Start & Finish: Strada Provinciale 114, Vesuvius /  Sat Nav – parking & start of walk: 40.82983, 14.40566 / Start elevation: 708m / Max elevation: 1083m / Gain: 517 m / Total distance: 8.8km / Typical Duration: 3-4 hours for full circuit but there are shorter options / Category: Low Trail – Easy and High Trail – Difficult

See map & notes below, full details coming soon...

This is a fantastic woodland walk for the whole family with flat and hilly options that will suit everyone. It’s also great for dogs.

Unfortunately there’s no parking nearby so we parked on the side of the road near the gate. The gate is locked during the winter but there is large hole in the fence (to the right of the gate) that you can use to get in (see photos).

The first 800m of the trail is a wide flat grassy track with grass mats to allow disabled people to enjoy it (but I have to say it is a little rough now). After a while you reach an intersection where you can choose to take the lower track left or the higher track to the right. The lower route is a fairly flat woodland path that weaves in and out of the valleys on the north eastern flanks of Vesuvius (Monte Somma). With kids I usually head an hour along here and then turn around. The higher track is much more strenuous and leads up to Punta Nasone, the highest point on Monte Somma at 1132m. If you stay on the lower track and want a longer option you can continue until the trail until you have another intersection. Here you can go left and take the path 1.6km down the mountain to Santa Maria a Castello (see green line on the map) and then either visit the village and turn back.  Or you can go right and take the high trail via Punta Nasone and back to the first intersection to complete a loop.

Map