Today we woke up early as always with a cloudy and chilly day but because it was early in the morning, Arturo had made me coffee in his own way on the stove in the back garden of the guest house and I had some biscuits from the previous day.

The first strech - After breakfast we greeted the owner and his dog of the accommodation and the owner of the mini market in Maggazzeno. Our day began by pedaling along the little-traffic road that ran along the sea and our bicycle wheels turned easily on flat terrain.

The second strech - We had crossed the bridge where the Sele river passed underneath (an important river in Campania, 64 km long) which flowed into the Tyrrhenian sea and then we had followed the direction for Pasteum and Agropoli and the sea was somewhere on our right side while we we were cycling on a road with agricultural fields as the protagonist and we also found plants with bunches of abandoned black grapes that we couldn't help but stop to taste, and it was a good opportunity to take a break and enjoy some bunches of grapes, which were very tasty.

The third strech - Then we continued cycling, also finding a cycle path and close to the road towards Agropoli it was lined with walls made of stone and Roman archaeological remains. And we stopped because Arturo wanted to pick some wild salad in a green area that could be eaten. while he was harvesting I had met a person who was walking and was an archaeologist and I had a chat and he also knew that type of salad.

The fourth strech - After having greeted the nice person who had given us some explanations regarding the locality, we continued there on a road that wound further inland and behind us of Agripoli the promontory of Mount Tresino which connects two coastal municipalities, namely Agropoli and Sanata Maria di Castellabate which fall within the national park of Cilento Vallo di Diano and Albumi.

INFO: The Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park

The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park is a mountainous area is a protected area (of 181,048 hectares) and is one of the largest parks in Italy, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site of the southern Campania region in the province of Salerno. It includes the Cilentan Coast, the mountains of Cilento, and the Vallo di Diano.

The Cilento coast (100 km long) starts from Agropoli and ends in Sapri is located between the Gulf of Salerno and the Gulf of Policastro in the south of Calabria.

In the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park there is a cycling route called La Via Silente, a 600 km circular route that crosses the entire territory. The route takes its name from the typical "sound" of the places you will discover: "Silence".

The fifth strech - After a few kilometers where Arturo had collected the salad we cycled among beautiful uncontaminated coastal views and some stretches of the road ran alongside pine trees with lots of pine nuts on the ground that he had collected and broken their shell with a stone and then eaten and in the meantime they were two cycle tourists from Germany passed by. Arturo had the chance to speak German for a few minutes telling him that they were taking a tour of the area

The sixth strech - Then after the break we continued and there were Alhoie plants on the road (which is used to make skin cream) and continuing to cycle on the hills with very few houses and lots of peace we met a local person with a dog who told us that the road we were on along it was a famous route for cyclists in the high season. While exchanging a chat he told us to pick some almonds from his trees and there too a load of fresh almonds picked from the tree and how delicious!

The seventh strech - We continued pedaling and another break but this time Arturo had wanted to stop for lunch and the chef took the stove out and cooked some pasta, very good and the salad he had picked seasoned with his seasoning of olives, chilli spices and oil. It's a recipe that had collected olives put in the dressing and after weeks they were ready to eat. He carries the bowl of dressing on his bicycle under the bags of his bicycle made of mesh so he wouldn't dirty the rest he was carrying. It was truly incredible how tidy and precise he was even when washing the dishes he had The ORTLIEB water bag can be filled  that with up to ten liters of water so that you are well supplied in the camp. Ovviamente lui ne   possiede  perche' trascoorre long periods outdoors e deve pensare about water transport. Arturo's bicycle is a portable and organized home!

The eighth strech - After the good lunch what I am not accustomed to that type of lunch and after the various ups and downs of the road with the coastal views of the state road (SS267) we arrived at Acciaroli is a quiet, low key area that nestles the waterfront and is covers the surrounding hillsides. And in the seaside center of Lido Myosotis, a quiet place, I had taken a dip in the sea with a swim while I was sitting on a deckchair on the beach.

The ninth strech - After Arturo's dive into the sea we continued to cycle on the same road and after a few kilometers it wound more internally but still with a sea view which is not busy, indeed it wasn't deserted but there were many ups and downs up to an immediate steep climb that was impossible to cycle on. Woah it was truly an incredible slope that even in a photo I took you can't really see the real slope) anf the route had definitely changed, pedaling on the various zigs of the road and climbing to an altitude of 230 meters above sea level and then descending with various ups and downs until reaching Santa Maria di Castellabate.

The tenth strech - After passing the locality of Santa Maria di Castellabate the is (higher village), which is set further up in the hills, also in a spectacular setting! and more or less from that point we took the Via Silente, passing the medieval village of Pisciotta "land of the olive tree" (Cliento Vallo di Diano and Abumi National Park) perched on a hill, and at a certain point the road separates into two directions and I continued on the SR267/d road and with all the ups and downs and panoramic views of the sea I arrived in Palinuro.

The tenth strech - He was looking for a place to sleep and then Arturo found a kisko near the sea. It was closed due to the low summer season but for us it was a corner of paradise as if we had had a small piece of land to ourselves with a sea view. Truly gorgeous!

The last leg -  After having put up our tents and as always Arturo had prepared a good dinner of lentils which he had soaked in the bicycle bottle and they didn't take long to cook and together with the rice he had cooked it was a really good dinner. He had also roasted some large chestnuts which were excellent.

After washing the dishes that I didn't wash, he wanted to do them in his very organized way. It's incredible how organized and clean Arturo is both in food preparation, in setting up at the campsite and really in everything he does. Without forgetting his speed in placing his luggage etc. I am also an organized and fast person and together we were good traveling companions! After a chat we went to bed in our tents

In the middle of the evening - it was around 11pm a car had stopped near a small seaside accommodation near where we were. We remained silent in our tents sending texts to understand if everything was ok and not dangerous. And it was all ok it was a couple of people who arrived late to their accommodation. A new experience for me but I knew I was safe with Arturo, he is used to free campsites. My wild camping nights were backpacking in forests and deserted beaches for days and there were bears or other animals there but I knew how to behave here it was definitely scarier, something new and I had only done wild canping once on a trip to Europe in Ireland simply because we couldn't find a campsite. I had a new travel experience!

< previous

next >