The Path of the Gods

This morning started bright and early with an unhappy 6:30 wake up call to get in the basics of teeth brushed, hair up, change into hiking clothes, and munching down a bar before heading out to meet our hiking guide. His name was Nero and he started our tour by driving the four of us to Nocelle, where the trail we hiked today, The Path of the Gods, starts. When we first arrived we were just outside of town, but cars are unable to go inside due to there being stairs and sidewalks rather than roads, we learned. Instead, donkeys are used to move materials. People, no matter their age, must either muscle themselves around the stairs, or be content within their homes. We were taught this fact while watching two donkeys being loaded up with dirt to take into town, which just made the idea even cooler and more foreign. We walked through the alleys and sidewalks of Nocelle until eventually reaching the trail head. The hike was supposed to be about five miles and the trail was high up the mountain, basically on cliffs, with an amazing view of the coast, from Positano to the island of Capri. As we started walking my mom carried our back pack and we marched through the cool shade and over abandoned rivers and farmhouses. Our guide stopped every so often to enlighten us about one thing or another. For example, lyme mills were above houses because the smoke from burning the stone is poisonous, a nice thought to have while your lungs are burning from hiking.

Along the way my eyes kept slipping back and revisiting the view, which seemed to get better with every step. We kept pushing our way through the steep ups and drops down, dust clinging to the mingling sweat and sunscreen on our legs. I welcomed the aching in my legs each time I put my foot down because when I picked it back up for the next step there was a tiny relief, both of the sudden lack of weight on it and the fact that it took me one step further. We had emerged from shade by now and the view literally took my breath away. Of course, we got to see the same view from different places on the trail countless times, but some occasionally deviants to this view included Positano with the rising sun hitting it just right, an abandoned monastery with terrace farms just below it, and a cluster of islands, one of which is said to be featured in the Odyssey as home to Sirens. We reached the end of the trail going out to the next town over and paused, partially for the water and partially for the view, and of course pictures. The break in the walking was welcomed and I haven’t even had my turn carrying the backpack, which was switched to my sisters shoulders at lasted a mile before. Finally, she submitted to my demands to do my fair share of weight pulling and I began my shift. On the way back to Nocelle another break included some apricots and plums from our guide. They were delicious and, as far as I know, in season. We continued our hike in the scorching sun, up, down, up, down, until reaching the last of hundreds of steps.

Here, we greeted other hikers, who had either just completed or arrived at the trail, with smiles. Unfortunately, when I say the beautiful hike was over, we still had to get back to the parking lot. Along the way our guide took us to a tiny shack type restaurant full of hikers, where we quickly consumed glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, squeezed right in front of us. As we drank we admired out dirty legs. Apparently, the dirt that had clung to our legs earlier had a good grip because while I scrubbed at them a bit with a wet paper towel, no good could be done without a real shower.

The shower could wait as we tackled one need at a time. We walked out of Nocelle and waited for our guide to get the car. We noticed a porter, or donkey, which ever you prefer, tethered and alone nearby and decided to say hello. It was sweet and instantly impressed by my mom and I’s chin rubbing skills. We gave the porter all of the love we could before our real ride arrived. Once we all piled in, our guide drove us down the mountain a few minutes to a restaurant suggested by our guide yesterday, Fattoria La Tagliatta.

We had no idea what we were walking into, but happy to find it had a garden, which we assumed supplemented some of their dishes. We ordered a “light lunch”, which seemed to be the only option other than “heavy lunch”, and waited and hoped whatever came out was good. We had of course told them no meat or cheese, but we were still a bit nervous not being in control of the food brought to us. Even if we hadn’t liked one of the dishes brought out there were plenty of others to eat instead including, peas, spinach, bread, mixed veggies, egg plant, a weird egg dish, pizza, and fried zucchini pieces. It was more food than we could have imagined, and it was just the appetizers! The food tsunami continued with two huge plates of pasta for the table, gnocchi and zucchini pasta, both of which were absolutely amazing. Stuffed, we relaxed into our chairs as plates where whisked around from kitchen to table and table to kitchen. We looked around, satisfied and full. But, then came dessert. It consisted of four kinds of cake and a bowl of fruit, which Hannah and I hogged.

Now that our “light” lunch had ended, we left the table to explore the restaurant a bit. We knew it had some gardens, but were astonished to find we had severely underestimated the amount of plants growing. This seemed to be the biggest surprise until we discovered steps down to a terrace where there were cages and stables lining both sides of a small path. There were chickens clucking about, a cow unbothered by the world, a donkey intent on his lunch, and bunnies, so many bunnies. Their cute eyes stole my attention until I herd a dog barking off in the distance. I took off sprinting, dying to see a dog, and wasn’t disappointed to find two Llewellin setters, same as my dog, at the fence of their kennels, begging for the attention of my parents, who had found the dogs first. I’m not sure who was more excited to see the other, though we were strangers. The dogs distracted me from the rest of the farm, which I eventually returned to admiring, though with less passion than I had while admiring the dogs. We found pheasants, turkeys, pigs, and more bunnies, the list goes on. Any deprivation of animals we may have felt on our trip was compensated within 15 minutes.

We left the restaurant, walking by a parrot as we exited, to find our driver. I felt bad making him wait for so long, but he was either still in good spirits or had missed a career opportunity in acting. On the windy drive back to Nerano the food coma struck, taking out my dad, Hannah, and I. We snoozed the entire way back, apparently missing a pharmacy adventure. My mom needed some cough syrup to try to help her sleep through the night despite her sickness, but the pharmacy was closed. The guide called someone on the phone to come and unlock it and someone amazing kind actually showed up, bought cough syrup for my mom inside, and let her just pay him back outside of the store.

While I missed this adventure I was glad to have slept. Our food comas encouraged my sister and I to watch a movie and everyone just remained relaxed for several hours. Some how, our stomaches emptied in those hours and we headed out for a dinner later of pizza. This was only my second pizza of the trip, but it was at least in the top two. It was delicious and wood fired and absolute worth walking the three minutes into town on protesting legs. After dinner we found a hole in our diet where dessert belongs and walked a few steps to a gelato shop. My parents both got some local lemon sorbetto, while my sister and I opted for some fresh pineapple. This was its own little adventure since all the store had was a whole pineapple and the girl behind the counter didn’t know how to cut it. Eventually, the guy working the bar talked her through it and it was well worth the trouble for us.

Today was no doubt one of the trip’s best and I probably saw one of the earth’s best ocean views.