On the slopes of Monte della Stella(Mount Star) there is a path that winds through longboards villages, magical herbs and Holy Stairs, the Cuntarià ring, a fascinating botanical as well as historical walk.
St John's-wort, verbena, elderberry, agrimony, burdock, horsetail are just some of the medicinal plants that can be found along our path.
Starting from Stella Cilento, a town that has only 700 inhabitants scattered throughout the 4 hamlets, San Giovanni, Amalafede, Guarrazzano and Droro. The church of Saint Nicholas from Bari is very typical, inside which there is a marble statue in high relief depicting Madonna della Stella(Madonna of the Star), the statue is represented in the act of taking an eight-pointed star while holding a completely naked child with her left hand astride her knee. Every summer Stella comes alive with “Cuntarià, stories and happiness”, an holiday to learn about history through anecdotes, proverbs, old stories and legends. San Giovanni is the second stop on our visit, in the shadow of the famous Vassallo Palace, called by the locals "Castle" for its strategic position, we can admire a splendid landscape that goes from sea to mountains. Famous is the "Festa del Borgo”(Feast of the Hamlet), where it is possible to taste typical Cilento dishes and local wine.
Then, we go up to Amalafede, a small group of houses with only 14 inhabitants. Then along a short stretch of the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), crossing a path lined with walnuts, chestnuts and elderberries, we descend to Guarrazzano, also of Longobards origin, surrounded by immense olive groves, the life of the community develops around the recently restored parish church. dedicated to St. Peter.
We return to Stella by going through another stretch of the Scala Santa (connecting Stella to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Star, a pilgrimage destination for the faithful on August 15).
LENGTH: 7,5 km
ALTITUDE: 180 metri
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