Valle dell'Inferno
Ottaviano
Hidden gemNature
The story
The wild hollow between Monte Somma and the Gran Cono, among ropy lava flows and broom that in spring sets the landscape ablaze with yellow.
Access
FREE
The story
The Valle dell'Inferno is one of the most beautiful and wild trails of the Vesuvius National Park, number 1, which winds in a loop between Monte Somma and the great cone of Vesuvius. It starts from Ottaviano, from the Valle delle Delizie dominated by the Palazzo Mediceo, and crosses an environment of great biodiversity.
What to see
A route among pine woods, maples and chestnuts, which in spring lights up with the yellow of the broom — the same sung by Leopardi — with wide panoramas over the Somma-Vesuvius complex. A different and secluded side of the volcano, far from the crowd of the crater.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
It is a long excursion of medium-high difficulty (about a dozen kilometres, several hours): tackle it fit, with trekking shoes, water and a food supply, better with a guide. You are on an active volcano in the Vesuvius National Park: check the trails and access status on the Park's official site before setting off.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Valle dell'Inferno of Vesuvius?
Trail number 1 of the Vesuvius National Park, a loop between Monte Somma and the great cone, which starts from Ottaviano: one of the wildest routes of the volcano.
Is the Valle dell'Inferno difficult?
Yes, it is a long excursion (about a dozen kilometres) of medium-high difficulty: fitness, equipment and, better, a guide are needed; check the trail status on the Park's site.
Why is it called that?
For the harsh and wild environment between the two volcanoes; in spring the valley fills with the yellow broom, the same sung by Leopardi.
More gems in Ottaviano
◆ NatureMonte Somma
Ottaviano
The ancient volcanic ring that embraces Vesuvius, with its jagged crests and woods of holm oak and chestnut where the noise of the city gets lost.
- ◆ History & archaeology
Palazzo Mediceo
Ottaviano (NA)
At the foot of Vesuvius, the ancient fortress that the Medici turned into a residence dominates Ottaviano; today it houses the park authority, suspended between medieval stone and gardens in the shadow of the volcano.
More gems: Nature
◆ NatureOrto Botanico
via Foria
Founded in the Napoleonic age, the botanical garden on via Foria lines up glasshouses, palms and rare species across twelve hectares: a green breath a step away from the traffic.
◆ NaturePedamentina di San Martino
Vomero→centro
A fourteenth-century stairway dropping from the hill of San Martino down to the city: hundreds of steps through vegetable plots, gardens and glimpses of the bay — one of the finest urban paths in Naples.
NatureVilla Comunale
Riviera di Chiaia
The garden stretched out along the sea at Chiaia: avenues of holm oaks, benches and old statues, with the gulf breathing beyond the iron railing.
NatureAcquario Anton Dohrn
Riviera di Chiaia
The oldest aquarium in Europe, opened in 1874 inside the Villa Comunale: historic tanks inhabited only by the fauna of the Gulf of Naples, behind the glass.
NatureSolfatara
Pozzuoli
The ground breathes: hissing fumaroles, mud that boils up and a smell of sulphur reminding you how alive the earth is beneath the Campi Flegrei.
- ◆ Nature
Vigna di San Martino
collina S. Martino
One of the largest urban vineyards in Europe, worked by the Carthusians since the fourteenth century: seven hectares of vines, citrus and olive trees hanging over the bay, a step from the city's chaos.