Trekking on the Amalfi Coast, excursion to Punta Campanella
A holiday on the Amalfi Coast offers the chance to explore different, incredible realities. If you spend summer in Positano, you will get your fill of sun and clear water, sheltering in hidden coves or in the shadow of the Mediterranean scrub.
A holiday on the Amalfi Coast offers the chance to explore different, incredible realities. If you spend summer in Positano, you will get your fill of sun and clear water, sheltering in hidden coves or in the shadow of the Mediterranean scrub. In autumn, you can visit seaside villages crystallized in a distant and magical time, explore the wonderful villas of Ravello, get lost in the alleys of Amalfi… and much more. Winter is the season of Christmas holidays and traditions on the Amalfi Coast, bathed in lights and embellished by the cribs by master craftsmen.
If you stay in Positano in spring, you will already be able to enjoy lazy days laying on the beach, but we recommend you to also dedicate some time to trekking excursions in fabulous scenery. Next to the amazing Path of the Gods, a breathtaking itinerary winds through Punta Campanella, at the far end of the Sorrento Peninsula.
A path between nature and myth
The territory of Punta Campanella blossoms where the Lattari Mountains slope gently towards the sea. Here a strip of land connects the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast, stretches out over the Mediterranean Sea and seems to aspire to touch the island of Capri. This is one of the most varied and surprising regions for its landscape and richness of plant species, so much that it is part of the protected marine natural area of Punta Campanella.
If you dream of walking in an embrace of greenery and scents of myrtle, heather and juniper, you should definitely go trekking in Punta Campanella. This area is pervaded by a special mood, a mixture of historical memories and legendary suggestions. The Greek myths spread very much in this part of the Sorrento Peninsula, so much that the path connecting Monte San Costanzo to Punta Campanella is called Path of Athena. And that's not all: according to popular tradition, Punta Campanella was the site of a majestic Greek temple dedicated to the cult of sirens and wanted by the heroic king of Ithaca, Ulysses. Similar events are lost in the thick fog of the centuries, finding no certainties, but we like to believe that something legendary really happened here.
On the other hand, concrete testimonies attest to the historical role of Punta Campanella, a crossroads of cultural and commercial exchanges for a long time and, therefore, disputed by rival peoples. This is why in 1300 a watchtower was erected to warn the locals in case of Saracen raids from the sea. At the top of the fortification there was a bell, which served as an alert on the surrounding area.
Excursion overhanging the sea
You can reach Punta Campanella only on foot, in about an hour's walk from Termini, the last inhabited village on the Sorrento Peninsula. The itinerary is suitable for everyone, it hasn’t inaccessible passages and it delights the eye: views of the crystalline sea and fragments of native vegetation paint a perfect mosaic.
Continuing along the path, you will find yourself on a Greco-Roman mule track bordered by large stretches of sky and glimpses of Mediterranean greenery. At a certain point, the unmistakable contours of the island of Capri will appear clear and, on the right, you will admire the Torre di Fossa di Papa.
Now begins the real excursion to the plateau of Punta Campanella, announced by the Saracen tower and the remains of the Sanctuary of Minerva, of Greek origin, once a majestic sacred bulwark. From this position, you will dominate the clear waters of the Gulf of Naples and the surrounding area: on the horizon Capri seduces mischievously, Ischia and Procida don't seem so far away on cloudless days. To conclude your excursion to Punta Campanella, descend the steep path leading to the Grotta delle Sirene and try to decipher the ancient writing in Osco language engraved at the landing point for the Sanctuary of Minerva.