For the next day we planned 2 rather easy hikies in Campania. So we started Easter Sunday with breakfast and a trip to Grotte del Bussento in Morigerati.

 

Easy hikes in Campania – Grotte Del Bussento

The 600-hectare park supervised by the WWF (Oasi WWF) with a grotto and an old mill in the main role, spread around the canyon of the Busetto River, is a great place for lovers of ‘softened’ nature. Smoothed because it is adapted for viewing, which is why you have to pay to enter the WWF oasis (adults 6 euros). The ticket office is a building with a sign ‘Biglietteria’, after leaving the building, we turned left and reached a wooden gate, where the route begins. Generally, it happens that hiking routes, therefore also many easy hikes in Campania, and not only in this region, lie on the so-called WWF grounds, and then you have to buy a ticket.

 

 

The path to the canyon is 800 m, mainly made of stone stairs leading down 130 m. At the bottom of the steps, we came across two signs indicating easy hikes in Campania. In this case, the signposts have the words: grotta / mulino. We decided to see the grotto; a guide was waiting for us (not just us, for everyone) in front of it, and after some information about the cave, we entered it: first by stone steps, then by wooden bridges connecting the high walls of the crevice. Under our feet, we had a several-hundred-foot crevice through which the Bussento flows. I can imagine how impressive this work of nature must look when the water level is high.

 

From the grotto, we went down the canyon to admire the Bussento valley. It is a very picturesque place with lush vegetation: mosses, ferns, and varieties of ivy parasitizing on alders and willows and other such green pests. The river is inhabited by trout, crayfish, and freshwater crabs; we saw a few of them.

While admiring the greenery around us, we reached an old mill built of stone by the Greeks. There was also a guide there telling us about the place. At the end of the path, a few dozen meters behind the mill, you can dip your feet in the river, which we did, as it was warm and even easy hikes in Campania can tire your feet. The water was cold. And then we climbed up, because the entrance gate to the oasis is also the exit.

How to get to the cave

As usual, GPS is helpful; type in Morigerati or Grotte del Bussento Morigerati. You can park in the center and eat, but you can also drive to the ticket office and park a little lower, near the goats. 

 

 

There is a small farm with chickens and goats behind a fence; as I discovered, the goats prefer rusks to leaves.

 

Practical information:

• The route is easy without any particularly steep sections and you can walk it in comfortable, not necessarily trekking shoes.
• However, I always wear them if I plan to go to the so-called nature.
• The oasis is open all year round, except on rainy days.
• From autumn to spring, from 10:00 to 16:00; in summer, from 10:00 to 18:00.
• In winter, you have to contact and book a walk.
• There are fountains with water on the route, so you don’t have to take it.
• There is a lot of shade, which is not obvious when you are hiking in Campania.

Capelli di Venere waterfalls, or the Hair of Venus

About 20 minutes from the WWF oasis, in the Castello Spartano area, there is an incredibly picturesque, almost fairy-tale place called Capelli di Venerena. In my humble opinion, it is absolutely worth admiring, experiencing, and photographing.

 

Where does the name come from – the legend of Venus and the shepherd in love?

One beautiful day, Venus, apparently getting to know the easy hikes in Campania, wandered into the area around Castello Spartano and discovered an unearthly beauty spot in the forest; she decided to settle there. Venus, as we know, was famous for her beauty, so a certain shepherd fell madly in love with her. One night, while the goddess was sleeping, the man committed an old crime and cut off a lock of her hair.

 

 

Unfortunately for the shepherd, Venus woke up, became furious, and drowned the shepherd in a stream that she had created from the cut lock of hair. Beautiful Venus quickly regretted her impulsiveness and the drowned shepherd. Supposedly, she even tried to save him, but it was too late. So the goddess decided to use her magical powers once again and turned the shepherd’s corpse into a plant growing next to the ‘hairy’ stream. Driven by guilt, or perhaps love for the shepherd, she decided to stay with him/the plant. And so, magically, the Capella di Venere Waterfalls were born.

 

How to get to Capella di Venere:

Drive to Casaletto Spartano, a small village of just a thousand people. The Capella di Venere Waterfalls are less than a kilometer from the village, so you can walk there. But you can also put Area Capello Casaletto Spartan on your GPS and drive to the parking lot right at the entrance to the park. There is also a ticket booth there (cash only), but it was closed at Easter, so we admired the waterfalls for free.

 

 

After entering, we went down and, after passing the wooden house on the left, we went down a little further to the wooden bridge and saw the place where, according to legend, Venus committed the murder of the shepherd. Indeed, the view from the bridge is magical: narrow streams of water flow down from the green growth. An old stone bridge dominates it. The impression is even more fairy-tale-like after standing on the bank, right opposite the Hair of Venus. From there, you can see how the water flows through the moss and lichens, giving the plants a beautiful green color. It looks a bit like the plants are hiding under a veil.

Capelli di Venera is an absolutely charming place, and it’s hard not to be enchanted by it.

We were lucky because there were not many people there. I suspect that in the summer it can be crowded, because who wouldn’t want to feel like they were in a fairy tale? And to get back to the real world, all you have to do is enter the water – even in summer, it doesn’t reach 10 degrees Celsius – it’s a down-to-earth hydromassage. We also went down to the river on the other side of the waterfalls, where we had lunch in peace, without people.

 

What else can you do in Area Capello?

Quite a few things, for example exploring other easy hikes in Campania. So you can enjoy nature, or have a picnic, or go for a bike ride, admire the local biodiversity, and very nice views. Area Capello seems to be a popular place among the locals, so in the summer and on weekends, there are a lot of people there. Although I don’t like crowds, I still think it’s absolutely worth a visit. And if you are also interested in easy hikes in Campania that don’t require any special effort, you will definitely find something for yourself in Capello.