Monte Faito (Monti Lattari)

Overview

Mountain Faito is the tallest peak of the whole chain of the M. Lattari.
His summit (1.444 ms. on the sea) it is commonly known as the " Molar " because of his particular very similar form to a molar.
the panoramas, that are extended on almost all the region Campania, are fantastic.
The group of the Faito Mountain, that with the tallest top of Sant'Angelo a Tre Pizzi reaches the 1444 meters high, it is really an unusual place for these zones, that are raised never so aloft. But the unique landscape, that all is always opened around on the sea, also appears rare and particular to all those that well they know the alpine environment and the mountains.

















Aloft the panorama becomes amazing, not only embracing the gulves of Naples and Salerno and the islands, but extending itself up to the Mountains of the Matese and to those Picentinis and up to Point Licosa, to the Islands Ponziane and to the Promontory of the Circeo.







The flora is rich. Pinos of Calabria, firs and chestnut trees are numerous.









Monte Faito , feared in the antiquity, was the hermitage of St. Catello and Sant'Antonino, that erected a Church devoted to St. Michael. Here, in winter was preserved in ample pits, covered of cloth of sack and leaves, the snow that, on the shoulders of the carriers, went down for embarking to the Marina of Vico for then to reach the tables of the wealthy Neapolitans.
To valley, on the run of the snow, a small Chapel devoted to the Madonna of the snow,rose in place Pozzillo, not distant from the embarkation, and it seems that the sailors have made to erect another of it to the landing of Mergellina in Naples.
Today Faito is place of strong tourist call, kind in the summer season, being furnished of hotels and pensions of many places of the ristorazione and tourist and sporting fittings.

Getting There

The greatest hamlet in the hilly zone is that of Moiano, to quota 512 ms s.l.m., on the slopes of Mountain Faito. And proper Moiano can be considered the door of access to the tallest mountain is and more main point of the Lattaris Mountains; the most ancient road is that , leaving from Moiano and passing for the place Chiaiare, comes near the actual Sporting Center of Faito, to quota 967 ms s.l.m..
And this is one rather binding but very interesting path from the landscape and naturalistic point of view, passing from the Mediterranean stain to dense castagnetis.
From the Sporting Center, attainable also from Vico Equense through the Road National n. 269, a comfortable asphalted road allows to easily reach the Sorgente Lontra, among pines, chestnut trees and beech trees that with their foliage create mutable suggestions in every season.
The ideal point of departure of the varied itineraries on Mountain Faito is the Piazzale dei Capi, so says because in past it was the point in which the cables (Cavi) were placed (dialectly said " capi ") of a teleferica used for easily transporting to valley lumber and other products of the Faito.



From the Piazzale dei Capi a path actually crosses the whole crest of the mountain to the Sanctuary of St. Michael to quota 1268 ms s.l.m., between pines and beech trees, while the panorama is opened on the Plain one of the Sarno, from the Vesuvius to the Mountains of the Matese, actually to the Picentinis Mountains. From the Sanctuary of St. Michael, through an easy path dipped in the faggeta, it is reached the Pits of the Snow: holes are big dug in the ground in which, in the winter months, covered by leaves and ground, you/he/she was accumulated snow that, frozen, it was preserved for a long time, actually a summer months, when you/he/she was dug and transported to valley, and from them in Naples, to produce refreshing drinks. Around these pits they are noticed some beech trees by the great and stately trunk that, otherwise from the others, were not periodically cut because with their shade they favored the maintenance of the snow. From the spiazzo that it constitutes the point of departure of this path, a leaves from there anything else other than, after a brief line in descent, salt more and more aloft, toward the top of the Sant'Angelo a tre pizzi , to quota 1444 ms s.l.m., in territory of the Commune of Pimonte. Along the run the water's font Acqua Santa s met, on whose walls grows a little carnivorous plant, the Pinguicula hirtiflora, wreckage of the last glacial era.









The last line of the ascent to the mountain, says The " Molar " for its characteristic form, it is particularly steep and binding, but the difficulty is broadly compensated by the sight of which you can be enjoyed by the peak, could space to 360 degrees, from the Gulf of Gaeta actually to Point Licosa, extreme Southerner of the Gulf of Salerno, and from the Mountains of the Matese to the Alburnums Mountains. Few away from the Sanctuary of St. Michael, along the road that brings to the Spiazzo dei Capi, it is opened in the faggeta the clearing of Pian of the However, to quota 1159 ms s.l.m., from where two paths leave that allow to advance in the wood to the discovery of the thousand aspects of its nature. The first one, briefer, it conducts to the Cerasuolo Mountain, to quota 1213 ms s.l.m., with a splendid panoramic sight on the whole Gulf in Naples. The second conducts to the Distaff, to quota 1275 ms s.l.m. and, although longer and binding, in the initial line it is level entirely and it is also developed on a comfortable practicable path with baby carriage of children or disabled, actually crossing the whole faggeta to the place Casa del Monaco Here the panorama is suddenly opened, spacing from the thick neighbor of the Comocchia to the whole Peninsula Sorrentina and to the island in Capri, while the path continues on the side of the deep vallone of the water of the Milo up to the top of the Conocchia. The end of this path still reserves some surprise: far, whereas sea and sky are confused, the outlines of the islands of Ischia and Procida emerge and, in days from the particularly clear air, also those of Ponza and Ventotene, while aloft they are often circling gheppi and imperial crows.

Red Tape

No permits required. No problem at all

When To Climb

Monte Faito is attainable during the whole year

Link

Club Alpino Italiano Sez. di Napoli
Tourist office of Vico Equense
Free climbing on Monti Lattari
A web page on Penisola sorrentina

Local Meteo

Meteo di Sorrento
Meteo di Napoli or
Meteo di Napoli

Books

"A piedi in Campania" Vol. 2 - Stefano Ardito - Ed. ITER

"Le falesie del sole" O. Bottiglieri Ed CAI Sez Cava dei Tirreni

External Links

• Club Alpino Italiano Sez di Napoli
  Page of the Neapolitan section of the CAI. It presents activity of the section with some papers on ascensions and trekking in the near mountains.
  
• Web-page of a Trekking Guide of Monte Faito
  Giovanni Visetti, guida ambientale escursionistica (associato all'AIGAE dal 1997), è un profondo conoscitore dei sentieri, delle coste e dei borghi non solo della Penisola Sorrentina, ma anche della Costiera Amalfitana, Capri e dei Monti Lattari. Infatti dopo aver percorso per anni queste aree per puro svago e non solo a piedi, ma anche in mountain bike e in canoa, è ormai dalla fine degli anni '80 che li frequenta nelle vesti di guida escursionistica, o per rilievi, progettazione di itinerari e segnatura sentieri.
  
  
  

Images

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