Saint Blaise’s pathway

Leaving Piazza Buraglia and coming back after about three and a half hours of hiking along the pathway on Mount Saint Blaise is one of the experiences that best help you to get to know and appreciate Maratea. This pleasant hike takes you along the ancient paths that for centuries used to link the ancient Castle to the current historical center, mingling history and tradition. From Piazza Buraglia we go to Piazza Vitolo and then to the steep road on the right (Pendinata), which takes us up to the ex-convent of the Cappuccini, where a sign on the right shows us the beginning of the pathway, a few meters ahead, near the chapel under restoration dedicated to Our Lady of Graces. For about 2km up to the crossroads that takes us to the little church of Our Lady of the Olive Trees (Madonna degli Ulivi), the pathway takes us along the Hornbeam Woods (Bosco dei Carpini), which is a beautiful copse of hornbeam and holm oak trees that surround the historical center of Maratea. On the crossroads in order to visit the church we have to turn left and walk for about 150 meters. Back to the crossroads we then go towards the Redeemer Christ through a less thick vegetation but rich in plants of wild asparagus. After about 300 meters we can suddenly see the horizon in the Valley of Maratea and the Gulf of Policastro. That is a small taste of the splendid panorama we can enjoy when reaching the top of Mount Saint Blaise where the statue of the Redeemer Christ is. After visiting Saint Blaise’s Basilica, we start coming back by going down the nearby stone stairs, passing through a still well conserved piece of the ancient hamlet. Then we go down the main road up to the district of Santa Caterina. When we see the first houses, we can turn right and take the path that after about 1km takes us to the main road again, near Borgo Capo Casale. This short track is very pleasant because it is very well treated and also because it allows us to have a wide view of Gulf of Policastro and the seacoast, from Filocaio to Ogliastro. Once we reach the main road we turn the first right straight to the narrow streets of the historical center up to reaching Piazza Buraglia again.