A mystical top

It continues along the stretch of road to the “Acqua Carpegna” area: a paved but rough climb, in the shade of thick olive groves and branches of rebellious beech trees. Here the silence is so deep that you don’t even hear the call of the animals. Step by step, the air becomes more and more stingy, the beeches give way to a spontaneous bush and we may see the first glimpses of an infinite landscape.

The most trained hickers can go on foot from Calvanico and live an hard but very satisfying mountain experience. The laziest ones travel from the Acqua Carpegna area, at an altitude of 1120 meters, to slowly reach an altitude of 1567 meters, where the highest sanctuary of S. Michele in Italy stands out.

Along this path, everything inspires slowness: the absolute silence, the impenetrable green of the beech trees, the very small bushes of wild carnations that color the edges of the walk, the sun timidly seeping through the mane of leaves, the lone raspberries, the calcareous rocks that emerge from the ground to give hikers a little rest. Few clues scattered here and there on the ground reveal the presence of foxes, to remind us we are guests of a wonderful forest across the mountain.

This path to S. Michele is an ancient pilgrimage that still lives on once a year, in May. Calvanico celebrates its Holy Patron with two days of festivities, during which the believers take the statue of Saint Michael to the top of the mountain. The climb is hard, especially in the tract most exposed to the sun, but reaching the top rewards every effort.

The first breath on top sweeps away the tiredness and recharges, thanks to the energy that this place gives. It’s not just a typical mysticism of a place of worship, but also the immensity, the superb beauty of a landscape that has no confines. The Terminio mountain, the Cervialto, the Mai, the Partenio, the Vesuvius, the Somma Mountain, the entire Gulf of Salerno, the Gulf of Naples, the little town of Mercato San Severino, the Lattari Mountains, the Alburni: there’s nothing we can’t see from Pizzo San Michele, especially at dawn and dusk, when the haze thins out and everything looks clearer.

The sanctuary looks like a small country church. Legend has it whoever arrives at the top has to walk around the sanctuary three times to honor St. Michael the Archangel. The church is almost always closed, except on particular occasions. The refuge next door, however, is always open for pilgrims and hickers who want to rest, even for a few hours. In autumn or summer, on Pizzo San Michele it’s easy to meet groups of adventurers burning wood in the fireplace to warm up or to prepare a grill.