Amalfi – Mills Valley
Crossing ancient stairs and paths among lemon groves, you reach the Mills Valley, an uncontaminated wooded area full of springs and waterfalls among high mountains. Inside the deep valley, you can see several examples of industry of the 10th century, such as the remains of an old aqueduct or the ironworks where the iron was produced, and then we will visit the ruins of numerous paper mills that remain one of the few links with the history, wealth and power of the Republic of Amalfi.
We start from the old village of Pontone: from here in less than one hour we’ll reach a unique place, at least at our latitudes: the “Valle delle Ferriere” Oriented Nature Reserve, a real treasure chest of many treasures such as the Great Waterfall of the Rio Canneto more than 25 meters high, or the Petrified Mosses, in this subtropical microclimate, you can find the rare Pinguicola hirtiflora (a carnivorous plant), the Erica Terminalis but especially the famous prehistoric fern Woodwardia Radicans, a rare species of giant fern that has been present in the area for more than 65 million years.
Distance: 6 km
Altitude diff.: -250 m
Total duration: 4 h
Difficulty: “T”
(Easy)Equipment:
Trekking shoes, or Sneakers with non-slip sole, poles, hat, water.
Trail suitable for everyone
Entrance ticket to the Valley costs €5
The visit lasts about 30 minutes
For groups the reservation is compulsory
DIFFICULTY LEVELS
T = Tourist – Itinerary on small roads, stairs, mule tracks or wide paths. The routes generally do not require specific training other than that typical of the walk; suitable for everyone.
H = Hiking – Routes on paths or obvious traces in various types of terrain (pastures, debris, stones …). They are generally marked with red and white paint or only red They can also take place in snowy environments but only slightly inclined. They require training to walk even for a few hours and stress on the knees for the presence of long stretches of stairs, suitable for all.
EH = Experienced hikers – these routes are generally signposted but with some difficulty: the terrain can be made up of slippery slopes of grass, mixed of rocks and grass, rocks, although paths that do not require special equipment you can present individual rocky passages easy to climb (use of hands in some places). They require surefootedness and absence of vertigo. The physical preparation must be adequate for a day of fairly continuous walking.