The Lone Valley
Laurino and Grava di Vesalo
- Trail Conditions: On foot
- Interest: Flora, Wildlife, Geology, Religion, Hystory
- Departure: Loc. Gorgonero Laurino (450m)
- Arrival: Grava di Vesalo (580m)
- Duration: 5 hour/s
- Difficulty Level: EE - For expert hikers
- Length: 6 km
- Difference in height: 100m
- Recommended Period: from January to December
Going beyond a beautiful medieval arched bridge, downstream Laurino historical town center, you can reach St. Elena church in loc. Gorgonero. Here a spring flows into the river Calore.
The uphill trail crossing the solitary and wild Valle Soprana leaves exactly here, among the rocky pinnacles of Scanno del Tesoro, old farmsteads, and wonderful beech woodlands. At the end of the valley, in a small grassy basin surrounded by beech trees, there is a deep and spectacular chasm called Grava di Vesalo, the swallow hole into which torrent Milenzio flows. It is one of the many karst phenomena characterizing the calcareous rocks scattered all over the area. As an alternative route, you can take a road below the town of Laurino - dirt road in its final stretch - which gives the opportunity to get at a few meters from the Grava.
