Starting from the seaside village of Pioppi, going along the seafront and arriving at the so-called “Porto del Fico”, one of the Velini ports belonging to the Kora di Velia, located at the mouth of river Mortelle.
Here the green path that follows the bed of the river begins, rich in vegetation, through a zig-zag on the rocks emerging from the water, protected by imposing walls of stratified rocks in some points, typical of the geological Flysh of Cilento. The end of the path is reached in a short time, looking at a small waterfall that feeds a karst basin known as Pozzo dell'Uva nera(black grape well) probably due to the thick presence of the "Capelvenere", a fern typical of humid and shady environments which, when it withers, looks like clusters of black grapes. In ancient times, women from Cilento gathering linen, went to this place for the first phase of processing the harvest, which consisted of soaking the product in stagnant water to soften the fiber. This pool was also known to the locals as the "devil's well", to discourage the little ones who ignored the danger in the game, underestimating the depth of the central part of it, which was believed to exceed two meters.
Technical Details:
Starting point: 9.00AM from port Del Fico in Pioppi.
Difficulty: T (easy/medium)
Length: about 8.7km, circular route
Duration: about 4 hours
Max Altitude: 84m a.s.l.
Recommended Equipment: technical trekking shoes required(the use of any other kind of shoes will preclude participation for safety reasons), trekking poles, comfortable layered clothing, windproof jacket/vest, hat/sunglasses and spare clothing to take with you or to keep in the car.
