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Hiking Trail
· Campania
Monte Cervati with loop on the south side from Ponte Inferno
Little Fish Trek
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Five minutes after leaving Ponte Inferno, a flow of water (due to the night’s rain) floods the small road.Photo: Mario Briotto, Little Fish Trek
Cilento Mountains: Ponte Inferno, entrance of the Vallivona Sinkhole, Ancient White Fir, Monte Cervati, and closing the loop on the Historic Madonna della Neve Trail.
This is one of several possible loops on the south side of Monte Cervati starting from the foot of the mountain, that is from the SP 18 just outside Sanza.
In snowless version it is certainly a technically easy itinerary and… a bit long in effort: however, the difficulty is less than the summary numbers suggest because you always walk on well-marked and not difficult trails.
The ascent – always very well marked – is a mix of small roads (mostly) and trails with the two points of interest of the Vallivona Sinkhole and two Ancient White Firs (there are two, even if the signage always says White Fir singular).
Unfortunately, today (Christmas Eve) it was not possible to enter the gallery giving access to the Vallivona Sinkhole, because the several days of rain until the day before left a strong water flow inside the gallery.
The VERY POSITIVE aspect of this inconvenience is the fresh snow from the night on the entire summit area that created a spectacular scene in which we did not feel additional effort.
Fortunately, the snow was just the right amount for good walking, but not too much to create danger in the first descending traverses.
Author’s recommendation
Some photos are in vertical format and do not display well in previews: switch to full view mode to get a more complete idea of the hiking environment.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
In winter period carefully evaluate the snow conditions before deciding on a complete route, and be ready for possible itinerary changes to finish the day.
Tips and suggestions
The recommended period indicated is from May to November, but you can go all year round by carefully assessing the snow situation without compromising safety.
This hike was carried out on December 24, 2019, but such favorable conditions are not always present.
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For a complete overview of the itineraries covered and described in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (and surrounding areas), you can refer to the link → Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (and surrounding areas).
Roadbook
Introduction
This route was walked on December 24, 2019, and all subsequent observations and considerations are fully valid only for that day.
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From Ponte Inferno, you ascend on small roads or wide sections of trail up to near the entrance of the Vallivona Sinkhole (also called Affondatoio or Affondatore), which is reached by a short marked detour – today it was not possible to enter, and those wanting to see some photos of the interior can refer to the route → Monte Cervati via Capo di Testa with Vallivona Sinkhole.
Then, before reaching the picnic area, turn right onto the marked path to the White Fir and continue – paying attention to the markers at the various junctions – until you reach the Monte Cervati carriage road not far from the summit.
There are various options to reach the summit, but today – given the snow that fell the previous night – we always followed the carriage road to the area of the Madonna della Neve Sanctuary, and then to the summit via the usual route.
Considering the situation, we then followed a winter line to reconnect to the Historic Madonna della Neve Trail descending toward Sanza.
In any case, these snowy sections must be evaluated differently each day depending on the deposits and accumulations of snow created by the wind, and this GPS recording on the first summit section of descent should be understood as a general indication of direction.
Then from the re-entry into the forest – even in the first part with a lot of snow – everything was again on "univocal lines" to the end.
Without snow from the summit of Monte Cervati, just follow fairly evident tracks and markers.
Descending through the first part of the forest, you reach a junction where if you continue straight you would reach the Cervati Refuge: here there is a clear indication of “WINTER TRAIL” for Monte Cervati from that side, which avoids the shorter and more well-known summer trail that becomes dangerous with snow.
At the junction there is also an arrow indicating the continuation of the Historic Madonna della Neve Trail, and for this you rejoin SP 18b at the entrance to Vallone Secco.
Finally, less than 2 km on asphalt brings you back to the Ponte Inferno parking lot.
Directions
From Sanza take the SP 18 heading west toward Rofrano, and proceed until the locality of Ponte Inferno, or even earlier at the entrance to Vallone Secco where the Historic Madonna della Neve Trail begins.Parking
Some possibilities just inside the starting lane of the hike if starting from Ponte Inferno.
There are more spaces if starting (from the other side of the asphalt connecting section of the loop) from the beginning of the Historic Madonna della Neve Trail at the entrance to Vallone Secco.
Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
“The 100 Wonders of Cilento and Vallo di Diano
Where They Are – What They Offer – How to Reach Them – with over 450 unpublished images”
by Roberto Pellecchia
Officine Zephiro – “cart&guide” series
Author’s map recommendations
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park - Trail Map 1:25000
Panel 7 → Monte Cervati - Faiatella - Cima Mercori
The itinerary of this hike is entirely indicated on the above Panel 7, but with various indications of dashes and alternating colors between black and red.
This hike is not a single clearly identifiable trail at first glance, but a combination that must be carefully planned before departure.
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I.G.M. Military Geographic Institute SERIES 25 - Edition 1
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF ITALY SCALE 1:25,000
SHEET NO. 504 SECTION II – SANZA
SHEET NO. 504 SECTION III – ROFRANO
All I.G.M maps in this series have a very detailed and readable graphic style with care.
Obviously they are “not backpack maps,” and do not show different colorings or numbers for official trails, but are very useful as a comparison with other maps.
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Under electronic maps category, in OpenStreetMap and its derivatives you can find the entire itinerary.
Book recommendations for this region:
Equipment
Normal hiking equipment for snowless periods, otherwise to be evaluated according to the situation.
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions