CILENTO – CAMPANIA OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL, AMONG NATURE AND CULTURE
If you have already seen what is worthwhile in this magnificent region of Southern Italy, this journey will allow you to discover hidden trails, roads, parks and traditions that usually remain invisible for most of the tourists.
An itinerary created for those who enjoy a leisure and slow pace, in order to discover unusual vegetation and experience the soothing and relaxing silence.
DAY 1: HIKING THE PATH OF THE GODS
Activity level: moderate – Duration: 7 hrs
Breakfast in the hotel and transfer by coach to Agerola, where we will make the most of one of the greatest pathways of the Amalfi Coast: « The Path of the Gods ».
We will depart from Agerola, hike along the coast on a mountain path, with no particular risks and with a moderate activity level, and relish the panoramic scenery.
Although the mountain path ends in Montepertuso, we will continue the descent using ancient steps that lead to the colourful village of Positano where we will finally reach the seaside.
This is a hike in the calm atmosphere of the altitude, immersed in the typical Mediterranean vegetation: holm oaks, cistus, heather, rosemary and other aromatic plants.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 2 : THE AMALFI COAST
After breakfast, transfer by coach to Sorrento where we will start a full day tour by boat of the Amalfi Coast, one of the most beautiful coasts in Italy, in Europe and undoubtedly in the rest of the world.
Steep mountains descend towards the Tyrrhenian Sea where, according to Homer, the hero Ulysses once met the Sirens.
We will visit Positano and Amalfi, famous villages perched like an eagle’s nests between sea and sky.
Return by boat to Sorrento and transfer to the hotel.
Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 3: PAESTUM AND MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA TASTING
After breakfast we will head towards Paestum with a stop at a buffaloes breeding farmhouse that produces the famous mozzarella di bufala. We will taste this delicatessen and have the opportunity to organize a lunch in the farmhouse.
We will continue to the archeological site of Paestum and visit the vast museum and the archeological park, one of the largest in southern Italy, with very important remains that date back to various phases and ages.
Accommodation in a hotel near Paestum, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 4: THE CILENTO NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, we will meet the guide and leave for our full-day excursion to the Cilento National Park, the largest in Italy and listed in 1998 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Vallo di Diano.
The Park is home to many wild plants and animals and includes The Bulgheria and Stella Mountains and the peaks of Gelbison and Alburni del Cervati.
During the excursion, you will visit the caves of Castelcivita, one of the largest speleological complexes in southern Italy with a total of approximately 4800 m in length and a suggestive scenario of tunnels, wide-open spaces and bottlenecks created by the thousand-year-old action of karst erosion.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 5: CAPELLI DI VENERE (VENUS HAIR) : A SPECTACULAR WATERFALL IN CILENTO PARK
Breakfast in hotel and departure for the full-day excursion where we will admire a real wonder of nature.
We will walk along a charming river, in the shade of an enchanting grove, between mills and wooden bridges: a truly enchanting and relaxing place, equipped with tables and barbecues.
At the end of the Rio Casaletto Valley is the Oasi del Capello, with the homonymous spring and a spectacular waterfall called « Venus Hair ».
Its particular name derives from the plants (mostly fern) that grow so lush there and the erosion of the travertine that forms branched structures.
The old mill, located in the region, has been renovated and is a monitoring centre for Geodiversity and Biodiversity.
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
