The Path of the Gods

Legend has it that once Gods of “Monti Lattari” used to follow a path across the hillside parallel to the sea, to go and admire the beauty of the Sirens of the gulf of Naples and to enjoy their bewitching songs while bathing in Positano’s waters;  this ancient path was called “The Path of the Gods”. Its name derives probably by its location, the path is in fact situated half way at the foot of Mount St. Angelo a Tre Pizzi you can admire one of the most spectacular landscape in the world, which is the western part of the Amalfi Coast from Praiano to Capri. Along the promenade, you can cover all the typical features of the Mediterranean, from the flora with herbs and aromas of traditional local cuisine, to the fauna characterized by the presence of weasels, foxes and hedgehogs in a place where the clear sky is dominated by peregrine falcons, swallows, owls and crows. The route can be made in both directions but generally, the departure is from Bomerano (you can also enter along the path from Praiano passing the Convent of St. Dominic) and you come up to Montepertuso.

The most striking part of the path is for sure the one that goes from “Grotta Biscotto” to Nocelle, which is exceptionally interesting and scenic from beginning to end. The first one is a natural cave an exemplary site of rare geological effect, full of stories that invigorate the beauty of these places, it treasures in fact, well-preserved ruins of ancient artefacts used as animal shelters and deposits. Nocelle is on the other hand, a characteristic small village, which was once linked to Positano Village only by a long staircase.

Left behind the remains of ancient settlements in the rock of “Grotta Biscotto”, you will soon meet a majestic amphitheatre of horrid crags, and then the spectacular "Pinnacolo”, on which we see what is left of a plaque in memory of Giustino Fortunato, who seems to have given its name to this path. Keep on following the path we reach the fork to Colle Serra, there, in a blue landscape, it will be possible to admire the breathtaking landscape formed by Li Galli Island, the Vetara rock and the ridges of Mount San Costanzo which gently slopes towards Punta Campanella. The vegetation at this point changes quite radically and you pass by a few shrubs and grass at a spot full of dense oaks, arbutus, heather and rosemary. Along the trail are steep some places, there are ravines, abandoned terraces and empty houses. All this brings us back to a bygone world tied to the hard work of the earth, but was relieved by the mild climate and the beauty of the Amalfi.

Following a very tortuous and full of ups and downs path, we finally reach “Vallone Grarelle”, with its caves and deep coves, and later the little village of Nocelle.

From the little village you can get off on Coastal Route making about 1500 steps and arriving in Arienzo, or continue up to Montepertuso reaching Monte Gambera site of the legendary battle between the Virgin Mary and the Devil. Traces of this mystical fight are today visible and are said to be: the imprint in the rock of Lucifer’s tail, traces of the Madonna and the girl, by her lit, footsteps, as well as the highly visible and famous hole, which is said to have been stamped in the mountain by the index finger of the Madonna.

Legend has it that the noise of the controversy was so intense, that the brigands who used to live in the surrounding caves were awakened in their sleep and watched astonished the battle. It is also said that from that moment on, the earthly personification of the Devil, the brigands, stopped to live there and abandoned the caves of Montepertuso. It is right here in Montepertuso that ends the Path of the Gods, and is from this point that you can reach the center of Positano.

Marina Grande and Villa Tritone

 

It has been a month since the re-opening of the wonderful piece of art and history, which is Marina Grande Ancient Gate. The site, which once was the only way to access the port, dates back to roman times and is linked to the devastating Turkish Invasion in 1558, which almost destroyed Sorrento city. In fact, the story goes that a traitor, slave of the Correale family, opened the gate during the night of the invasion, allowing pirates to plunder the city. The ancient gate, which often figure on Sorrento’s postcards, was threatening to collapse, reason why important recovery activities have begun. During the intervention, the expert restorers discovered a secret ancient passage, which dates back to the sixteenth century, and that allowed entering and exiting the gates of the ancient city, from Marina Grande. Endless tunnels, long hundreds of meters , dug without delay "offering up" a "hidden path ", a route to take when the city gates were closed in times of: war, bloody battles and sieges, and which is said to emerge near the cave of St. George in Villa Tritone.

