Calore’s Gorges

Activities and excursions through the gorges dug by the Calore river

Calore’s Gorges
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Calore’s gorges: Silence and water

In Felitto, a small Cilento town in Val Calore, there is the percorso delle Gole del Calore (Calore’s Gorges Path), a 9 km path through wild and unpolluted nature, where you will hear no sound but the water running through the rocks.

THE GORGES DUG BY THE CALORE RIVER

Over thousands of years the Calore river dug in the rock the so-called “gole”, gorges that can be up to ten metres high, within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento (Cilento National Park). The fourth gorge and the fifth gorge are between Magliano Nuovo and Felitto; these two gorges stand out because of the phenomenon called “marmitte dei giganti” (giants’ mufflers), that is huge round holes dug in the gorges’ rock.

The percorso delle gole del Calore starts in Felitto, to be more precise from the oasi di Remolino (Remolino Oasis), where you take the path that goes right through the gorges and wild nature and gets to the Medieval bridge in Magliano Nuovo. Within the oasi di Remolino area there are some picnic tables, restaurants, toilets and a fee-paying car park.

Along the path there are several places of interest: the dyke and the remains of the Remolino di Felitto hydroelectric power plant; the ponte di petratetta (petratetta bridge), a natural bridge made out of two rocks that got together when collapsed; the grotta di Bernardo (Bernardo’s grotto) that, according to legend, is the former house of a giant; the ponte medievale di Magliano a schiena d’asino (Magliano donkey back-shaped Medieval bridge); many different plant species, even uncommon ones, and the local fauna, such as otters and Salamandrina terdigitata.

Before getting there, please check the path status at: comune.felitto.sa.it

SMARTIP

Felitto is the fusillo felittese’s birthplace, a PGI kind of pasta, that you can buy at the L’oro di Felitto pasta shop in via Roma, right at the centre of the small town. Moreover, every year, since 1974, on August Felitto has been housing the Sagra del fusillo felittese, a festival you can’t miss if you are spending your vacations in the Cilento area.

EXCURSIONS WITHIN THE GOLE DEL CALORE AREA

There are many outdoor activities you can enjoy within the gole del Calore area, such as paddle boat tours along the river, kayak tours, trekking, canyoning, horse trekking. You can book any tour at goledelcalore.it

HOW TO REACH FELITTO

If you come from the north of Italy, you have to drive along the A3 highway and take the exit signposted Battipaglia, then take the SS 18 state road towards Capaccio Scalo, proceed towards Rocca d’Aspide and Castel San Lorenzo, and take the exit signposted Felitto.

If you come from the south of Italy, you have to drive along the A3 highway and take the exit signposted Sala Consilina, then take the SS 19 state road towards Atena Scalo and proceed towards Ponte Calore; keep going towards Maruzza and take the exit signposted Felitto.