A Hike in the Partenio
Mountains
As noted in the
entry on the Partenio
National Park, the park is the dark green
patch in the image on the right and is...
...in the part of
the Apennine chain called the Avella Mounts; that
is, the hills north-west and above the town of
Avellino, about 50 km inland from Naples. The park
is about 15,000 hectares (c. 58 sq. miles) in
area, entirely within the national region of
Campania. There are 22 separate towns in the
Partenio park, separated one from the next by not
more than a mile or two...
The park is quite close to one of the
best-known attractions in Italy, the sanctuary of Monte
Vergine. Most visitors to the area, if
they have but little time at their disposal,
will no doubt choose to see that sanctuary, well
worth the effort. Those with more time, however,
might choose to wander off and take advantage of
what else these mountains have to offer, such as
a chance to hike up and see a little church
dedicated to one of the early fathers of the
Christian faith, Saint Sylvester, pope from 314
to 335. Not too much is known about him, but in
much of the world, they celebrate his feast day,
San Silvestro —New Year's Eve, coming up
in just a few days (as I write this on December
26).
Arriving from Naples, the first
turn into the park is the Avellino-West exit from
the A-16 autostrada; then you start up on state road
SS 374 toward the Montevergine
monastery (but avoid that tun-off) and run along the
374 with the mountains on your left, to pass through
Mercogliano and Ospedaletto d'Alpinolo to Summonte,
a small town
of just over 1500 persons. The town is
conspicuous for the presence of a large
tower (pictured, left), once part of a
fortress built in the 11th century and now
the site of a museum displaying medieval
weapons. The town is the administrative
headquarters of the national park.
Fulvio Salvi,
head of Napoli Underground, took it upon himself
to follow the hiking trail that leads from
Summonte up to the rock church of San Silvestro.
He followed a 10 km/6 mile ring route, up and
back. It can be tough in places, but not overly
strenuous. He started at the Urupetra
shelter (pictured, right - 742 meters/c.2300 feet
a.s.l.) just in from the west (left) side of the
road as you pass through Summonte on the way to the
next small town. If you start up from the shelter,
you are in a potentially confusing situation; the
Partenio National Park has about 30 hiking trails,
one of which, for example, as you start up the San
Silvestro trail will swing up and back to the Monte
Vergine sanctuary, 2 km behind you. There are other
detours, as well, so you have to keep your eyes on
the signs put up by the CAI (Italian Alpine Club);
they are red and white with arrows and indications
of distance. Fortunately, there are a number of them
in the immediate area, and, indeed, larger maps
posted on display boards. The CAI trail to the
church is number 24. You can't get lost (he
said...). Fulvio writes:
...The most interesting surprise of
the day came almost at the end. Around 1.5 km
from the end there was a stone gateway mounted
by a papal coat of arms that opened onto a small
square where there was a small stone church. It
goes back to the 11th century and was dedicated
to Pope (and saint) Silvester. The structure,
itself, consists of just a single facade
fronting two levels: at the lower level the
church is the entrance to the grotto and fount
of miracles and a basin for the faithful (the
waters were reputed to have curative
properties); on the second level there must have
been the bronze bell traditionally rung by
pilgrims to tell the townsfolk in nearby
Summonte, below, of their presence...
First,
you see the stone gateway (image, above) then the
arch, close-up, and then the church, itself.
Depending on the time of the year, the town of
Summonte sponsors group hikes up to the church,
where it serves as a venue not just for religious
services but concerts and folk-lore events, as well.
Also, the whole area is one of the chestnut capitals
of Italy. The hike passes through a large orchard of
chestnut trees. The nut is so highly prized that
there is an Italian expression that translates as
"to catch someone with his hands in the chestnuts,"
meaning roughly "to catch someone red-handed." Sylvester lived in interesting times
for early Christians; he witnessed the
abdication of Diocletian, saw the triumph of
Constantine and was pope during the council of
Nicaea in 325. The First
Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical
council of the Christian church, resulting in
the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the
Nicene Creed. And, no, Nicaea is not Latin for
Nice, so the Nicene Creed was not formulated on
the French riviera, and that's a relief. It's in
Turkey.
photos
- bottom 4: Napoli Underground
