Walking the Path of Lemons

A short and pleasant walk travels the Sentiero dei Limoni from Minori to Maiori. This walk was a gentle climb up into the lemon groves, called Limonaio, in Italian. Some of the lemons were still covered with green tarps to protect them from any hail and cold winds. It had been in the 70s all week, but the weather can change dramatically in April. We also noticed that every single garden was carefully locked and secure. These lemons are an important livelihood in this region.

Lemons in April
As we walked down into Maiori, we noticed how much bigger and newer the town seemed. We found out that many years ago, the river running down the middle of the town had flooded, much like the recent floods in the towns of the Cinque Terre. So, much of the town had to be rebuilt. But now the river is controlled and the town hasn’t had a big flood since. Although Maiori isn’t as picturesque as many of its neighbors, it has the longest beach and a very nice lungomare walk for evening strolls. We also had a fantastic lemon granita there.

Maiori has the major river & Minori has the minor one

The lungomare of Maiori
We had a short walk back to Minori via the busy coast highway. We had to watch out for the big busses that take up the entire road when they pass. But, in mid April, the traffic wasn’t bad and we noticed that there were many cyclists along this road. We talked to a few, and they said that the motorists are polite and make room for them along the road. One Brit told me that it was easier to ride his bike than to drive along this coast highway.

Views along the Walk
But, in my opinion, the Amalfi Coast is best for walking. There are plenty of routes to choose from, and they can be challenging or fairly easy. Almost every town offers free, hand-drawn maps at their Tourist Information Point. For more detailed descriptions, it’s best to purchase an official map or one of the many books available with helpful information about the landmarks to look for — especially when you’re venturing up higher in the hills. For the town hikes, we received helpful advice from the locals, who are still using many of the trails. Maybe that’s their secret to staying in shape, despite all of the tempting lemon desserts found in every town.

Minori