Sant’Elia. The church in this hamlet dates from the 13th century and houses a famous triptych painted in 1479 by Antonello da Capua. Just beyond the church is the start of the Passeggiata dell’Amore or “Lovers’ promenade”, with its luxuriant vegetation of agave, prickly pear, olive and carob, and stupendous views out over the sea.
7. The seventh itinerary starts from Le Cicale: eventually it takes you to San Lazzaro via Tovere. However, this walk is uphill and hard work, along steps and roads, and you must reckon on about 2 hours to get up to San Lazzaro. It takes paths and roads that are very little used, and you are sure to come across herds of sheep and goats and the ruins of abandoned properties in a totally unspoilt landscape. San Lazzaro itself is an ancient village in the municipality of Agerola; from its terrace you can enjoy a particularly fine panorama out over the Mediterranean.
8. The eighth itinerary starts from the main square in Bomerano, which you can reach from Le Cicale either by car, in 10 minutes, or on foot in about an hour. The itinerary goes through the municipality of Agerola and is known as the “Path of the Gods”. It is the most famous walk in the whole of the Amalfi Coast, and quite demanding: it will take you about 3 hours to walk down to Positano. However, it gives you a full immersion in the Mediterranean landscape, with breath-taking views at every turn, and it is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences of a lifetime. It is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful walks anywhere in the world.
9. The ninth itinerary goes through the Monti Lattari Regional Park. Only recently instituted, it is a genuine novelty for all the lovers of the Amalfi Coast. Pristine landscapes and marvellous paths through woods and peaks rising to nearly 1500 metres, without ever being far from the sea.