E-1 in Campania
Southern Stretch
(Senerchia - Casalbuono/Fortino)

Route

The third Campano stretch starts from the village of Senerchia, in the province of Avellino, and climbs to the recently restored Church of San Nicola, just below the Norman Castle, after passing through the old town centre destroyed by the 1980 earthquake. After reaching the church, the route begins to descend on a path leading to an inter-modal road that takes us to the WWF Oasis of 'Valle Della Caccia'.

Here, a nature trail flanking a stream leads us under a beautiful 30-metre waterfall in about twenty minutes, after crossing a narrow passage with a thick wall of ever-dripping moss. After a visit to the oasis, we continue on to Olivetro Citra (Sa), crossing the border between Avellino and Salerno and passing by a Roman aqueduct before climbing up into the historic centre.

From Oliveto, still on an intercoder road, we descend towards Bagni Forlenza, a tourist/spa resort in the municipality of Contursi Terme, right next to the River Sele. Several thermal springs accessible to all are encountered. We continue along the route, passing a somewhat complicated stretch as we leave the Picentini Mountains behind us and join the 'Cilento Vallo di Diano' National Park, passing under a major motorway junction, so we must be very careful.

From Contursi, going uphill, you reach Postiglione, one of the gateways to the park, while a link road, again from Contursi, leads to Sicignano degli Alburni, another gateway to the park, following the Tanagro river for a few kilometres. The Traversata dei Monti Alburni (Crossing of the Alburni Mountains) begins at Postiglione, a very imposing limestone structure with numerous ravines, caves, doline and extensive beech woods. We pass Monte Della Nuda and Monte Urto to reach the Vucculo dell'Arena, where we meet the junction coming from Sicignano and continue to Monte Panormo (1742 m a.s.l.).

From here begins a gradual descent on dirt tracks that pass through beech forests and past caves and deep clefts to Monte Figliolo, from which, with a challenging descent, we reach the village of Petina.

From here, we retrace our steps to Monte Figliolo and, after passing it, descend on a dirt road, passing the locality of La Pila and in front of a drinking trough, from where we start climbing again, to reach the Casone d'Aresta, used as an astronomical observatory.

It continues, alternating between plains and beech woods, and reaches Varco Lo Schiavo, where the variant coming from the Grotte di Pertosa begins. Continuing on, we reach San Rufo. These three Stages and two Bretelle degli Alburni are fairly demanding but very fascinating. At San Rufo the mountainous structure of the Alburni ends and we move on to that of the Cervati.

We continue to the Acqua Fredda springs and arrive at Monte Mutolo, not before passing through a mountain refuge. From Motola, we descend to Fontanelle, where the Rifugio Forestale (Forest Shelter) is located. We continue, first arriving at a system of karstic fields known as 'Fosse' and then at the Sanctuary of Monte Vivo. From here we cross rocky outcrops that hide the majestic rock portal of the "Gravitone" swallowhole. We continue along a dirt road that crosses Monte Cerasuolo to reach Masseria Rezzo, the stage destination. From the Masseria, we ascend to Fossa La Vacca and then to Calata dei Vaccari and Piano degli Zingari, from where we reach Rifugio Cervati, the stage destination. From here, we continue towards the Cervati peak (1898 metres above sea level), the highest peak in Campania, and then begin a long descent, touching on the localities of Grotta della Madonna, Nevera, Val Fornillo, the Affondatore di Vallivona (a naturalistic shrine of the Park), the Grotta delle Sorgenti del Fiume Bussento and Ponte Inferno, just before arriving in Sanza.

The last stage of the E1 Campano retraces, in reverse, the route of the hero of the Italian Risorgimento, Carlo Pisacane, former ensign of the Bourbon army, from Fortino to Sanza. The route starts in Sanza, right from the memorial stone dedicated to him in 1860. On 26 June 1857, Pisacane landed in Sapri with his three insurgents, after having freed 323 inmates in the Ponza prison; after four days, he reached Casalnuovo (which became Casalbuono after the Unification of Italy), welcomed by the local population. From Fortino/Casalnuovo, the conspirators reached Sanza and then took shelter in the dense woods of Monte Cervati, as they were abandoned by the locals, who even contributed to their slaughter. The failure of the expedition was immortalised in Luigi Mercantini's 'Spigolatrice di Sapri': ...'Eran trecento, erano giovani e forti, e sono morti'.

