We will depart from Atrani (a picturesque Saracen village about 1 km from Amalfi) the route takes us through the ancient village alleyways and borders the “Dragone” creek on the way up to Pontone (where the Tower “dello Ziro” and the ruins of the ancient cathedral of Saint Eustacchio are of considerable artistic and historical interest).
From Pontone we will be proceeding towards the world renowned “Valle delle Ferriere” National Park (for a more detailed description, click here).
On our way down the “Canneto” creek we will explore the ruins or the ancient factory where iron was extracted from the raw mineral imported from the island of Elba (in Tuscany) and from the Apulia region, this early Iron industry is what also gave the name to the whole valley.
This area is where we will also see the ruins of disused paper mills that produced the famous “Carta d’Amalfi” (Amalfi Paper) the Mills were located in this areas thanks to the abundance of water coming down the Valley. Fortunately some of these ancient mills are still working and our itinerary includes also a demonstration and a guided visit to the “Museo della Carta” which is located at the bottom of the Valley. (more detailed information are available at www.museodellacarta.it).
The total duration of this walk is approximately 5 to 6 hours.
The degree of difficulty is medium (about 2 hours ascending and 2 hours descending).
This highly recommended walk would certainly give each participant a greater appreciation of the natural beauty of these forgotten places.
Do not forget to bring along some water, snacks and your camera. Please also insure that you wear comfortable walking or trekking shoes.
