From your arrival airport, you will make your way to the starting point of your bike trip in Castelnuovo Cilento. After your booking is confirmed, you will receive extensive information about traveling with your bike on planes and trains.

From the Via Silente HQ, you'll ride a short distance toward the coast, before your first climb to Stella Cilento, a sleepy town at about 500m from sea level. The town is situated beautifully along a ridge, with behind it a stunning view of the valley that connects Cilento to Salerno. After Stella Cilento you'll ride along the hillside before resuming your way back down via the beautiful hamlet of Celso to the town of Pollica, home of the Mediterranean Diet Museum and the Future Food Institute.
34,7km / 710+

From Pollica, you'll ride down to the coast town of Pioppi, then proceed to Acciaroli along a beautiful stretch of beaches and rocky coast line. You'll ride through the coastal town of Acciaroli and uphill to the town of Castellabate, both of which are worth a visit if you feel like taking a break.
Leaving the sea behind you, you'll proceed inland to Perdifumo, where you can take a small detour to the town center or proceed on the main road via Mercato Cilento, to your destination in Vatolla, once the home of philosopher Giambattista Vico.
49,4km / 980+

On this somewhat shorter leg, you will ride through Mercato Cilento, by the Convento del Carmine, to Rocca Cilento, then on to Torchiara. As you navigate the winding roads that alternate climb and descent, you will get to peek at the Mediterranean om your left hand side a number of times. 

It won't be until you've left the town of Cicerale in your rearview mirror that you will see the impressive plains that separate the hillsides from the sea. On your final climb of the day, which is one of the more challenging ones on the entire route, you can't help but look to your left as you slowly conquer the hillcrest that will take you to Trentinara.

The town of Trentinara is home of a legend about two jilted lovers, and it sports a terrace dedicated their story, as well as a lot of other panoramic views. It is also the home of the "Cilento Flight", a zipline that flies you down toward the sea at 65miles/hour.

37,4km / 85o+

From Trentinara, you will start with a relaxing ride alongside the mountain range of monte Vesole, monte Varco Cervone and monte Chianello. After riding through the town of Stio, you'll enter a wooded area that takes you all the way around the mountains to the other side of the same range, where you'll enter the Nothern end of the Cilento National Park. The beautiful winding roads across the woods eventually give way to a valley, which you will descend into towards your destination of the day: Felitto.

The town of Felitto is a popular place in summer, because of its cold spring with picnic area. In July and August you can take a canoe or other small boat upstream through the amazingly beautiful canyon where the water reaches the surface.

During the low season, especially on a colder day, this popular water hole is very quiet and taking a dip in the water is only for the very courageous!

42,2km / 500+

After leaving Felitto, you will proceed towards the mighty Alburni Mountains, passing first through Castel San Lorenzo and Roccadaspide before taking a steep road down towards the old convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. From there, the road winds through agrigultural fields and woodlands until the Alburni peaks rise on the horizon as if to challenge anyone who dares to conquer them. 

The second part of the leg consists of two steady rises with a pause for breath in between. You will pass through the mountain villages of Postiglione and Sicignano degli Alburni, both of which sport an old castle near their town centers and are worth a visit. Sicignano is known for its chestnut production, which supports the towns economy and is celebrated each year with a Sagra (village feast) in October. The final detination Petina sits right underneath one of the most impressive Alburni peaks called the Figliolo (the son), composed of three rock formations.

57km / 1230+

Leaving Petina, you get to climb some more to get back over the Alburni Mountains onto the Southern slopes. The road takes you through the woods and onto the high plains where you will find the astronomical observatory of Petina, and where you'll likely want to take a short break. From there it's back into the woods, a beautiful winding road that gets hit by the sunlight through the leaves and envelopes you in the smell of moss and trees and raindrops.

Once out of the woods, you will continue your descent towards the Southern edge of the Alburni back into Cilento. You'll have a couple of fun descents to navigate before reaching Sant'Angelo a Fasanella, which sports a cave sanctuary for S. Michael and a beautful cold spring with waterfall called the Cascata dell' Auso.

