Monte Cervati from Fossa la Vacca (start of Calata dei Vaccari variant)

Premise

This route was traveled on August 18, 2024, and all subsequent observations and considerations fully apply only to that day.

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Ascent of Monte Cervati from the Fossa la Vacca hairpin bend with a visit to the Sanctuary and the Cave of the Madonna del Cervati or Madonna della Neve

From the Fossa la Vacca hairpin, follow the easy dirt road indicated as a variant of the Calata dei Vaccari along the Alta Via del Cervati e degli Alburni (AVCA).

After just under 2 km with some ups and downs, you cross another dirt road, following the CAI signs that lead into the forest.

Then follows a nice path that ends at another dirt road with signs for Piaggine to the right and Sentiero dei Gravettoni to the left.

Go left for just under 200 meters and enter a new and much longer stretch of path, with scenic passages among the various wooded depressions of the gravels or natural cave cavities.

Crossing some clearings, you arrive at a larger clearing where you cross CAI 521/a.

Here begins the loop part of the hike, and from this clearing there is a detour to the natural rock arch which we did on the way back.

Shortly after joining CAI 521/a, you cross a dirt road with signs for Piaggine on the right and Sanza on the left; go right.

Next is the fork with Sentiero del Lupo, follow the sign for Sentiero delle Gravocciole.

You reach a small clearing where Sentiero delle Gravocciole begins the final direct ascent towards the western ridge of Monte Cervati coming from La Nevera (on this ascent you can also create a loop coming from the Piaggine area; as an example see the route → Monte Cervati and Cima di Mercori from Sentiero del Maggiociondolo).

After about 350 meters of elevation gain in the woods, fairly direct but not difficult, you climb back onto the ridge and soon reach the area of the Sanctuary and the Cave of the Madonna del Cervati or Madonna della Neve.

After visiting the two religious sites (open in the summer period on Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm according to 2024 rules), we went to the summit marker of Monte Cervati following the usual ridge path that borders the oval of the large doline of the summit area.

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Descent from Monte Cervati passing by Rifugio Cervati, the area of the Sorgente dell’Acqua che Suona and the rock arch northwest after Fontana degli Zingari

From the summit marker of Monte Cervati, we continued the "circumnavigation" of the summit doline until we joined the wide Sentiero Storico Madonna della Neve which descends directly to Rifugio Cervati.

From Rifugio Cervati, we continued the CAI descent northwards on wide tracks and forest roads arriving at the upper junction with Sentiero del Lupo and proceeded right.

About 750 meters after the upper junction with Sentiero del Lupo, the CAI route crosses the bed of the valley where the Sorgente dell’Acqua che Suona is signposted further down.

Here we left the CAI forest road for traces that shortly brought us, in the woods, to some masonry works for water capture (with a sign from the Comune di Teggiano).

These masonry works seem abandoned or poorly maintained and we do not know if they are still "draining water" from the spring, because practically no water is visible.

Only a few meters below the last masonry there was a small pool of spring water, but "almost stagnant," from which a tiny stream flowed that shortly after disappeared into some cavity of the forest floor.

From here we continued the descent of the easy valley until we crossed the well-known ascent path from Vallicelli, and for this reason we reached Fontana degli Zingari (it is possible to take a more direct shortcut from the Sorgente dell’Acqua che Suona, but we preferred to complete the beautiful valley).

From Fontana degli Zingari in 200/250 meters the loop of the hike closes, returning to the junction signposted for the natural rock arch.

The arch, basically, is a "bridge over a large hole" and the CAI marked path goes around the large hole.

However – WITH CAUTION – it is possible to descend into the hole (or gravel pit) and pass under the arch, and our GPS track (although imprecise in such an environment) reflects this choice.