Nocelle
At 450 metres above Positano, Nocelle sits where the road stops and the stone paths take over. The village has roughly 117 residents, a church whose bells ring at seven in the morning, and streets too narrow for anything with an engine. From here, the Amalfi Coast spreads out below you in a way that no viewpoint in Positano itself quite replicates — terraced vineyards and lemon groves falling away toward water that looks improbably blue.
This is also where the Sentiero degli Dei, the Path of the Gods, comes to earth. The trail connects Nocelle to Bomerano in Agerola, and the village functions as its eastern terminus — meaning the last stretch of one of the coast's great walks ends here, on Via Cercola, among holm oaks and broom.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've walked the Sentiero degli Dei tend to end up at Rifugio Dei Mele on Via Cercole, the one restaurant in the village, before catching the SITA bus back down. Buy your ticket at a kiosk in Positano before you come up — the Piazza dei Mulini stop is the right place — rather than paying the on-board premium.
The story behind Nocelle
The settlement traces back to 916 CE, when inhabitants fleeing Saracen raids on Paestum moved into the hills above what is now Positano. The name likely derives from the Greek 'neos oicos' — new cell, new home — though a competing theory ties it to 'nocella,' the local word for hazelnut, which grows across these slopes.
For centuries the elevation was strategic rather than scenic. A pirate watch was posted here to scan the sea and send warnings down to the coast before raiding parties could land. The terraced hillsides, still planted with vines and citrus, are what remains of the agricultural life that sustained those early families in the centuries that followed.
Good to know
The small SITA bus from Positano runs from 6:26 AM; the last GREEN bus back departs at 9:54 PM. The ride takes about 25 minutes. A taxi runs around €70–90 for a 12-minute trip. September and May offer the most comfortable hiking temperatures. November through April brings real rain and low cloud.
Summer days run to around 28°C with almost no rain, but Nocelle sits a few degrees cooler than the coast below — useful on a long walk. September holds warmth into the evenings. From November through April expect low cloud, frequent rain, and the occasional morning where the village is sitting inside the clouds entirely.
Where is Nocelle?
Location
- In Positano
- 40.6340, 14.4740
- Open in Google Maps
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