The most beautiful places in Naples and surroundings for walks and hikes between lakes, mountains and nature reserves.
Naples and its surroundings offer fantastic opportunities for excursions to enchanting places, but also in the rest of Campania there are parks, nature reserves and mountains perfect for walking or trekking.
In the city it is possible to visit quarries, tunnels and underground passages with the many routes available in the Underground Naples and in the Bourbon Gallery, but moving a few kilometers there are also the suggestive walk on the Gran Cono del Vesuvio and the fascinating Path of the Gods.
In the Park of Matese and Grassano, but also on Mount Faito and the Terminio you will immerse yourself completely in the untouched nature between rivers, lakes, a rich flora and many animals.
Here is a guide to the most beautiful excursions.
Underground Naples
Napoli Sotterranea is composed of a series of tunnels and quarries that date back to the Greek era and which are 40 meters deep. About 5000 years ago the Greeks began to dig underground to obtain stones for the construction of buildings and to create funerary hypogea, but it was the Romans who opened tunnels and galleries that served as aqueducts. These are the routes that can be visited with walks through the quarries which during the Second World War were also used as shelters by the population. In fact, there are still objects of everyday life dating back to those times. The visit also includes the entrance to the remains of the Greek-Roman Theater.
Address: Piazza San Gaetano, 68 - 80138 Naples
Bourbon Gallery
It extends under the small hill of Pizzofalcone and is an underground route built in the 1853 by Ferdinand II of Bourbon as a possible escape from the Royal Palace to the current Piazza Vittoria. Today it is a very popular tourist site, a very suggestive place where ancient monuments and engravings of the wells have been found and where old quarries were reopened and used during the Second World War as a shelter. They can be done four paths: the standard provides a walking itinerary accessible to all, that adventure is a visit to a cistern on board a raft, that caving with overalls and harness leads into tunnels and fascinating majolica cisterns. Finally, the Via delle Memorie starts or ends at the Palazzo Serra di Cassano with the octagonal courtyard and the monumental staircase.
Address: Vico Del Grottone, 4 - 80132 Naples and Via D. Morelli C / O Parking Morelli (Piazza Vittoria Area) - 80121 Naples
Gran Cone of Vesuvius
The excursion on the Vesuvius crater is among the most evocative of Campania and is a walk that starts at about 1000 meters of altitude. In fact, you arrive by car to the square in the town of Ercolano which is located at that altitude and from there you continue on foot on a series of panoramic hairpin bends that become more and more fascinating as you go up. The vegetation of Vesuvius is mainly characterized by the broom, very fragrant flower and walking you can admire Mount Somma with the Cognoli di Sant'Anastasia and Punta Nasone opposite to the Cognoli of Ottaviano and Levante and a breathtaking view of the Gulf. Once you reach the Crater, even if you can walk the whole ring, you can not help but be amazed at the deep mouth of the volcano, rich in minerals and lichens and some fumaroles.
Address: Departure at the Piazzale 1000 meters - 80056 Ercolano (Naples)
The Path of the Gods
The Path of the Gods is one long walk on the Lattari Mountains, on the Amalfi Coast, which starts from the hamlet of Bomerano di Agerola to reach the town of Nocelle, in Positano. It's a'excursion of 10 km which is recommended to do in spring or summer, in any case with a beautiful day, to fully enjoy the beautiful landscapes. The walk is divided into High Path, which also includes a section that starts from Vico Equense, e Low Path, the most famous. This is almost all downhill, although there are some steps and climbs, it lasts about 5 hours and faces a vertical drop of 600 meters. You walk immersed in silence, in complete fusion with nature, discovering the Biscotto Cave, the Monte Serra pass and the Vallone Grarelle. Impossible not to be enchanted by the panoramic views with the beautiful Capri.
