from Nocelle (Positano) to the stone mushroom of Capo Muro
Durata: 5 km
Travel time: 6h 00 ‘
Course – The difference in altitude of over 600 meters requires a minimum of training. The bottom, often made of loose material, requires the use of shoes with good grip on the ground. Due to the frequent exposure to wind at high altitudes, it is advisable to have adequate coverage.
Approach – Departure and arrival from the town of Nocelle, reachable by car or by local bus from Positano.
Refreshment points – Trattoria and bar in Nocelle.
For a complete immersion in nature, nothing better than an altitude difference that goes from 450 to 1070 meters above sea level. The reward for the commitment is given by the views that, given the altitude, Capri, the Gulf of Naples and the island of Ischia offer to the view.
The start of the route is made up, optionally, by any of the three stairways that cross Nocelle upwards. The first ramp starts from the parking lot; the other two meet between the houses. The route begins with a comfortable staircase that leads to the highest houses in the town; further on we find ourselves crossing sections in which the path is reduced to a faint trace.
It is useful to follow the sections freest from vegetation until you reach a shelter for shepherds set under the rock wall. From here the route is divided into several branches. The rule that the hiker must guide is to always go up to the left of the rock wall. The most interesting solution is to walk through all the steps that connect the terraces present, up to the foot of the wall. After passing an ancient building, you arrive at a point where all roads converge. Continuing to climb you pass a flight of steps followed by a crossroads.
On the right a path, more suitable for goats than for men, goes around the rocky ridge, while on the left the climb to Capo Muro follows the track that climbs through the vegetation, until it reaches a path that proceeds along the altitude line.
And the path 02 of the CAl. Continue to the right and, after a few tens of meters, there is a new crossroads. To the right the path 41 / a of the CAl departs (which constitutes a part of the return of this path), to the left the climb continues. Looking north-east, in the lower part of the saddle a rock in the shape of a mushroom or anvil stands out against the sky: it is the highest and furthest point of this excursion. The path is sometimes hidden by vegetation but the CAI markings, and others in yellow, help to find the way. On the final stretch the stone mushroom appears ever closer. On reaching it, a stop allows you to appreciate the sea of the Gulf of Salerno to the south and the Agerola basin from the north-west to the east. Further behind, the mountain ranges of the provinces of Salerno and Avellino. To return, go down to the right following the CAI marks or the yellow signs, first with hairpins along the ridge devoid of vegetation and then through a beech forest, until you reach a dirt road. A few tens of meters and on the right the CAI 41 / a path is indicated by the usual brands. Follow it up to the impluvium of the valley and here you have to be careful to continue upwards on the opposite side, abandoning the inviting path that proceeds downwards. For a quarter of an hour we climb among the rocks until we find the CAI 02 path. We continue until the confluence from which we arrived, returning back down along the same up to Nocella.