The mansion has always been considered one of the most prestigious property of Sorrento also for its position, one of the most beautiful of the Sorrento Peninsula. In fact, as an eagle, the villa overlooks the village of Marina Grande, which was the natural set of the famous movie "Pane, Amore e ..." with Sofia Loren, from a two hundred feet high ridge of tuff, which is dominated by the triangular Vesuvius. Former residence of Agrippa Postumus, grandson of Augustus, the villa became in 1200 the convent of cloistered nuns, violated by the Saracens in 1558. Rebuilt by the Dominicans, the property was honoured by the presence of Torquato Tasso visiting prior to the friar in 1577. Abolished as a monastery in 1799 it passed to the Jesuits in 1835 and was later purchased by Baron Calabrian Labonia who built his house on the ruins the Roman villa of Agrippa, passing later in the hands of the publishing magnate William Waldorf Astor who built the magnificent garden full of exotic plants.

Among the years, the Villa has had several owners, among them the publisher Astor in Geertsema with whom the property definitely took the name of Villa Tritone. In addition to its unparalleled beauty, which we have already talked about earlier, the Villa was made famous also for having given hospitality to: tycoons, intellectuals, aristocrats and artists, in the immediate post-war, among whom figure the philosopher Benedetto Croce during the bombing of Naples in 1942. During those years, the Villa also became the Reference point as well as the counterpart of Villa “La Rufola”, owned by the Marquis Ruffino Benzoni, who for years played host to the death to Gaetano Salvemini, returned from long exile in the United States.

In the sixties, Rita and Mariano Pane bought Villa Tritone, making it recover its past splendour forgotten during the years. Many were the improvements: the reorganization of the apartments, the care of the garden full of exotic and local, some of which are higher than the building itself.  In the Villa we also find many archaeological finds, all of rare beauty, and then basins, grassy paths, areas of greenery, hundreds of steps towards the sea, secret caves and huge tanks, which were in the Roman period, nurseries for fish. When Mariano and Rita began to live at Villa Tritone, they used to receive and accommodate some of the greatest exponents of the international culture, allowing sharing the beauty of this wonderful place to the knowledge of many.

Villa Tritone is today the only Villa in southern Italy, which has been included in the prestigious volume of “Giardini d’Italia” of Marella Caracciolo Agnelli and Federico Forquet.

Regina Giovanna

Best Picture ever for the best place ever!

Ieranto Bay and the Myth of the Sirens

Massa Lubrense has always been called "The Land of the Sirens", that's why I got interested in this theme nd started doing some research. Here's to yu what I found Enjoy!

Sirens, mystical creatures of an ancient past who are said to have inhabited Sorrento area since Greek times; statements of sirens existence are mainly found in Greek stories among which the most important is Homer’s “Odyssey”.

Sirens physiognomy changed a lot during their first appearances, in early Greek art in fact, they used to be represented as birds with huge women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet, turning later into female figures with bird’s legs, with or without wings, who rejoiced themselves playing variety of musical instruments, especially harps. It is believed that their bird element was chosen because of their beautiful voices. According to the “Odissey”, Odysseus was so curious to hear the Siren’s chant that in order to do that, on Circe’s advice, he had all of his sailor’s ear plug with beeswax and ordered his men to tie him to the mast and to not unbid him no matter his begging. When they came to pass near the Island of the Sirens, Odysseus heard their fascinating chant and begged his sailors to free him, but they did not give up to his entreaties.

Once out of the earshot, his sailors released Odysseus. According to popular beliefs, Sorrento Peninsula is strictly related to the myth of the Sirens, and is commonly known also as the “Land of the Sirens”. Scholars retains in fact that, according to Homer descriptions, Siren’s liar would match exactly the morphological appearance described by the Greek poet. It is believed that those mythological creatures found in the mouths of Capri their ideal setting, being related, for the Greek imaginary, to a liminal situation between land and water, and for being those who rule over the elements and in particular to the condition and to the essential elements for navigation.

