From Sasso di Castalda to Potenza via Madonna del Sasso and Fossa Cupa Forest

Premise

This route was traveled on April 28, 2024, and all subsequent observations and considerations apply fully only to that day.

↓

From Sasso di Castalda to Madonna del Sasso

This is the part that retraces the Sentiero Frassati della Basilicata and reaches the highest elevation of the entire crossing.

The Sentiero Frassati della Basilicata officially begins in front of the Municipality of Sasso di Castalda.

Following the markers, one exits the town on an asphalt road that is traveled for about 600 meters before turning right.

Between the town exit and the first part of the asphalt road, you flank the fence of the Deer Wildlife Oasis where some “face-to-face” encounters with the numerous deer hosted there are likely (however today we started very early and... the deer were still sleeping 😴😊).

From the asphalt exit junction, a small dirt track begins that, with ups and downs, leads to run alongside the San Michele Stream and then crossing another asphalt road at a small picnic area.

From here you enter the Costara Forest on paths like trails until the San Michele Crossroad where the loop part of the Sentiero Frassati della Basilicata begins.

The Costara Forest is spectacular but for today’s hike is only briefly touched in this first part.

From the San Michele Crossroad turn left and shortly after you reach the San Michele Chapel with the San Michele Spring Fountain nearby.

******************************

From here we followed the original variant of the Sentiero Frassati della Basilicata called “Shepherds' Way”; for some time now, moved to the right ascending direction, there is also the “Merchants' Way” variant, which is gentler and better marked – all clearly indicated on a large sign near the San Michele Chapel.

******************************

In today’s continuation, a few meters before the San Michele Spring Fountain, a small dirt track is taken, continuing for just over 250 linear meters and – at a very faded marker today – turning right to resume trail-type paths.

Soon you exit onto open fields and continue following the ground trace with various switchbacks.

You pass a small thicket and then the official trail slightly confuses with several parallel paths of cows (and probably wild boars too), and after a last stretch through bushes you reach the gentle hollow where the small fenced building housing the Madonna del Sasso is located.

A few meters above you reach the asphalt road where the Sentiero Frassati della Basilicata continues to the right and for this hike you go left.

↓

From Madonna del Sasso to Serra San Marco crossing the Fossa Cupa Forest

In the first part of the connection towards the Fossa Cupa Forest there is the only section where care is needed to identify the correct path.

Arriving in front of the refuge located a few meters above Madonna del Sasso, turn left onto a dirt track following the CAI 515 arrow indications.

Follow the slightly descending dirt track for just over 900 meters until a left hairpin bend.

Now be careful because you must leave the dirt track about 20-30 meters after the bend, depending on where you consider the center of the wide bend.

Anyway, on exit turn right into the woods taking a very faint trail: today at the exit point there were a couple of construction ribbons.

Follow the faint trail diagonally with some curves for about eighty meters of path (still some construction ribbons today) until reaching a junction with more evident paths, and here the triple band paint markers begin: two red on the sides and one white in the center.

Following the markers take the path that initially traverses more or less at the same altitude as the arrival at the junction.

Without uncertainty continue for about 1.5 km gaining a few meters of altitude, then descending until entering a forest dirt road with a final net altitude loss of only 40 meters: end of the paint markers.

Here you are well inside the Fossa Cupa Forest and now continue always on paths of various widths and visibility.

It is useless to provide a precise description of the numerous turns at junctions: to just think about enjoying the forest environment, before setting out (for those not local) you need to plan everything on a map.

Anyway all the paths are mapped on OpenStreetMap and derivatives, and organizing yourself is not difficult.

After about 4.5 km among beeches, oaks and ... not only, you get onto asphalt for just over 250 meters and then return to dirt paths on the left.

After another couple of km you start to glimpse the Pignola Pantano Lake through the vegetation, and in less than 4 km in total you join a narrow asphalt road that leads to the plains between the Pignola Pantano Lake and the southern side of Serra San Marco.

Here, to maintain the most direct line towards Potenza, we immediately took the entrance to Via Serra San Marco without deviating to the Pignola Pantano Lake: for those... who have the desire and... strength, with long days a complete tour of the lake might also fit.

↓

Closing the crossing from the start of the climb at Serra San Marco to Potenza

The climb to Serra San Marco from southwest to northeast is almost a perfect straight line along the back of the gentle ridge.

For the entire first part of about 2.5 km it is a narrow asphalt road with at least a couple of beautiful viewpoints towards Pignola Pantano Lake.

Then the gentle climb finishes on natural-surface paths arriving at the crest point near an old water pipeline service structure.

A few meters after the structure you begin descending with the first overall view of Potenza, rejoining narrow asphalt and arriving at the first houses (at this point, according to the maps, you enter the Serra Ciciniello area).

From here we always followed the small road without attempting shortcuts at the final switchbacks and entered Potenza through the underpass of the highway viaduct.

Finally, “Google Maps for pedestrians” 😉 to the San Gerardo Cathedral with a final series of steps.

Unfortunately today the Cathedral was closed at our arrival time, and the entire front square was “upside down” for ongoing works, probably in preparation for the Patron Saint’s festival on May 30.

To return to Sasso di Castalda – if not organized with two cars – on weekdays one could use SITA buses with a run in the late afternoon, but today was Sunday and... taxis 🚕 always work❗