Address: Departure from Bomerano, fraction of Agerola - 80051 Pianillo (Naples)
Monte Faito
The hike on Mount Faito, one of the peaks of the Lattari Mountains, will lead up to approx 1130 meters high allowing the view of beautiful views of the Amalfi Coast. They can be done various routes, like the route from Campo del Pero to Monte Cerasuolo, from Campo del Pero to Croce della Conocchia, to the Casa del Monaco resort through the woods or from the Sports Center in Moiano on the mule track, which is the ancient road to Monte . On each of the chosen streets you can stop in the streets for picnics, meet grazing animals like horses or even indulge in the search for mushrooms and truffles. There is no lack of trees like monumental beeches and maples, but also natural cavities and springs.
Address: Departure from Vico Equense - 80069 (Naples)
Parco del Matese
The Parco del Matese is a 'protected natural area which includes Mount Mutria, Mount Gallinola, Mount Miletto, Lake Matese (from which it takes its name), Lake Letino and is crossed by the Titerno and Tammaro rivers. It is ideal for walks and outings and has one very rich fauna which includes, among the dozens of animals, the fox, the marmot, the great spotted woodpecker, the badger, the tordella, the dormouse, the hare and the rare rock partridge. Even the flora is lush and there are many plants of the Mediterranean scrub. It is also perfect for speleological excursions, for those who want to go mountain biking and for those who want to do grass skiing.
Address: Matese Regional Park - 81010 San Gregorio Matese (Caserta)
Park of the Grassano
The Park is located in the Telesina Valley and is crossed by the Rio Grassano on whose clear waters you can do Canoeing or kayaking. The river is so crystalline that you can admire its backdrop, rich in particular colors due to aquatic herbs. It is a heavenly oasis where both adults and children can relax and enjoy uncontaminated nature, including picnic areas, play areas and dining options. There are about 120000 square meters of greenery, numerous varieties of flowers and plants, but there are no shortage of animals like otters, nutria and waterfowl.
Address: Via Grassano, 1 - 82035 San Salvatore Telesino (Benevento)
Valley of the Mills
The Valle dei Mulini is located in the territory of Gragnano and is called that because for about 600 years, from the thirteenth century, many mills used for the production of flour and pasta, exploiting the strength of the Vernotico torrent, to supply above all the city of Naples. The Valley is about 2 km long and the ancient 28 mills have remained today 11, some of which are only ruins. One of the survivors is the La Pergola mill, the most characteristic and large, with a terrace where the grain was washed. Walking, you also meet the Mill of Monaco with a large esplanade where the pasta was dried. The whole of the mills is now considered an industrial archeology, but it goes well with the beautiful surrounding nature.
Address: Access from the historic center of Gragnano - 80054 (Naples)
Monte Terminio
Monte Terminio is located in the Appennino Campano, between the municipalities of Montella and Volturara Irpina. It is about 1800 meters tall and falls within Regional Park of the Picentini Mountains. You can undertake various paths that cross woods and esplanades, also meeting some watercourses. From the Principe di Piemonte Refuge you get to the Piana delle Acque Nere in which there is a large green space used for grazing, with a shelter for shepherds and a dairy, while in the village of Acqua degli Uccelli you get to Campolaspietro where there is a riding school and you can stop for a picnic. On Monte Terminio, in addition to walking, you can also do horse riding or cycling.
Address: Monte Terminio - Room of Serino 83028 (Avellino)
valley of Hell
The Valley of Hell is one of the most beautiful excursions that can be done inside the great Vesuvius National Park both because it is not very popular and because it offers a very impressive view from the bottom of the volcanic complex Monte Somma-Vesuvio. It is a fascinating journey because in part it is covered by solidified lava and it develops through a pine forest. The trail, often sloping, leads into the Vallone Tagliente and is initially paved, and then becomes a dirt road. The real Valle dell'Inferno is reached after walking on a stretch rich in Neapolitan alders, one with brooms and another that runs along the slopes of Vesuvius. When you reach the final destination you can admire the most beautiful lava formation of the area with a crack in which the ferns have grown.
Address: Departure from Ottaviano - Via Ottaviano Augusto (Valley of Delights) - 80044 (Naples)