Practical

Medical Problems (NOT Emergency):  phone    116 117

Emergency (any): phone 112

Accomodation and Food

Oliveto Citra
Agriturismo La Cartiera, S.P. 147, 22, phone +39 3313102655
Ristorante Vecchia Taverna, via Casina del Salice, phone +39 0828 995555
HotelTterme Capasso SPA, via Nazionale Bagni di Contursi, phone +39  0828 995618
Ostello della Gioventù Massimo Troisi, via dei Giardini 10, phone +39  0828 1898070

Contursi Terme
Agriturismo Valle degli ulini, Via Brianzese, phone +39  0828 991301
Il casale dei Lauri via Lauri, phone +39 0828 791510
Villa Italia, phone +39  34059934006
Hotel Terme Capasso, Via Nazionale, phone +39  0828 995618.

Postiglione
Agriturismo il Melograno Località Verdesca, phone +39  3347932389
Odegli Alburni Via Canneto, phone +39  0828 971035
Agriturismo Sorgituro Località Sorgituro, phone +39  33322833233
Residence La Doga, Viale Martiti Postiglionesi, 2, , phone +39 0828 971350
Casa Francesca B&B - Contrada Canneto, 64/b, , phone +39 3387655955.

Sicignano degli Alburni
Ristorante Si, Ma quant'sit, P.za Rosalia Scorzo, SS 19, , phone +39 3332091896
Nonna Adele Via Nazionale 9, , phone +39 3384906320.

Petina
Ristorante Marino, Via Franco Manzi 103, , phone +39 0828 423788
Carlo Residence, C.so Umberto I , , phone +39 347 8530836

San Rufo
Trattoria Da Corrado e Rosanna,Via Fontana Vaglioa, , phone +39 0975 332101
Agriturismo Antica Tenuta – Contrada Camerino, , phone +39 0975 395714
Agriturismo Malandi, Via Tempa Dietro Difesa, San Pietro sul Tanagro , phone +39 3478032569
Masseria Rezzo , phone +39 0975/75070

Rifugio Monte Cervato, phone +39 3392823021

Sanza
Ristorante Pizzeria Da Saro, via Val D’Angri, phone +39 3476480858
Ristorante Pizzeria Bella Mbriana via San Nicola, phone +39 , 0975 322459
Il Giardino dei Ciliegi, Località Vesolo, phone +39  3462117477
B&B Champagna, P.zza XXIV Maggio, phone +39  3474453244.

Fortino
Taverna Garibaldo, Contrada Fortino, phone +39  3274419671
Agriturismo Ai Carconi; Uscita Lagonegro Nord Autostrada del Sud, phone +39  3332165767
Elios Residence Contrada Fortino, 33,  phone +39 0973 603976

Casalbuon
Rifugio Feudo del Monaco, phone +39 3481702626
Agriturismo La Locanda del Gallo, S.S. 19, km 91/VI, phone +39 0975 862100
Agriturismo Tenuta Le Cascine, S.S. 19 delle Calabrie 1, phone +39  3332784645
B&B Papa Giovanni XXIII, phone +39 349407716
Casal d’Acqua Bianca, phone +39  3387262574.

Gear

The E1 in Campania 3, the Senerchia - Casalbuono/Fortino section, initially connects the Picentini Mountains Park with the Alburni Group. From Postiglione to San Rufo it crosses the entire rocky structure of the Alburni Mountains, then softens a little, touching on two refuges, before climbing to the summit of the Cervati and descending to the plain of Sanza - Caslbuono. 

Useful Links

www.irpiniatrekking.it

www.altaquotatrekking.it

www.gettrek.it