Walking/Hiking Hiking in Cilento National Park (Campania)

[Pauline]

We leave next week for a week on the Amalfi Coast and a week in the hills above the Cilento Coast (staying at Villa Trotta in Perdifumo). I have all the info I need for hiking on the Amalfi Coast, and we have done two previous hiking trips, but the Cilento is new to me. We've only been to the area once, just for a day trip, when we were staying in Basilicata.

Does anyone have information for hiking in the Cilento park? I will list the resources I have found.

Also, which is the best Cilento Park Visitor Center to go to, to get information? I found a list of their visitor centers, but not sure which is best.

We are only there for a week, so three good hikes is all we need. I have two hikes along or near the coast picked out:

• San Marco to Punta Licosa, coast trail, 2 hours each way, pretty flat. Described on Summer in Italy and Walking and Trekking in Campania.
• Trail of the Centenarian Trees from Ogliastro Cilento described on Summer in Italy. If this hike is not long enough, we can also walk to Punta Licosa from Ogliastro Cilento. Got my towns mixed up.

The Valley of the Orchids trail from Sasso, described on Summer in Italy and Walking and Trekking in Campania, sounds great but it is a 1hr45min drive from Perdifumo which is too much driving to get to a hike IMO.

Walking and Trekking in Campania also describes walking from Santa Maria di Castellabate to Agropoli but they don't say how long it takes. We could start at Santa Maria and walk out for a couple of hours and then return.

We may end up trying to find white roads (dirt roads) to walk where we are staying, but if any knows other good hikes in this area, please post.

Hiking Resources
Summer in Italy - Cilento Hiking - Thier page lists 6 hikes but I think 3 of them are the same hike. "Path of the Sirens" goes along the coast from Santa Maria di Castellabate to San Marco to Punta Licosa, but their "Punta Licosa" hike and "Coastal Trail" hike cover sections of the "Path of the Sirens".
Walking and Trekking in Campania -

Park Websites
Cilento National Park (in Italian)
Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni (English) - This is their list of hikes. The map that would show where the hikes are is not working so you have to locate each town to see where the hike is. I went through the hikes and the ones within a 1hr30min drive are not interesting. Most are climbs - the hike is a climb straight up to something. Some of their hikes make no sense, like "The Wild Beauty of Nature" which is 1hr 50min to walk 1 km with 100m ascent. Huh?

I found this website with a map showing where the hikes (?) are, which is great, but it is all in Italian and it doesn't seem like all these are hikes, some are places to visit. You have to click on the map to get the information page. The list of hikes below does not seem to correspond to the numbers on the map.

Cilento Park Visitor Centers
• San Mauro del Cilento - Park Visitor Center, c/o Casalsottano elementary school
• Stella Cilento - Park Visitor Center, Ulisse Pro Cilento + Fondazione Alario, v. Garibaldi
• Montecorice - Local Park Center
• Santa Marina - Policastro: Local Park Center managed by Ass. Risorse.
• Vibonati - Local Park Center that will open soon at the Town Hall

Which one of these is the main park office?

 

[Pauline]

Going through my notes I found this information that I copied from Fodor's Forums a year or two ago:

We could walk from Santa Maria to Agropoli and bus back like they did. And we won't walk between Santa Maria and San Marco.

If they still have that bus and it is running in May, we could walk San Marco all the way around the point to Ogliastro Marina and take the bus back. That would be a 4 hour walk I think.

 

[joe]

Does anyone have information for hiking in the Cilento park? I will list the resources I have found.

Also, which is the best Cilento Park Visitor Center to go to, to get information? I found a list of their visitor centers, but not sure which is best.

Park Websites
Cilento National Park (in Italian)
Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni (English) - This is their list of hikes. The map that would show where the hikes are is not working so you have to locate each town to see where the hike is. I went through the hikes and the ones within a 1hr30min drive are not interesting. Most are climbs - the hike is a climb straight up to something. Some of their hikes make no sense, like "The Wild Beauty of Nature" which is 1hr 50min to walk 1 km with 100m ascent. Huh?

