Trek 2 – Frassitelli – Falanga forest and the stone houses
The area of Serrara Fontana, with Frassitelli and Falanga forest, represents the heart of the ancient rural and agrarian Ischia. Here is where you can still find green fields full of grape-vines, stone-houses once used as shelters by the farmers during harvest season, snow-pits where ice and snow were collected during winter and stored for the summer.
The trek starts in Serrara Fontana (bus stop Serrara Fontana cemetery) and from there we walk until we reach the first part of the forest called Frassitelli. From here, the view opens to the town of Forio, with amazing scenery over Citara’s beach, Soccorso’s church and San Francesco beach. After 30 minutes walking from Frassitelli forest we reach the chestnut wood of Falanga, 600 mts above sea level; in this enchanting setting we are surrounded by luxuriant vegetation and the famous “stone houses”, a series of huge boulders completely carved in the shape of grottos that were part of an ancient rural village, inhabited since the 17th century.
After the walk into Falanga forest we will walk back to Frassitelli and we finish at Serrara Fontana bus stop.
Duration 3 hours – Medium-high difficulty
It is advisable to bring water and snacks as there are no refreshments points along the trek