From the main square of Scala, which we reach with the Sita bus, we set off along the provincial road to reach Minuta, one of the hamlets of the oldest municipality on the Amalfi Coast.

In the immediate vicinity a precious presence: the Church of the Annunziata or Santa Maria di Minuta, one of the most interesting Romanesque buildings of the entire Coast. Subsequently, along a descending staircase, we meet the entrance of another very prestigious reality, the Basilica of Sant Eustachio. Dating back to the 13th century, the basilica was once one of the most beautiful and important religious buildings in the entire territory.

From the small square of Pontone, not far away, also a fraction of Scala and known to be the most convenient starting point for the Valle delle Ferriere, we admire the network of terraces that covers the hills in front of us.

Resuming the journey we pass, after a short descent, a crossroads whose path on the right, via Monte, leads, between gardens and farmhouses, to the access gate to the Castrum Scalelle on Monte Aureo while the one on the left, via Speruto we choose, leads to Atrani through a lane made up of a long staircase and short stretches on a slight slope.

During the descent we pass natural areas occupied by Mediterranean scrub and mixed wood, dry stone walls and old gates to protect lemon groves and vineyards, many of which, unfortunately, are in a state of neglect, up to the course of the Dragon whose riverbed we cross over an easy jumper. Along the eastern edge of the Valle del Dragone we descend, along via Fiume, to another stop on our itinerary: the church of S. Michele Arcangelo. The small chapel, located in a natural cave at the base of Mount Maggiore or Aureo, is perhaps the oldest church in Atrani, dating from the 11th to the 12th century.

Also called “camposantino” because it was used as a cemetery until 1927, the tiny church expresses its silent charm made up of reduced spaces, of tombstones worn by time, of a cozy atmosphere.

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