canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Rivo Iarito

In southern side of Sorrento peninsula there's the very small bay of Crapolla. Looks like a tiny fjord entering into the high rocky coast, ending in a very small pebble beach. It's a natural harbour, but it's far from the villages, that rise high on mountain crest. However, people used Crapolla bay as an harbour for a few small fishing boats. A spectacular stairsteps path was made for going down and back to Crapolla bay, face to the sea and the islets of Isca and Li Galli.

At present the bay is silent, almost abandoned. Very few people come here: a few fishermen, few hikers, rarely. This place is almost unknown (it's the paradox of the whole Amalfi coast: overpopulated, visited by crowds of tourists coming from everywhere, but still solitary and unknown).

A magic grand wild beauty reveals to the eyes of those who come here in every season, but it's only in winter that you can have a more amazing surprise: the cirque of walls surrounding the bay is cut by a tight gorge, from which you can see a cascade falling down to Crapolla bay. Maybe this is the only way to understand why Crapolla bay is so thight: it is a canyon! a deep canyon cutting the mountainside and reaching the sea.
This is Canyon of Iarito.

I remember ...

Amalfi Coast has revealed another jewel.
Sorry, words are not able to let you feel what Andrea and I have felt while exploring Canyon of Iarito. Even photographs and movie are not able: reality was different, very strong, totally amazing.

I am going canyoning since 20 years, but the highest cascade of Iarito has amazed me deeply. It was unbelievable, able to break away certainties, to set new parameters, to teach something more.

Photos and video by Michele Angileri and Andrea Pucci

Photographs in this website show ultralight ropes (6 mm ropes made of high tenacity fibers). Read multimedia book Ultralight ropes canyoning technique to learn how to use them.

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