From one village to the next: from Castelmezzano to Pietrapertosa

Drive to Castelmezzano from the top; the town centre is off-limits to vehicles. Take the only road leading south (Provincial Road 13), which has paid car parks.
At the only hairpin bend, you’ll see the small road on your right leading to the cemetery, which is the starting point.

(S/E) With your back to the cemetery entrance, head down to the right along the wooden railing to find the stony path leading down through the trees, known locally as the ‘percorso delle 7 pietre’. It is uneven, full of stones and sometimes has uneven steps. At the end of the descent, you’ll come out facing the stream.

(1) Head back up to the left towards the north to cross a clearing on the right bank of the stream. All the paths lead to the Roman stone bridge.

(2) Once you’ve crossed it, you’ll be on the left bank. Turn right after the bridge. 20 metres further on, ignore the path leading uphill to the left and follow the path opposite heading south; the sign is slightly hidden and marked “Pietrapertosa”.
The paved path climbs gradually and you’ll come to the first steps of this memorable ascent. One last push and you’ll be on the tarmac until you reach a road junction.

(3) Continue uphill until you reach the village square.

(4) Turn immediately left and head north-west up the avenue. Further up, it turns north then north-east, offering you a full view of the valley you have crossed and the village you set off from.

(5) Turn left towards the north to climb up to the castle via a dedicated lane that ends in a footpath. At the junction with the footpath, you’ll see the start of the cable car back to Castelmezzano on your left.
Once you’ve visited the castle (or not), head back down the path for a few metres and turn right towards the north. The path takes you behind the rocky outcrop to circle round the village.

(6) Ahead of you is the cable car back to Castelmezzano! Turn south onto the tarmac road to reach the village centre, keeping well to the right of the rock face.

(7) Walk up the street alongside the rock face until you reach the point where the street ends at a wall.

(8) Turn left onto Via Guglielmo Pepe. Walk down this street until you come to a wider road, then cross over to the opposite side onto Via Torraca, and continue down into the village.

(9) Turn right, passing close to the houses (or even underneath them at times!) to reach the village square.

(4) Head back down the “percorso delle 7 pietre” that you took on the way there, cross the Roman bridge and finally head back up towards the cemetery, your destination (S/E).

Parking is subject to a charge everywhere along Strada Provinciale 13.
Do not park at the cemetery; parking is limited to 20 minutes and there are frequent checks. We drove a little further to find a space on the grass for the car.

If you hear music between (S/E) and (3), with singing and lyrics, you’re not dreaming: in June 2023, an artist installed sound installations here and there. Quite nice!

Between (1) and (2), there’s a landscaped clearing: we’ll leave you to discover this beautifully planted spot for yourselves.
Beyond the clearing, a few paths lead to Via Ferrata routes and the Ponte Nepalese (out of service in 2023). Best avoided.

There are no water points on the trail, but you can find water in the villages. All the water we took with us at the start was drunk on the way there – 3 litres in hot, humid weather.

Toilets are available at the entrance to the village of Pietrapertosa, just before the village square.
Low-cut shoes are acceptable, but I’d recommend using walking poles to help with the ascent and descent of the steps.

Take your time to visit both villages – they’re magnificent!
Stunning views from the heights of Castelmezzano.

Pietrapertosa Castle is in ruins: the view is similar to what you see before entering the castle grounds.

A cable car crosses the valley from one village to the other. You can sometimes hear shouts in the sky...