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| The picturesque town of Amalfi sits along the Mediterranean Sea in southern Italy |
It's tied to a goat wandering among the endless rows of lemon trees in groves stacked like stairs in the rugged valley below. A man with a deep voice shouts something in Italian from a nearby farmhouse. I can't tell if he's angry or happy.
This is life along Italy's Amalfi Coast -- a place that can only be described as lively, charming and absolutely stunning.
One of the best ways to experience the dramatic landscape along the rugged coastline is by foot through the peaceful countryside, which is exactly what I did for four fun days filled with adventure.
"You are not going to get views like that from the roads," G Adventures' tour guide Antonella Di Stazio said, noting there are more than two dozen hikes in the region. During the Middle Ages, many of these trails were used to transport goods between villages by mule.
"I think (hiking) is the best way to see another side of the coast that's not the beach and the crowded villages," Di Stazio said.
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| Hiking the famed Path of the Gods |
The 7-km hike begins at an altitude of 650 metres, near the quaint hilltop village of Bomerano and ends in Positano along the Mediterranean Sea.
Our group of 15 travellers breathed heavily as we climbed the path to the official start of the mountain trail, which rises to nearly 1,525 metres in some places. Beads of sweat dripped down my neck, making me feel alive in the sleep-deprived jet-lagged haze I had been trapped in since my arrival in Italy.
We passed through the deep, lush valley, with panoramic views of the dazzling blue Mediterranean Sea far below. I lagged behind the rest of the group, determined to capture the beauty my eyes were feasting upon through my camera.
The view kept getting more spectacular around every turn, eventually giving us our first glimpse of the sprawling peninsula in all its glory -- the island of Capri barely visible in the distance.
Ancient farmhouses and remote hamlets dot the inhospitable landscape like confetti, creating a photographers' delight.
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| A birds-eye view of the village of Positano |
At times, the path nearly teeters on the edge of the cliffs, but surprisingly I didn't feel scared. The scenery was too captivating to instill any fear or make me pay attention to the sticky, sweaty mess I had suddenly become.
When I first saw Positano from the hills high above the village, I was stunned. It looked like Lego blocks stacked on top of each other in a pyramid, conforming to the shape of the steep hill.
Everyone was in awe.
"It's just amazing," Australian Alice Dwyer said as she snapped a few photos along with the rest of our group.
I signed up for the week-long Amalfi Coast Local Living tour with Canadian company G Adventures to get a feel for life in this part of Italy. The tour delivers just that, providing delicious home-cooked Italian meals every night made by the family that runs the Agriturismo (farm house used for tourism) where we stayed for nearly a week, along with guided hikes to fully explore the region.
Located south of Naples, the Amalfi Coast is famed for its cultivation of lemons and production of Limoncello liqueur.
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| Rows of lemon tree groves along the Valle Dell Ferriere hike |
Narrow roads wind along the rugged coast like a snake, providing one of the most scenic drives in the world. Picturesque villages cling onto the edge of steep hills and cliffs. Some look as though they're about to plunge into the sea.
During the summer months, the towns along the Amalfi Coast are flooded with tourists, but it doesn't take long to get lost in the countryside and immersed in rural life.
I became fascinated with the area after seeing photos of it more than a decade ago. I knew one day I had to go.
Now, here I was at the top of the steps about to descend into Positano, which once graced the screen of my laptop as a screen saver. The feeling was surreal.
"How many steps is it?" I asked Di Stazio as we began our descent, meandering through a maze of narrow walkways that twist and turn through colourful neighbourhoods.
"It's about 1,000," she said. About half way down, Di Stazio admits she lied.
"Okay, it's more like 1,500."
My legs were shaking when we reached the bottom, where I wasted no time plunging into the clear, blue sea.
If there is a heaven on Earth, I have found it in Italy.
— Published by Sun media in July 2012