From Sant'Angelo, you'll proceed to your destination of Roscigno via Corleto Monforte. Roscigno's inhabitants moved from the old town to a couple of miles uphill when in the early 1900's the state declared the village unsafe due to underground landslides caused by porous substrates. The old village is like a time capsule, frozen in 1910, and is definitely worth a visit.

29,4km / 860+

From the town of Roscigno, you will meander your way to the village of Sacco, before leaving Cilento once more for the Vallo di Diano. This valley is named after the town of Diano - present-day Teggiano - medieval seat of lord Tommaso Sanseverino.

On your way there, you will cross perhaps the most beautiful moungtain pass of the entire trip. The Sella del Corticato, is a large and fertile slope with pastures and olive groves, and in April-May it explodes with wild flowers. As you ride down the large hairpins, the town of Teggiano will start to come into focus while the valley opens up to you.

The town of Teggiano is picturesque and certainly worth a visit. It sports 13 churches, 3 museums and a castle, but even a walk through the old town center or to one of the panoramic lookout points is worth your time.

30,9km / 770+

From Teggiano, you will ride alongside the slopes before crossing the valley bed towards Padula, which is known for being the home of the largets carthusian monastery in Italy. Both the monastery and the town are worth a visit if you have time. 

From Padula you will proceed on the hillside road toward Montesano sulla Marcellana, joining the hamlet of Arena Bianca before crossing the valley once more towards Buonabitacolo and finally Sanza. Many of the villages in the valley have names that refer to health and wellbeing - e.g. Montesano means healthy mountain, and Buonabitacolo means good place to live - beacuse the valley is an exceptionally fertile environment with clean air and abbundant fresh mountain water.

Your destination Sanza is known for its dedication to the Madonna della Neve, who is celebrated yearly by bringing a 400Lb statue of Mary up a steep mountain trail on foot, all the way to the top of Cervati Mountain, and down again 9 days later. While residing in the sanctuary, the Madonna is guarded by the town's youngsters, who are every bit as dedicated as their parents and grandparents.

40,6km / 470+

This leg allows you to visit the mount Cervati peak at 1899m / 6230ft above sea level. The route takes you some distance from the village of Sanza before starting your long haul up the mountain. The hairpin road is partly covered in shade by a dense forest, but whenever you cross a clearance, you'll have a breathtaking view over the Cilento National Park onto the gulf of Policastro to your South.

You'll have the opportunity to visit the Vallivona sinkhole, where rain and mountain water gathers through the wetter seasons and that you can reach through a 500m / 1500ft long maintenance tunnel that was built in the late 60s to let the water flow more easily and protect the environment. Crossing the tunnel is not advisable on rainy days as it can fill up quickly, or on very cold days as you risk hypothermia if your feet get wet.

The last part of the Mountain road can be challenging, as road works are ongoing and some parts are still unpaved, and it does get steep towards the peak. The top of Mount Cervati has amazing views on all sides. You can park your bike at the Madonna della Neve Sanctuary and reach the peak on foot, or take a short walk down the hill on the other side to check out the madonna's cave that contains a version of the Madonna statue all your long.

Before going back, make sure you have a look at the Nevera, where you can find snow all year long. The nevera was an important source of ice to refigerate food before the advent of fridges and freezers. On your ride down, you can reach exhilarating speeds on the straight bits, so be careful not to overheat your breaks too much. 

56,2km / 1630+

The road from Sanza to Casaletto Spartano offers a fun ride, alternating climbs and descents through an ever-changing landscape. The first town on route is Caselle in Pittari, with its old town center on a hill and a pedestrian zone lined  by beautiful trees. Not a bad spot for a morning coffee.

The road then leads you via Sicilì to Morigerati, which sports a beautiful view over the lower Cilento hillsides from its terrace square in front of the main church. Below the town, you can visit the WWF-oasis that protects a unique biosphere in a gorge with a huge narrow cave at the end. The steep walk down is worth it if you have the time.

The final part of this leg takes you to your destination: Casaletto Spartano, home of the Capelli di Venere (Venus's hair) waterfall.

