Valle delle Ferriere
An excursion not to be missed that leads to the splendid canyon of the Valle delle Ferriere: home to a vast Integral Natural Reserve with various endemic and rare species, both of flora and fauna. Going down along the gurgling Canneto river, you can also admire waterfalls and centuries-old ruins of mills, paper mills and ironworks, to finally reach the interesting historic center of Amalfi.
• Length: About 6 Km
• Travel time: About 4 hours
• Start point: Piazza Generale Avitabile, S. Lazzaro
Information on values and points of interest
At the first ascent you can admire a panorama that has in the foreground the Conca di Agerola with the "passage" cut by the Rio Penise below and on the sea side the sudden shortening caused by the tectonic subsidence that caused the Gulf of Salerno. Wider views of the Gulf and coast can be enjoyed later as you drive past the southern flank of Monte Molignano. In the meantime, it crosses dense chestnut woods and in the most rocky and sunny stretches among scrub, mixed oaks and garrigue. Further on, you look out over the Valle delle Ferriere: a gorge up to 800 meters deep that the rain and spring waters have dug (in hard chalk and limestone from the Jura) at an average speed of about half a millimeter per year. In addition to its almost alpine landscape and the ruins of ancient factories, the valley is famous for the particularities of its flora. The microclimate varies from point to point and the exposure of the slopes often exceeds the altitude; this leads to phenomena of "inversion of the vegetation", with alders and hornbeams that descend to the valley floor and the garrigue which, on the other hand, rises to almost mountainous peaks. In the area of the falls, the microclimate of the valley floor is favorable to an almost tropical undergrowth vegetation (a lover of shade and humidity), in which three species of fern stand out: the great Woodwardia radicans (here it survived the frosts of the last glaciation ) and the minor Pteris cretica and Pteris vittata. In the same area, near some small springs that supply water enriched with calcium bicarbonate, it is possible to observe the travertine in formation that encrusts and petrifies herbs and mosses. The waters of the river are home to several amphibians, including newts, the fire salamander and the rare spectacled salamander; Animals that feed on the otters that frequent the most remote rivers and springs of the valley. Leaving the valley towards Amalfi there are several fascinating remains of ancient factories (ranging from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century) that drew energy from water. These are paper mills, mills and ironworks. In the latter the water that precipitated violently into a well also generated the wind that blew on the embers that caused the melting. If you want to deepen the theme of paper mills, it is advisable to include in your dutiful visit to Amalfi a stop at the Paper Museum.
Route information
Reached by car or on foot the locality of Caneglio (on Via Panoramica), near the restaurant La Taverna, take the mule track that climbs towards Monte Murillo. When you reach the top you arrive at a crossroads, where you have to take the only downhill path on the right which, after a few downhill bends and along a wide dirt road, leads to the bottom of the Nespola valley, and then crosses its opposite side, paying attention to the red paint signs affixed to the rocks along the path. After passing a chestnut wood, the path opens onto a clearing, characterized by the strong presence of bracken and cut copses. Continue on the narrow mule track without taking any detours, until you enter the woods again. After a few meters, take a narrow downhill mule track, with a mainly rocky bottom. After 500 m downhill, there is a crossroads where you need to turn left, descending along a scree and meeting the Acquolella spring. Continuing the descent you pass a crossroads, keeping to the left, for a path that becomes narrower and more inaccessible. Without being confused by the intersections with ephemeral tracks created by the passage of mules, you continue to descend until you reach a small clearing with a view from the top of the Valle delle Ferriere. We then descend along the slope to the left, inside chestnut groves, until we intercept - following it on the left - the path that leads from Pogerola to the source "Fico 'a noce". A steel table engraved with the name of Giustino Fortunato indicates where to take the downhill track in the valley. After a short stretch, you skirt the first tributary of the Ceraso river - the main course of the Valle delle Ferriere -, following the only narrow path that leads to the heart of the valley. Once on the flat, managing to see the Ceraso river, continue on the path that, skirting the ancient aqueduct, leads to Amalfi, passing the remains of paper mills, an ironworks and an old refurbished hydroelectric power station, with an adjoining museum. Turning left, however, you reach the area of maximum protection of the Reserve, which can only be visited if authorized and accompanied by an officer of the Forestry Barracks, or by their own delegates. In this regard, contact the Pro Loco or the Sentieri degli Dei Association.
To return to Agerola you can use the SITA buses, with change in Amalfi.