For the Authentic Amalfi Coast, Hike it With the Guide Who Knows Everyone
Meet Roberta Agate, our tour leader on the Amalfi Coast – an expert walking guide and proud Sicilian.
“I’m hyperactive,” she says with a smile. “Outdoor activity is the leitmotif of my life.”
It’s a simple introduction, but explains a lot. Walk anywhere with Roberta and it becomes clear she moves through places differently. A conversation here, a familiar greeting there – she has a natural way of connecting with people that feels instinctive rather than practised.
Exodus groups notice it almost immediately. “Roberta, you know everyone in the village,” they tell her.
She laughs. “I just like to speak with people.”
Born and raised in Palermo, her childhood was split between city life and long summers in the countryside, where school holidays stretched across three months and were spent almost entirely outdoors. Time in nature, family trips to the mountains, and a constant sense of movement shaped what would later become both her passion and her work.
When we spoke, she was nearing the end of leading our Walking the Amalfi Coast tour.
Walking the Amalfi Coast
Discover the highlights of Europe’s most dramatic coastline on foot with true experts of the region
Finding the Hidden Path
Guiding wasn’t something Roberta had planned. After studying natural sciences, she imagined working as a ranger in a national park or reserve. Instead, a chance opportunity led her to shadow a cycling trip.
“I immediately realised that it was a perfect job for me because it’s very dynamic. You are outside most of the time and you have the opportunity to meet different people from all over the world.”
That experience changed everything. She began leading bike tours, before moving into hiking, which she describes as her first passion.
Nearly two decades later, she’s still doing exactly that, drawn by the same energy, variety and connection with people that first pulled her in.
Walking as a Way of Seeing
Today, Roberta leads Exodus walking trips across Italy, including the Amalfi Coast where she regularly guides.
For her, walking is not just part of the journey; it’s the best way to understand a place properly.
“It’s a beautiful way of travelling,” she explains. “Slowly, gently, at the right speed. You feel part of the place.”
That slower pace allows time to notice the details: changes in the landscape, the rhythm of village life, and the small things that are easy to miss when moving quickly. It also opens up space for connection, both within the group and beyond it.
As you walk, she shares what she knows. Edible plants growing along the trail. Regional dishes and how they change from one part of Italy to another. Stories about traditions and everyday life. And often, conversations that extend beyond the group, as she stops to speak with people she meets along the way.
The Hidden Amalfi on Foot
The Amalfi Coast is known for dramatic scenery. Steep cliffs, sweeping sea views and landscapes that leave a strong first impression. But walking it reveals even more.
Some of the paths are easy to miss until you’re already on them; narrow routes that only become visible when you know where to look.
“And only because I know where to catch the path,” she says.
There are also moments she still looks forward to, despite seeing them countless times. At the top of Monte Tre Calli, on a clear day, the view stretches across the coastline in one uninterrupted sweep.
“Every time is like the first time. It leaves you without breath… every time.”
A Day on the Amalfi Coast
This is how those moments fit into the rhythm of the trip.
No two days are exactly the same, but there’s a natural flow to life on the trail.
Each day begins with a short briefing, in which Roberta walks the group through what’s ahead. From there, it’s straight out onto the path, setting off on foot to explore the coastline at a steady, unhurried pace.
Walks typically take up most of the day, with lunch enjoyed together, before returning to the hotel in the afternoon.
What happens next depends on the day. It might be a cooking class, a visit to a local producer, or simply time to relax before the evening. When dinner is included, the group comes together again, ending the day much as it began – sharing the experience.
Working Up an Appetite
Walking works up an appetite, and thankfully food is never far from the experience.
“In Italy, food is a religion,” Roberta says, particularly in the south.
Rather than setting it apart, she brings it into the day as it unfolds. Recipes come up in conversation, regional differences are explained as you move between places, and ingredients are often pointed out along the path itself.
She loves cooking in her own time, particularly savoury dishes. Her desserts, she admits, “are a disaster.”
Read more: 5 Authentic Food & Wine Experiences in Italy You Need on Your Travel Menu
Guiding Families
Not all Roberta’s trips are the same. She also leads family adventures along the Amalfi Coast, where the dynamic shifts in subtle but important ways.
Children, she says, see everything with “fresh eyes,” turning even the smallest details into something new. Everything becomes a discovery, and every path an adventure.
It changes the feel of the group. On her regular trips, she jokes that she’s “the boss,” but that shifts with families. Decisions are discussed first with parents, the pace adjusts, and the experience takes on a different kind of energy – lighter, more curious, and often more immediate.
Amalfi Coast Family Adventure
Discover Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius and the famous Amalfi Coast of Italy
A Life Shaped Outdoors
Away from guiding, Roberta’s lifestyle looks much the same. She runs, windsurfs, swims in open water and plays tennis – her first sporting love.
And then there’s rowing.
For 18 years, she was a professional rower, including time with the Italian team. It’s something our travellers are often surprised to learn, but it makes sense once you see how she leads. Discipline, endurance, resilience – all qualities that carry through into her guiding today.
Hiking, though, remains her first passion. In Corsica, three years ago, she realised one of her long-held ambitions: completing the GR20, one of the most demanding long-distance trails in Europe. Walking the full route from north to south over two weeks, she describes it as one of her best experiences on foot.
Trek the GR20 of Corsica
Complete one of the most spectacular long-distance hikes in Europe
Guiding Built on Care
Ask travellers how they’d describe Roberta, and a few themes come up again and again.
Patience – “like a saint,” she jokes. Energy. And a constant focus on safety.
Her favourite nickname? “Mother Duck.”
“They follow me,” she says. “And I take care of them.”
Why Walk Italy with Roberta?
With Roberta, it’s not just about where you go, but how you move through it. The pace is unhurried, the paths aren’t always obvious, and the experience is shaped as much by the people you meet as the places you see.
“Why not?” Roberta says, when asked what she’d tell someone considering travelling to Italy. “Food is amazing, wine is amazing, culture… Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”
She’s not wrong. And with the right guide, it becomes something more.
Keen to Walk Italy with Roberta?
Join one of our small-group walking trips along the Amalfi Coast and discover just how much more there is when you walk with a guide who knows exactly where to go, and who to talk to along the way.
