Duration : 11,4 km
Travel time: 7h 00 ‘
Route – Without great difficulty but long. Approach – Cava dei Tirreni it is easily reachable by road (A3) from both Salerno and Naples. Salerno is first reached from the coastal towns. From the Cava dei Tirreni motorway tollbooth to the Corpo di Cava hamlet, the headquarters of the Abbey about 6 km away. it takes no more than 10 minutes. Logistics – From the Avvocata sanctuary it is also possible to return to the valley going down to Cetara or Maiori from which you can return to the Badia (complex organization). Refreshment points – Bars and restaurants in the hamlet of Corpo di Cava and two drinking fountains along the way.
The second walk follows the steps of pilgrims in procession along a route considered one of the “classics” of the Amalfi Coast. From the abbey of the Santissima Trinità in Cava de ‘Tirreni to the sanctuary of the Avvocata on the mountain of the same name. Almost always the path, from Cappella Nuova onwards, offers a constant view of the Gulf of Salerno. To the left of the abbey a descent leads to the Selano stream. Beyond a small bridge, follow the path that crosses a stretch of wood (in the points of uncertainty, the red CAI markings are helpful). The path is easy to follow and the only point where you need to pay attention is near a fountain with a concrete hut: the way forward is not the natural continuation to the left, but the track behind the fountain. Further on you reach the confluence of the alternative departure (2b) and continue straight for another three hundred meters until you reach the Old Chapel, reduced to a ruin, a refuge more suitable for goats than for men. From here a path descends towards the sea along the saddle that separates the place from Monte Falerio, and continues down to the right towards Cetara (following the initial part of path no. 3 in the opposite direction). Instead, continue to the right with minimal differences in height. Just below the ridge line for almost two hours passing through the spring called “Acqua dell’Avvocata”, always straight up to the Sanctuary. In recent times the monastery has changed a lot, the clearing has been enlarged, and a large shed has been built there used as a dormitory for pilgrims. Furthermore, all around, real barbecue stations have been set up complete with picnic tables. Originally the complex included only the monastery built on the original hermitage of Gabriello Cinnamo. In 1663 the monastery was entrusted to the Camaldolese fathers who remained there until 1807. Stripped of the sacred furnishings and the well-stocked library, the hermitage was adapted as a military outpost and then definitively abandoned. The small church dedicated to Santa Maria de la Vocata was devastated by a fire in 1838: the ruins are still visible on the inner side of the plateau. The current building dates back to the beginning of the last century and is periodically opened on the occasion of sacred functions and for the feast of the Advocate, on Whit Monday.
On that day, and the following Monday, called “The octave and Easter”, the sanctuary becomes a destination for the faithful coming from the Amalfi Coast, from the Agro No Cerino-Sarnese and from the Cava dei Tirreni area. Long caravans furrow the slopes of Mount Falerio renewing a centuries-old devotion that culminates with the great procession at noon, between the tolling of bells and a shower of rose petals that accompanies the statue of Santa Maria Avvocata for the whole journey. After the procession the party continues until late afternoon with banquets, abundant drinks and dances to the sound of the “tammorre”. In correspondence with the church, in the rocky wall below the plateau, there is the Grotta dell’Apparizione. Discovered in the early 1500s by a local shepherd, the aforementioned Gabriello Cinnamo, guided on the spot, it is said, by a dove. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to the shepherd who was resting in the cave to exhort him to build an altar for her. A long period of neglect followed. In 1888 the altar was restored by a devoted mason, and four years later the cult resumed. For the return, follow the reverse path. You can vary the program, descending towards Maiori (part of path n. 4), Erchie (part of paths n. 3 and 4) or Cetara (path n. 3).
The Abbey of the Holy Trinity
The foundation of the Abbey of the Santissima Trinità de ‘La Cava is traced back to Sant’Alferio Pappacarbone, a noble from Salerno of Lombard origin who trained in Cluny.
In 1011 he retired as a hermitage under the large Arsicia cave at the foot of Mount Finestra. Soon others joined him. The high number of disciples led to the construction, on the steep level between the cave and the Se lano river, a church and a small monastery, the original nucleus of today’s abbey. The remains of the original buildings, dating back to the 1st century AD, and of the Romanesque buildings are still partially visible in the basement of the current basilica. Currently the abbey houses an important archive, with about 15,000 parchments (dated from the eighth to the nineteenth century) and the library that collects precious manuscripts and incunabula.