41,2km / 860+

Just outside the village of Casaletto, you will find the Capelli di Venere on your left hand side. The walk to the waterfall is very short so there really isn't any excuse to skip it. Even though people call is a waterfall, the Capelli di Venere is actually a more interestuing geological phenomenon, whereby ground water is pushed up through the diagonal ctrevices in the rock before reaching the surface and flowing down again. Its name, which means Hair of Venus, refers to the way the water breaks over the mossy rock before falling down in what looks like a woman's long hair.

From Casaletto, you will make your way to the coastline of the Policastro Gulf. You'll exchange the woodlands of the Park for the more open roads and salty sea air, before making the steep descent to the Mediterranean. You'll follow the coastline through the town of Policastro and to Scario, a picturesque seaside town that is a great place for a break.

Your final climb of the the day to San Giovanni a Piro. You can choose to take a short detour to Bosco, home of Picasso's student José Ortega to take a look at the 169 majolicas commemorating the people's resistance against the 1828 repression by the Bourbons.

40km / 990+

Before taking the road to Palinuro, you can visit the Pianoro di Ciolandrea that sits above the town of San Giovanni a Piro. This natural terrace offers a breathtaking view of the Policastro Gulf and of the coastlines of Basilicata and Calabria to the South.<br>

On your way back, consider visiting the sanctuary of SS. Maria di Pietrasanta, a pretty church with a panoramic view both inland on the National Park and on the Gulf.

From there, you can find your way back to the main road, that leads you up and over a rocky landscape, away from the coast. This part of the Cilento coastline is so wild and steep, there are no roads near the seaside, except some trails created by animals.

You'll ride down the hairpin road from Lentiscosa to Marina di Camerota, continue to make your way to Palinuro following the coastline. Palinuro is known for its primrose, symbol of the National Park and for its photogenic peninsula called Capo Palinuro. It is a very busy beach place in summer, and a sleeppy town in the low season.

27,5km / 310+

Palinuro has a beach right in front of the town, which makes it almost irresistable to take a quick dive before heading out toward Ceraso. The road along the boast is flat and relaxing, but if the sun is out on a warm day, it can be rather harsh, so make sure you put on sun cream.

You'll ride through the town of Pisciotta, which has a nice square and is worthy of a short break, should you need one. After Pisciotta, the road leads inlandthrough Rodio and near Terradura, where you will once again feel the air change and feel the fresh humidity of the wooded hills. In the hamlet of Santa Barbara, you will coma across a little church from the year 977 AD, thought to have been built by Greek monks that were fleeing the malaria outbreaks in Velia (present-day Ascea).

After catching your breath on the last downhill stretch of this leg, you'll make your last climb of the day to the town of Ceraso.

37,7km / 1060+

From Ceraso, you will start the rise to Novi Velia. You will ride by the town but instead take the road up to Monte Gelbison, the impressive mountaintop sanctuary that soprts a 360 degree view on the entire National Park. It offers both a physical challenge  and a beautiful bike ride. The sanctuary itself is open to pelgrims from end of May until end of October, but anyone is welcome to walk the grounds, all year long.

The trip downhill is pretty relaxing for the first half, and gets steeper as you reach the bottom, so it's recommendable to go easy on the breaks of your bike.

Novi Velia itself is a quaint village with a couple of nice food places and an old castle that you can visit on the outside. The town has recently started a library (not a given in this area) in a beautiful old church building. The town hosts a yearly music festival called Antichi Suoni showcasing ancient popular songs and instruments.

41,8km / 1340+

On this final leg, you will follow a hillscrest that leads your from Novi Velia, via Cannalongo, Moio della Civitella and Gioi to the town of Piano Vetrale, keepiong the Mediterranean Sea to your left and the mountainous forests of the Cilento National Park to your right.

In Piano Vetrale, you will come across a great number of murals alonside the road, before starting your descent towards the coastal areas one last time. The air starts to warm up once again as you come ever closer to the sea.

Your destination is the town of Castelnuovo Cilento, where you will once again find the HQ of the Via Silente.

34,9km / 600+ 

From HQ, you can choose to catch a train back to Naples for your flight, or continue your journey in some other way, but not before receiving your goodie bag containing a t-shirt and local products to take home as a souvenir.