Words and photos by Makenna Kaminski, our Jetsetter Journalist studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy, during Spring semester 2023.

The majestic cliffs overhanging the waters of Sorrento are a sight to see. To hike them is even more jaw-dropping.

Around the Sant'Anna Institute (the school where I’m studying and living in Sorrento, Italy), there are three main hikes that tend to be consistent fan favorites. The school offers field trips to each of these throughout the semester, but I did each by myself and still had an amazing time.

The best part about each of the hikes is that they are all so close!

Baths of Queen Giovanna

Location: Sorrento, Italy
Distance from Sant'Anna: 30 minutes walk
How to get there: From Sant'Anna, take Corso Italia until Traversa Punta Capo. From there, follow the road until you come across the entrance to the trail, and then follow this path down toward the water.

The Hike:

The hike of Bagni Regina Giovanna is one that is perfect to do on a warm day. There are natural baths at the bottom of the path that you can swim in, so this is a great choice for a hike in the Summer.

The path is very easy to follow and the terrain is simple. Most of the walk is on a single path down the mountain, so it is a good choice for all experience levels. There is some more difficult terrain lower on the path near the water- such as large rocks and steps which you have to climb a bit to step up on- but these can easily be avoided.

This hike offers stunning ocean views with cities lining the mountain across the water. There are large volcanic rocks down by the water which you can sit on for an even better view and also ancient ruins that you can walk through.

Then, of course, there are the baths which you can swim in, so make sure to bring your bathing suit! The largest bath has a stone arch you can swim under which connects the bath out to the sea.

This hike is a great one to do on a spare day or even after class. It's so close to Sant'Anna that you can take a walk there and even go for a swim and still be back to the school within a few hours. Save this one for a sunny day and make sure to bring your friends!

Path of the Gods

Location: Positano, Italy
Distance from Sant'Anna: 1.5 hours by bus
How to get there: From the Sorrento train station, take the Sorrento-Amalfi line bus to the stop in Amalfi. From there, you need to transfer onto the Amalfi-Agerola line and then take that bus to the trailhead. Get off at the Bomerano stop (you can ask the driver or tell them that you are doing the hike) and then walk to the start of the trail.

*You can also start the hike in Positano, but beginning from Bomerano gives much better views and is far less challenging.

The hike:

The path gets its name from the Greek history attached to it. It is said that the path was originally used to save the god Ulysses from the enchantments of the mermaids on the islands of Li Galli. Now, it offers views that are good enough to hold up to its name.

The hike is around 7 kilometers in length, and the entirety of it consists of jaw-dropping cliff views of the water down below. It runs through the mountains, giving you views of small farms with goats and sheep crossing the path with you. The trail itself is moderate in difficulty. The terrain is pretty simple, but there are a few places where you will have to climb up some steep steps or rocks.

I recommend doing this hike on a clear day since you will be up so high in the mountains. If there's any cloud cover, you'll likely be in it and it'll ruin your views completely. Once you are below the cloud cover, you'll be fine but while you're above the top of the clouds you can barely see any of the water below.

You should also try and do this hike on a cooler day if you have the choice. The hike was mostly downhill, but there were still a few points with a lot of steps or steep climbs where it got warm pretty fast. I could only imagine how hot it'd get doing this hike in the Italian Summer heat.

The end of the path takes you through the town of Nocelle and then down a set of over 1,000 stairs to Positano. You can end the hike here and enjoy a nice dinner and beautiful scenery before taking the bus back to Sorrento.

From Positano, you are able to take the Amalfi-Sorrento bus route, so you are able to travel directly back to Sorrento from one of the bus stops. You don't need to switch bus lines on the way back which is an added plus!

Punta Campanella

Location: Termini, Italy
Distance from Sant'Anna: 40 minutes by bus
How to get there: From the Sorrento train station, take the Sorrento-Termini line. Stay on for about 35 minutes until you reach the Termini stop (tell your driver you are trying to get to Punta Campanella). The bus will drop you off in the main square and from there you can follow the signs to the trailhead which is just a short walk away.

The hike:

This hike is another which is easy in difficulty level and terrain. The trail follows a straight path down towards the water which allows for views over the cliffs and water below. The path is lined with beautiful flowers and plants which are different from the other hikes which makes for a nice change in scenery.

The only difficult part of the hike is the walk back up from the water which is pretty steep. The path is still easy to follow, but you should account for some more time on the way back due to the added incline.

At the bottom of the trail, you can find ancient ruins that have a mythological history attached to the Greek gods. Here there are the remains of a structure that was said to be gifted to goddesses Athena and Modena from Ulysses as a thank you for his protection from the sirens. Along the coast, there is also an ancient engraving that dates back before Roman times, confirming some of the Greek history. This was supposedly a spot where ships could stop to honor the goddesses.

In the 1300s, it is said that one of the structures was also used to guard the point for pirate attacks that were prevalent at the time. You can walk through the ruins and climb a ladder up to take a peek at the top floor of the building which is really cool to see.

This is a great hike to do with a group because the paths are pretty wide and easy to follow. Bring some friends with you and a lunch to have a picnic on the rocks overlooking the water!