Hi Pauline - looks like a beautiful area you're going to, I have never been there, but here are a few things that might help for the Cilento Park itineraries :

1) I guess you've noticed that each itinerary on the site has a relevant 1:25000 hiking map that you can buy online (there is a set of ten altogether for the whole park). So if there is a trail that interests you, you can always get the pertinent map (6 euro for one). The link to the relevant map is at the side or bottom of the page (Carta dei Sentieri). I suppose they can also be purchased at the park, or at a good bookstore once you get to the area.

2) the trail site Wikiloc can be very useful, I've used it twice on short trails in Italy. You usually have the trail superimposed on a satellite view map, along with a written description of landmarks along the way. Some good filters (length, difficulty, and type of trail, etc.) all add convenience. For example, a search for Cilento Park brings up thousands of results apparently :
https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/fin...&favorite-list=&months=&uom=mi&q=cilento+park

3) About the location of the best visitor center - indeed this looks missing, but I'm sure that if you write them they will gladly elaborate on that.

I agree with you that it is frustrating not to find relevant information on sites that should anticipate the need for that.
Have a great time.

 

[Pauline]

@Valerie told me the Park office is in Agropoli, so I will go there and buy maps if I can.

I have finally been using Wikiloc, and have even recorded two walks in Dorset! But I keep forgetting about it! Thanks, I will check there.

 

[Valerie]

If you're able to buy the maps and get them before you leave, that's optimal, as the park vistors center in Agropoli may or may not be open (hours? Boh! ) It is near the Baia di Trentova.

The hike from Santa Maria di Agropoli will be a good one. Some interesting things along the way.

Trail of the Centenarian Trees from Ogliastro Cilento described on Summer in Italy. If this hike is not long enough, we can also walk to Punta Licosa from Ogliastro Cilento.

There is a difference between Ogliastro Cilento and Ogliastro Marina!! Punta Licosa to Ogliastro Marina is doable, not so much to Ogliastro Cilento!

 

[Valerie]

Visitor Center Agropoli http://promozione.cilentoediano.it/it/associazioni/centro-visite-trentova-tresino

 

[Valerie]

The best way to walk between Santa Maria and San Marco is along the beach, not the road!

 

[Valerie]

See: http://www.sentieridelcilento.it/it/escursioni/fiumi-e-cascate

And: http://www.hotelcastellabate.it/en/tipologie/percorsi-castellabate/

And also: https://hikingcampania.com/2017/05/19/quick-dont-miss-the-orchid-trail-cilento-national-park/

And: http://www.sanmaurocilento.gov.it/?page_id=110

 

[Pauline]

There is a difference between Ogliastro Cilento and Ogliastro Marina!! Punta Licosa to Ogliastro Marina is doable, not so much to Ogliastro Cilento!

And they are not even close to each other! With similar names! I have problems remembering town names.

So, the trees trail is Ogliastro Cilento and is not on the coast. I was wondering why those old trees were on the coast.

Thanks for those other resources. That orchids trail sounds great but is too long of a drive. It is closer to your town @Valerie. We will do that hike when we cat-sit for you again!

 

[Pauline]

Here is a description of a hike on Wikiloc near Perdifumo, where we are staying:

Not a very good idea to do this hike in mid August. Too warm. Be sure to bring a machete to cut all invasive vegetation. The views on all sides are awesome though.

 

[Valerie]

And they are not even close to each other! With similar names!

I know, it's confusing!

There are hikes around Perdifumo but no maps that I can find. But there are signs around the area.

 

[joe]

Here is a description of a hike on Wikiloc near Perdifumo, where we are staying:
Be sure to bring a machete to cut all invasive vegetation.

Good luck getting through Heathrow with the machete Pauline!
If you succeed, you might want to bring one in November, I could use some help in the orchard here...

 

[Valerie]

Ask Luca if a machete is included at the villa!

 

[Pauline]

I got a hiking guidebook for the Cilento from Amazon. It has hikes near Perdifumo, some on the coast and some more inland. I like printed hiking guidebooks because it is easy to see where all the hikes are and they tend to choose the best hikes in the area. They also have good descriptions. Some hikes on Wikiloc have no descriptions!

Only problem is that the book is in German. I thought Steve was at a reading level with his German but apparently he hasn't been working on it lately. Still, it has maps and times and elevations. Maybe I can find an app where you scan the text and it translates it. Steve has one of those for Hebrew (the language that it turns out he has been working on instead of German).