Montepertuso – Forestry Barracks – Madonna de Castello – Pozzo Valley – Montepertuso
Durata: 6,2 km
Travel time: 4h 30 ‘
Route – More complex in the part that descends from Santa Maria del Castello along the Pozzo Valley. The path is often reduced to a tenuous track along a fairly steep slope. Footwear suitable for “difficult” terrain is almost mandatory. The remainder does not present difficulties.
Approach -Departure and arrival from the square of Montepertuso which can be reached by car or by local bus from Positano.
Refreshment points – Restaurants, taverns and bars in Montepertuso, halfway, in the locality of Madonna del Monte, a restaurant and a bar with groceries.
It starts from the small square of Montepertuso and follows the road in the direction of Nocelle. After about 200 meters a curve to the right crosses a stream, a hundred meters later, however, on the left, a staircase leads to the houses above. A long series of hairpin bends penetrates slowly into the Mediterranean scrub. After a straight stretch that leads up to the ridge, turn sharply to the left (ignore the faint track that continues down to the right). The path, well maintained, continues with a variable course. Further on you pass a detour to the right (not to be followed) and continue to the Forestry Barracks.
The name should not be misleading: the building looks like a small building with a square in front, equipped with a couple of stone barbecues. From the barracks, towards the top, the path 00 of the CAI continues (it is not part of this route) which crosses the entire ridge of the Amalfi Peninsula. A large landslide blocks the stretch. The route continues in the opposite direction to the one from which it arrived, towards the west, following an easy path which, in just under an hour, leads to the town of Santa Maria del Castello.
A few meters before arriving at the road (nearby, in the direction of the church, there is a restaurant with a bar), take a path that has just been mentioned which, downwards and to the left, zigzagging leads to the impluvium of the Pozzo Valley.
From here on, the path, not always easy to identify and not easy to walk, leads downwards more or less along the stream that runs through the valley. Further down, at the end of a flight of steps, you come to a crossroads: turn left, cross or wade over the watercourse and continue along an easy path that overlooks and parallels the road that leads from Positano to Montepertuso. At the end you arrive at a parking lot and, keeping to the left, you enter the town via a pedestrian street that leads to the square from which you started.
