13 Churches Path

Length of the path: 15,4 km

The path starts from: Tramonti (Pucara)

The path ends in: Tramonti (Pucara)

General info: 

Estimated travel time of 5 hours

Altitude difference of 690 mt

Point of highest elevation at 434 mt

Point of minimum elevation at 160 mt

This tour takes place in the town of Tramontit and it expects a loop path, so it can be started from any of the villages where it goes trough. Tramonti is one of the mountain towns of the Amalfi Coast, well known to have given to the wind Tramontana (north wind) its name. The land is caracterized by 13 villages which are distributed in a circle around “Santa Maria” hill, where, in the 1400, stood the “Santa Maria la Nova” castle, and where now takes places the comunal cemetery. The path gives the opportunity to visit, precisely, 13  very ancient churches of medieval origin. It officially begins in the Pucara’s village (the easiest point to reach by car/bus/etc.): at this point, a beautiful walk starts! From the centre of Pucara (160 mt) it climbs up to “Via Conservatorio” until we reach the “San Giuseppe e Teresa” conservatory, built in 1662 and which is known to be the place where the Concerto liquor (a tipical liquor made  with 15 herbs) was invented. After few meters, there is the church of “Sant’Erasmo”, which origin is of 1533. The path continues to the Saint Antony Deep Valley, trough which we reach the village of Novella (268 mt), where there is the “San Bartolomeo Apostolo” church of 1500. After Novella, we can find Pendolo (323 mt) and then Gete (360 mt) where are located the ancient Rock Chapel and the Saint Michael Archangel’s Church: the first one belongs to the VIII century, while the other is of 1743, the year when it was built as sobstitute of the XII century church, which was destroyed in the 1735’s flood.

 Then, it follows the village of Ponte (370 mt) where it takes place the 1700’s “San Felice” Church. After this church, it needs to take the highway to reach the underlying cart track. Within few minutes, we reach the Putiella locality (306 mt), where we can find a crossroads; at this point, we move to the right side, reaching the Campinola village (380 mt) and the Church of Saint John the Baptist of the XVI century, in which there is a beautiful organ of 700’s. Right after the church, there is another crossroads at Alta Via. Also, in Campinola, there is the opportunity to visit the “Giardino Segreto dell’Anima” which is a botanist – experimental garden where we can see a lot of botanist varieties, such as 300 types of rose. When we leave the village of Campinola, we continue to Trugnano (383 mt) and to Casa Lauro (391 mt), where there is the road that takes to the “Valico di Chiunzi”. Surpassed Casa Lauro, we arrive to Corsano (392 mt) where there is the only church made in recent times (about 1980), the “San Salvatore” Church. From Corsano, it must be climbed the Saint Mary Hill (517 mt), where in the 1400 there was the “Santa Maria La Nova” Castle and where now there is the comunal cemetery.

Then we go down the other side of the hill to reach the village of Capitignano (484 mt) and, after few hundred meters, we reach the Church of “Santa Maria della Neve”, that belongs to the end of XVI century and which is made ex-novo on the ruins of the pre-existing church built in 1231. After Capitignano, the path goes trough the village of Pietre (406 mt) where we can find the Church of “San Felice di Tenna”, a new church built in 1700 on the ruins of the pre-existing church of 1500, which was collapsed after the earthquake in 1688. Then we come back on the principal path and we continue to Frescale (409 mt), until we met the Figlino’s village, which name is due to the presence in the VIII – IV century of an hospital – orphanage that collected all the illegitimate new-born that were called “figlini” (literally “little children”). In Figlino we can find the Church of Saint Peter, built between 1500 and 1600: inside we can admire a floor of rare beauty, made in 1700 with Capodimonte pottery. At this point we find the village of Paterno Sant’Arcangelo (270 mt), where there is one of the most ancient churches of Tramonti, the Church “dell’Ascensione”, all made in rock and that belongs to the X century. The passage, from Paterno Sant’Arcangelo to Paterno Sant’Elia, happens trough a very characteristic path, that goes trough the “dell’Acqua della Madonna” source (239 mt), where there is the opportunity to have a water supply. In Paterno Sant’Elia (243 mt) there is the road that colleague the towns of Tramonti and Ravello. At the end, we arrive to Ferriera village (157 mt), known like this for the presence of an ancient paper mill which worked thanks to the driving force of the “Reginna Major” river. Then we come-back to Pucara (160 mt), the point where the path started.

To this tour can be added the food & wine part, with lunch in the best local restaurants or delicious pic-nics!!!