Amalfi – Torre dello Ziro – Pontone – Ruins of the basilica of Sant’Eustachio – Atrani – Amalfi
Duration :6,9 km
Travel time : 4h 30′
Path – 350 meters of difference in altitude, mainly to be covered in Salinate. Exceptional viewpoints and monuments of considerable interest along the way.
Logistics – For those arriving in the area by car, due to the very limited parking possibilities in Amalfi and Atrani, it is advisable to start the route from Pontone. For the lucky ones and for those who use public transport, it is easier, as foreseen by the route, to start the walk in Amalfi. Sea lines Salerno – Amalfi in summer or bus lines from Naples / Sorrento or Salerno all year round.
Services and Refreshments – Bars and restaurants in Amalfi, Pontone and Atrani. Possibility of bathing in Amalfi and Atrani or in the nearby beach of Castiglione.
Note – In Amalfi the route passes near the Paper Museum.
The route starts from the center of Amalfi and leads to the ancient Torre dello Ziro which dominates Amalfi from the top of Monte Aureo. From Piazza Duomo go up the main road for almost 400 meters up to the traffic island. Immediately after, on the right, there is the stairway of the Salita dei Patroni to follow for 300 meters until you reach another stairway that climbs to the right, passing underneath a building. This is the Salita per Pontone to go up to a crossroads where you continue to the right; take a right also at the next detour. After a very short flat stretch you face the steep stairs that lead to an area where the remains of ancient fortifications are still visible.
Finally, we find ourselves on the top of Monte Aureo where the ruins of the Castle of Scalette are found, built in 1480. Further on there is a belvedere, ruined by some “decoration” in concrete, never finished To reach the Torre dello Ziro, at the end of the access stairs to the area, you must always keep to the left, following an initially downhill stretch that runs along the left side of the cliff, looking at the sea. This leads to the tower, the earliest records of which date back to 1151. From 1292 it becomes “Turris Cziri”. Some derive the name from “ziro”, a large terracotta container for storing foodstuffs. According to local tradition, the Duchess Giovanna d’Aragona was imprisoned and then killed in the tower by order of the brothers Carlo and Federico, marquises of Gerace, when they discovered a loving intertwining between the woman and her administrator Antonio Bologna.
The view from the tower is remarkable and amply repays the effort of the walk. On the way back, head towards the church of Santa Maria del Carmine using the steps already taken; at the end of this one continues straight up to a portico with a vaulted roof, adhering to the church. Return to the road and, after a few meters, the stairs on the left lead to the small square of Pontone with the Church of San Giovanni Ballista (inside the tombstone of Filippo Spina, dating back to 1346).
Leaving the church, go up the flight of stairs to the left then, near a fountain, turn right. Continuing to keep to the right you will come across the ruins of the Basilica of Sant’Eustachio (11th century) where the three apses decorated with two-colored inlays are still recognizable. You start climbing again and, at the next crossroads, turn right, downhill, to return to the piazza di Pontone. Passing under the bell tower of the church, continue to descend and, upon reaching the rolling road that leads to Ravello and Amalfi, pass a hairpin bend, continue downhill to the crossroads from which the pedestrian leads to the small square of Atrani departs (see route no. 10).
To return to Amalfi, take the stairs that pass under the houses (they can be seen when you turn your back to the fountain). You find yourself in a real labyrinth and it is advisable to follow a rule: at every crossroads, always turn left and / or uphill (pay attention to the left turn at the bottom, which takes you back to the square). Santa Maria delle Signore which, along the mountain, leads to Amalfi. After a detour to the right, you reach the end of the street where a staircase leads to a clearing in front of the church of San Francesco, annexed to the convent of the same name, founded in 1222, currently the site of a hotel. To return to Piazza Duomo there are two alternatives: the stairs to the right of the church, which lead to the state road, or the Salita Roberto il Guiscardo alley, which leads to the same road but sheltered from the sun and in a more suggestive setting.