The story goes that Sirens would have had a temple in the Peninsula, possibly in Ieranto’s Bay, and that their mythical lair would have been the famous “Li Galli” islands “Sirenuse” to the ancients. Some post-Homeric authors stated that the Sirens were fated to die if someone hearing their chant would have managed to escape them, according Licofrone in fact, having failed to attract Odysseus, “Li Galli” island’s sirens, threw themselves into the sea letting the sea carry their dead bodies respectively to Terina (Ligeia), Licosa (Leukosia) and the other one in Naples (Parthenope). From the name of the sirens would derives the name of those places.

Please find at the end of the page the direct link to download a calendar of the available events related to the wonderful Bay of Ieranto and to the story of the Myth of the Sirens.

Legends of Sorrento - The Treasure cave!

Today I want to tell you about a history that has always fascinated me a lot! Since I was I child people in Sorrento, just like anyone else in the area, used to told me about a story related to the area of the Neffola river. I got so interested that I started doing some research I eventually went there...but this is another story...here's to you what I found about the aura of mistery of this place! Enjoy the reading!


Nicolucci’s Cave is located in the Cretaceous limestone ridge overlooking the extreme part of the town of Sorrento, about ninety meters above sea level, where it flows a small waterfall, stream of the source Neffola, that emerge into the sea at Marina Grande. It is not easily visible from a distance, especially in the spring season, as the surrounding area is completely covered with Mediterranean vegetation and a weed in brambles. The opening of the cave has semi-elliptical shape, quite large and high. It leads into a small space of a few square meters where the floor has been lowered due to the input of the many uncontrolled excavations. The interior of the cave has a high vault with stalactite formation, while on the walls are frequent mosses and algae. The back wall, opposite the entrance, is divided into two shelves, one above the other, separated by a stalagmite arch. The upper chamber, raised about two meters from the ground floor, is divided into a vestibule and into an inner chamber, which is accessed with difficulty. The lower compartment is wider than the upper compartment.

Over the years, the cave was often subject of study by many scholars, but it has also undergone many alterations, especially at the hands of curious in search of hidden treasures. The area is in fact linked to many legends, rumors and weird stories, which helped to create an aura of fear and mystery around this place. It seems in fact, that many people from Sorrento and surroundings believed that every night, a warrior armed like S. Giorgio, would monitor the area riding a huge black horse, disappearing later into the ravine below. Woe to meet him!

There’s then the most widespread legend which tells that the cave once treasured a hidden treasure consisting of: precious gems, jewelry, statues and ancient gold coins. The story goes that giant skeletons would have bitten up with unprecedented ferocity and cruelty those who, out of greed or simple curiosity, would have introduced into the cave without knowing the magic words and the other spells designed to allow access guarded the treasure. However, to tell the truth, the treasure really existed and it was the one that Leonardo Lorenzoni, director of the boarding school and the Technical School of matched Viggiano, discovered in 1885. After the excavations, Lorenzoni described the numerous and interesting material found in the cave which he dedicated as a token of esteem to Justinian Nicolucci professor of Anthropology at the University of Naples. Many of the objects found by Lorenzoni in the cavity are now kept in the Museum of Anthropology, founded by Nicolucci himself.

Nicolucci’s Cave currently holds a considerable regional importance since it is so far one of the only extant example of the Bronze Age in Sorrento peninsula. It has restored a large amount of fragments, about a thousand, now found only in small part, which may date back to a period that goes from the Neolithic Serra d'Alto until the fourth century BC, allowing us to reconstruct with a certain approximation the succession of human presence in the cavity. The spots carbonaceous stored on the funds of the vases, the faunal remains (wild but also domestic animals) and ash, the remains of lithic and bone, the weights of the frame, the different whorls, not clearly attributable to a specific cultural horizon, testify, according to some scholars, the unfolding of an activity in the cave of domestic life, every day. The modest size of the cave, however, make it difficult to assume a continuous residential use of the site and suggest rather an occasionally natural shelter probably only as a supplement to a closer and more comfortable home.
Finally it cannot be excluded, the possibility that this place was used as a worship and burial cave.