The Summer In Italy Newsletter

The Walking Paths of Massa Lubrense

Off the main tourist track of Sorrento, the lovely town of Massa Lubrense is dubbed "un paese senza tempo" (a timeless town). With its pretty pastel buildings, compact centro storico, and views down the hill to the water and to Capri, it is the kind of place to relax, enjoy the beauty, pop into Sorrento, and return to the quiet, less-hectic pace. It also has 18 hamlets, called frazioni, that are part of the municipality, and Massa Lubrense has preserved many of the old pathways between these outlying villages. They make for wonderful walks to explore the little frazioni, enjoy the lemon and olive groves and native brush, and to truly take a step back in time. (Literally, because these paths were used as mule tracks and human walking paths to link all the villages.)

There are maps posted around the area and ceramic signs along the paths, or you can pick up a map in the tourist office. The stradine or sentieri as they are called criss-cross the entire point, up to Sant'Agata and down to Marina di Lobra. Perhaps go from the main piazza through the terraced hillsides to tiny Santa Maria, and on to Annunziata for a fabulous lunch at La Torre One Fire restaurant. (There's also a church and ruins of a castle to see!) Or walk over to the monastery of San Francesco, a picturesque spot where a weekly market is also held, or be more ambitious and go to the Marina del Cantone. There are many pathways for every level of hiking, but the joy is that many of the stradine are easy links to the hamlets, making them ideal for getting out and about, slowing down, enjoying the quiet and views, and a sense of old bygone life. That's sort of what vacation is for, anyway, right?

Luca

Italian Wisdom

"Non arrendersi mai"

(Don't ever give up!).

Did You Know...

that 20,000 (!) visitors a day visit the Sistine Chapel?

The Shortest River in Italy

While there are theme parks and water slides to draw attention, one of the more unusual attractions in the Lake Garda district is the Aril River. Bubbling from a spring in the village of Cassone, part of the town of Malcesine, the headwater forms a little lake before starting its brief course to the lake. The petite tributary spans just 175 meters (575 feet) before spilling into Lake Garda, but is crossed by three bridges and tumbles over a small waterfall along its short path.

The Aril River is favored by lake trout who swim up to the spring's pond to deposit their eggs. While in Lake Garda region, a trip to see this natural wonder is a must!

 

Travel Tip

Review our Rules of the Road series before driving in Italy, to get an overview of how things work! https://www.summerinitaly.com/traveltips/