Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of negative publicity about the state of the trails in Massa Lubrense and quite rightly so.
We all know that at this time of year vegetation grows thick and fast and nobody who hikes is afraid of a bit of grass and the odd bramble or two. However it is essential that the path beneath the vegetation is safe and not concealing traps: holes, chasms, landslips, loose stones and rocks, that could easily cause someone to trip, twist an ankle or worse. Just the other day a couple of British tourists made a formal complaint to the Mayor of Massa Lubrense about the state of one of the trails (Via Torvillo), calling it UNSAFE, which is precisely one of several that Giovanni Visetti (local hiking expert and cartographer) had flagged to the Council as in need of urgent maintenance. There are others too that are just accidents waiting to happen (see map below).
Via Torvillo
On Sunday I took myself off on one of my favourite walks: the Giro di Santa Croce (or Vuallariello) that starts from the village of Termini, taking you up through woods to a trail running parallel to the better known path leading to Punta Campanella. This itinerary has become very popular not only for local walking groups but also for foreign hiking tours and figures in many of the more recent hiking guides. When the path was first cleared several years ago, there was a sign to point you in the right direction. That has gone, as has the ceramic tile that for a brief period of time marked its start. Now, if you manage to work out where it should be, you are faced by a big Private Property sign to your right and the entrance to a private house on your left and no path, since it has become totally overgrown. The ridiculous thing is that it is just the first 20 metres or so that are in this sorry state. After that it is clear and easy to navigate. It would take very little to restore the signage and clear the way.
Our local Administration has always professed a desire to promote trekking as one of the attractions of this area. On 11th April 22 they approved 2 "new" projects (one had been proposed by Giovanni Visetti back in 2020) to improve and update the network of trails in Massa Lubrense but since it is evident to all that they are incapable of maintaining the paths that we already have, there is a lot of scepticism as to if, how and when these projects will be completed.
We have read and listened to many words from them over the past months and years but quite honestly there has been little or no concrete evidence of them delivering the goods. In the meantime, both Sorrento and Vico Equense have completed projects in record time with new itineraries and way-marking and not only. Unfortunately Massa Lubrense is lagging far behind, stuck in a state of inertia, quick to present glorious new projects with a fanfare of trumpets, but then always ready with some excuse to justify the delays (just like the epic unfinished resurfacing of the roads, or the Massa Lubrense By-pass to nowhere, which are other tales to tell, but symptomatic of the general malaise of our local government).
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| Map showing in yellow points needing urgent intervention all flagged by Giovanni to the Local Authorities on multiple occasions. https://discettazionierranti.blogspot.com/2022/04/progetto-tolomeo-forse-se-ne-intravede.html?fbclid=IwAR3soN3Dse0fAyR-S_atJQiy4Qg4cC-_gLreoqqPo6jBTvwb_PLkkOPuzuo |
