After being burned by our “leisurely” walk from Ravello to Amalfi, we were more than skeptical about the supposed new route to Portofino. Thirteen years ago this 3 mile walk along a very narrow road had almost ended our honeymoon as we plastered ourselves against a ledge to avoid being hit by oncoming traffic. Would the notes I had found online be true? Had they really extended the sidewalk from Santa Margarita to Portofino?

Starting out from Santa Margarita on the promenade by the bay, I was willing to gamble the marriage again with another adventurous walk (heck, I already got the best years from him).

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A local watches us start our journey

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Plenty of local character on this walk.

The first mile was definitely easy. A nice level sidewalk brought no complaints from Jeff. Then we hit the new boardwalk – basically, a planked sidewalk somehow strung next to the narrow roadway. Safe so far… At Paraggi, 1.8 miles into the walk, the boardwalk ended. A sign pointed to the hills, “recommended route”, it said. We had no choice but to head upward to the hillside above the roadway.

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Jeff on the new boardwalk, just before it ended at the next turn.

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A view from above the road looking back

Although hilly, the sidewalk on the hillside turned out to be quite pleasant, and we arrived in Portofino unscathed.

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Beautiful Portofino from the water’s edge

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Looking down across to Portofino

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Awaiting the bus back to Santa Margarita – Walking one way was enough.

In hindsight, we should have taken the bus to Portofino and walked back as the light would have been better and the crowds fewer – because it is all about the light.