Holy Crapolla what a hike

Continuing with the Europe saga from over the summer today we will be taking a hike. I was looking for hikes around where we were staying at Sant Agata on the top of the mountain over Sorrento. I found one that basically took off from the doorstep of our Airbnb and went straight down to the sea. The place is called Crapolla Cove.

The route went right down this valley which you can see from the balcony of our room. The day was beautiful and warming up nicely. We geared up to go, I knew there would be a lot of downhill walking so I made sure to clip my toenails well. My mom had just left to go back to the US so it was my sister, her husband, their 3-year-old and 5-month-old, my wife, and our 7-month-old. My brother-in-law carried the 3-year-old in a backpack carrier, my sister carried their baby, and I carried Bjorn in a front carrier.

After leaving the house we walked along the main road less than 100 meters before we started on a steep footpath that then connected to a small road that winded down the valley. You can see here that it had some tight switchbacks and turns. It was not recommended to drive even if you had a rental car because it is steep and tight, this is a locals-only road.

One house had a driveway that bridged the road.

Eventually, the road gave way to a small paved footpath.

It was very quiet and we were not seeing anyone else, it was great to commune a little with nature again. It was also cool and relaxing walking in the trees with all the green around.

The paved foot bath gave way to a dirt single-track footpath that was very well maintained it looked like someone had come through, mowed, and cleared the edges recently.

For the walk so far Bjorn slept peacefully he was enjoying the rhythm of the walk and the cool breeze I am sure.

The path left the trees and started going across a really exposed steep hillside. This was a challenge for Dzigbordi because she has always been very afraid of heights and without any trees and the steep hillside this was very exposed. This is where some stairs started and they were numbered with little tiles about every 50 stairs. There were over 700 in total. With Bjorn in my front, the center of gravity was a little interesting for descending stairs and I could feel that I was getting older in my knees with each step. At this point, he woke up and was feeling a little fussy.

There were some stunning views of the deep blue Med and little islands along the coast. The steep gorge in the foreground of this photo is where we were headed to the bottom of.

Amalfi is the rich people of the world's playground and yachts and boats were going back and forth along the shoreline everywhere.

Don't look down they say, but it was almost impossible not to.

Dzigbordi cautiously made her way down some of the stairs while I took a little breather.

On the other side of the gorge was an old medieval tower. Adding further allure to the place.

You can see here the whole coastline is guarded by massive cliffs which is the signature of this area of Italy.

Before the final descent, there was a little old church hugging the hillside.

Right above the church was a statue of Jesus on the cross.

At the church, we rounded the corner and headed inland now along the wall of the gorge. Above you can see the massive cliffs that would make it impossible to get to the bottom of Crapolla directly.

At this point the knees were tired and the shirt was beginning to soak through with sweat but this view made it all worth it the first site of our destination and why we were doing this to ourselves. The clean blue-green waters were waiting for us, just about a hundred more steps or so.

As we got closer and closer there were continued views just giving us a teaser of what we were going to experience.

The small rocky beach had a handful of people on it but considering it was a Sunday it was not crowded at all. It is protected by the wicked hike we just did. It seemed a lot of people would get dropped off by boat and make the final swim into the beach though. This was the rich people's shortcut I guess.

But we did feel an elite exclusivity to this beach being some of the few people here to experience this beauty.

Dzigbrodi was happy to be on flat ground again and not have to fear the heights. But I know that the hike our was still on her mind.

We got a little shaded spot on the far end of the beach and settled in to change and get ready for a swim. The water was cold but so refreshing. I swam out and I could see the bottom even at 20 or so feet of depth. I could swim down to the bottom and see everything. I liked just floating on my back looking up and seeing the walls of the gorge surround me with the blue sky at the top. I also climbed some rocks and jumped off a small cliff into the water. At the end of my swim though I did get stung by a jellyfish on my arm. It was better that Bjorn didn't swim much because of this, the water was a little too cool for this African-born boy and his momma.

Before long the sun shifted and our shady spot was not so shady anymore and we knew we had a big hike ahead of us. We got dressed and started on our way.

Here is another view on our way out there is a little fishing hamlet built into the wall with stones and a guy there that rents a few kayaks.

Our last view of the beach as we start our climb of the 700 stairs and then the steep roads after that. On the way up Dzigbordi decided to put Bjorn on her back.

The climb out was grueling and a real leg burner. It was hotter also. Dzigbordi got a pounding headache on the stair section and we took it slow and gradual. One step at a time. We walked up and straight into the village where we had a nice big Italian lunch.

Later that day we all took a good nap here are Bjorn and I after the nap still relaxing in bed.

Dzigbordi swears she would never do it again as she almost died on the hike up, but it was rewarding enough that I am sure she would. Every time we hit a steep flight of stairs now, one of of us exclaims Crapolla as a memory.