Crapolla Cove
The Crapolla Cove is a charming and fascinating place: nature, sea, and rich history.
Crapolla Cove is one of the most suggestive inlets on the coast of Massa Lubrense: in addition to being of great naturalistic interest, it retains visible traces of a past rich in history.
You can reach it on foot from the village of Torca: from piazza San Tommaso Apostolo take Via Nula and then Via Casalvecchio, where the trail to the fjord begins.
Following the route of an ancient mule track, the first part of the trail runs among the green of the Mediterranean maquis and then along the brook Iarito up to the natural lookout “La Guardia”. Here a stone bench invites you to stop and admire the wonderful view: in front, the three Li Galli islets, the islands Isca and Vetara; to the left, the Amalfi Coast and, when the air is clear, the whole Gulf of Salerno; to the right, the unmistakable silhouette of Punta Penna.
From this point, the challenging path that leads to Recommone Beach also branches off. The stone steps, almost 700, lead instead to the Crapolla Cove: every 50 steps, a ceramic tile indicates the progressive numbering.
Before reaching the bottom of the inlet, you can stop and visit the small Chapel of San Pietro, built with the same stones that once belonged to the Black Benedictine Monastery, more commonly known as Abbazia di San Pietro. Next to the chapel, you can still see some columns and marble bases dating back to the ancient building. Legend has it that the abbey had been built on the ruins of a Roman temple, built itself on the ruins of a temple dedicated to Apollo: from here the toponym Crapolla.
According to tradition, St. Peter landed in Crapolla on his journey to Rome. On June 29 of each year, on the occasion of the day dedicated to St. Peter, the local faithful leave early in the morning on a pilgrimage from Torca to the Chapel of San Pietro, where Holy Mass is celebrated. The celebrations then continue on the beach between food and fun.
The space in front of the chapel offers a privileged vantage point on the island of Isca. On the left, you can see the Mount of Torca with the Tower of Crapolla, belonging to the defensive system of the watchtowers of the coast and the interior of the territory of Massa Lubrense.
Resuming the path, you finally reach the Crapolla Cove: a narrow and deep cleft in the rock, which creeps between the high cliff for a length of about 160 meters, gradually widening and ending with a small but beautiful beach. In the western part of the inlet, the remains of a Roman villa are still visible, with wall parts in opus reticulatum. Before the beach, the ancient village preserves the remains of some Roman cisterns and buildings carved into the rock: they are the monazeni, structures also dating back to Roman times and still used today by local fishermen to shelter their boats and fishing gear.
The small beach is all pebbles and, except for the hours when the sun is higher, it remains in the shade for most of the day. It is advisable, given the almost total absence of shaded areas along the path, to prefer a time when the sun is less strong in order to go up again.
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