Customer Reviews

Sunflower Landscapes of Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri: A Countryside Guide (Sunflower Guides)

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A number of years ago I picked up a small (possibly self-published) pamphlet in the souvenir shop on the main square in Ravello. It was a small guidebook for walks in Amalfi and Ravello, and I have cherished it ever since as a collectible. It was not until I ordered and received this "Sunflower Guide" from Amazon that I realized that the two publications are by the same author, Julian Tippett.

This book is primarily a detailed and excellent guide to walks along the Amalfi coast. Its scope has been expanded to include some driving tours, which I think actually detract from its primary focus, and make some of the maps and itineraries a little confusing. I would not buy this book for the driving tours only, but if you are lucky enough to be spending enough time on the Amalfi coast to really explore one or more of the towns (for example if you are spending the month of July learning Italian in Amalfi) then you should certainly buy this book.

My primary interest is Amalfi itself, and although I have explored Amalfi on foot in the past, I have not yet tested the very detailed "trail" descriptions included in this guide, but I am reasonably confident in their accuracy. This book is worth it to me for the very small-scale, detailed map of the town showing the location of the paper museum, which I have not been able to find in the past. According to this guide, Amalfi is a lot more "three-dimensional" than I had imagined: it isn't just a one-street town running perpendicular to the coast.

this book is great, the walks are very well described and full of great information and facts. this is the only book you need to have a wonderful vacation! the only advice i'd offer is that because the area around amalfi is so steep, all the walks were pretty tough. we discovered that the walks marked "easy" were strenuous enough and the ones marked "medium" or 'strenuous" were not so much fun. Also its good to look at the maps and see when they are on car roads and when they're just on walking trails. around sorrento we discovered the walks were often on car roads and although they were small and we didn't see many cars, its just not as nice and relaxing, we wouldn't go back there. but around amalfi and positano you got to really escape all modern life and it was completely magical. So that information was in the maps but we didn't really think to look at it until after doing the walks.

When planning this hiking trip, was surprised to discover that the only hiking guide to this area is available in english only. There are plenty of hiking books for northern and central italy in italian, and was expecting something similar for this beautiful area. To my surprise, the only hiking book is in english. Having hiked a total of 38 km of trails at around the tip of the Peninsula and in the area between Praiano-Bomerano-Positano, I was able to test the author's trail guide and description. The author correctly points out on the short-comings of the available hiking maps. For example, the Kompass map is inadequate for hiking, being of a too-large scale (1:50000). The map also has trails that either don't exist, or have been declared non-transitable for some time now. The CAI map is better suited for hiking, but it is based on a photosurvey dating back to 50 years ago. The author lists these details for a hiker's audience to understand. The book has about 50 short hikes, short enough that a strong hiker can chain several of them together to make a long single hike. Each hike has about two pages, with often a description for both directions. Having given trail description myself, I often look at the style of a writer in giving directions that people can understand, based on geomorphologic elements. Being the book succint and small, and light enough to be not much of a burden to a hiker, the descriptions are kept succint, yet, accurate enough to guide to the right direction. I have most faith in a topographic map, such as the one by CAI Monti Lattari, and on top of that, use the descriptions found in this book for planning itineraries. The book includes a fold-out map that depicts all the trails described in the book, but for hiking I reccomend the CAI Monti Lattari to be purchased and used as well (unless you are just simply doing a couple of trails from Ravello to Amalfi, for which there is no need for a detailed topographic map). The book includes color photographs of hikers on trail, useful for giving some kind of expectation of trail. The book was very useful in describing the trail to Casetta Forestale above Positano, something that was not clear to me. The book does not include trails that are obvious in the CAI map, but then, I think I know why the author ommitted them: the trails are very difficult to follow. I am talking about the "00" Altavia dei Monti Lattari trail from Punta Campanella to M. Costanza, and from Recommone to Terca. Here the blazes of the trail are often confusing and difficult to follow, the vegetation always covering the trail, and I believe the author purposely ommitted these trails (for example, the trail to Punta Campanella, the description says to return to Termini, instead of looping around using the "00" trail) to benefit the average hiker. I've written to the CAI of Cava de' Tirreni to note these serious shortcommings of the trails they maintain, but received to answer. I've written to Kompass publishing house of the map "Penisola Sorrentina" on why it displays trails that for years have been non-transitable, but they have not replied. At least, the author of this guidebook DOES mention the shortcomings and warns the hiker. Good orienteering is always a requisite for hiking. This guide is a succint and yet useful description of what this landscape has to offer to the hiker. If one needs the perfect and excrutiatingly detailed description of every step in this very cragged landscape, then that person shouldn't be hiking. BTW: don't take the SITA bus schedule on the back of the book for granted. I've checked with the current timetable, and some runs are 10 minutes off. Italian timetables often change every year. But reading it, it gives you the right idea. We based ourselves in Sorrento at a hostel, took a bus to Praiano that left at 6:25 AM and took a bus in Positano for Sorrento that left at 5:30 PM. One small shortcoming in the book is in the description of trail from Colle sella Serra to Nocelle, only mentions the CAI trail (more scenic) when just parallel to it for 2 km there is another (easier) trail just below it. Otherwise, a fine and well researched book, and the price is right.

I just returned from a week of hiking the Amalfi coast, with this book as my only guide. It is great in concept, but only about 80% accurate on all of the hikes we did. That's not good enough. Mr. Tippett needs to follow a hiker who does not know these trails and towns and is using his book as the only source and get it accurate. Stairways were not where they were supposed to be, distances are inaccurate, and so on.

if you're interested in exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of the amalfi coast this is a great addition to your trip. like having your very own local guide. we hiked the phoenician steps in annacapri, from amalfi to ravello. it guided us up ancient staircases, through hidden alleys and by gorgeous farms. each hike is rated according to difficulty and amazingly rated very accurately. great way to get away from the tourist areas and really get to know this extraordinary place

I have generally been very pleased with these guides and have used them for years. However, at times the instructions are impossible to follow. On the recently-added hike up Monte Commune on the Amalfi Coast, we were stymied after reaching the top. Fences and gates (all are now stiles)were mentioned but the book and the ground didn't seem to match. Once we were on the "stony" path, we were convinced we had gone wrong and wasted an hour looking for another trail. Nowhere were CAI's posts with arrows mentioned. How were we to know if these posts were for our trail or another one. This is sometimes a problem in Italy as trails are mostly not numbered or named. I wondered if the author had actually walked this trail himself.