The town of Roccantica rises at the feet of Mount Pizzuto and Mount Tancia, the two highest reliefs, and it is immersed in mixed woods with a prevalence of holm-oak trees, whose dark foliage, even in the winter, strongly characterizes the landscape.
From Roccantina there are several routes that leave, one of the most interesting is that of the San Leonardo Hermitage, which you will find described here in detail.
You depart from the piazza shown in the picture below, where you'll find the Church of San Valentino. You arrive here by simply going straight when you enter the town.
The route is easy, lasts a couple of hours to which you can add some time to for exploring the course of the Galantina stream.
Having parked the car near the Church of San Valentino, walk along the side of the bell tower, and after a little while go onto the dirt road.
From the dirt road break two paths break off to the right for the Hermitage; both are indicated, but you may miss the first one (as we did). The second one is immediately after an enclosed area for cows, in correspondence with a muddy open space. Having taken the path, you follow the indications for the hermitage, and you'll arrive there shortly.
The San Leonardo Hermitage is made up of a chapel dug into a natural cave and a small building, half in the cave and half out, which was home to the hermit; there are the remains of a fresco and an underground spring, which creates a small pool of water in the cave.
From the hermitage, instead of turning immediately around and going back on the street which you came down, go down off of the path: the entrance of the hermitage is pointed directly downwards. It is a little slippery, but if you are careful, there isn't any danger. In less than 50 meters you'll find the shores of the Galantina stream, exactly where the course exits from a narrow stretch between the rocks, which form various waterfalls; it is a beautiful place, full of moss and ferns that grow on the white limestone washed by the water. From here, there's no need to go back up to the hermitage to return. Instead, follow the very visible path that goes along the shore of the stream towards the valley. After not even a hundred meters, you will reach the remains of an old mill (you'll notice, among the ruins, the remains of a lava grindstone broken in four), and here the path abandons the course of the Galantina and takes you back through the woods. You'll come out almost at the beginning of the dirt road from which you initially left.
If, having come down from the hermitage, you wish to further explore the stretch of the Galantina closed among the rocks, look for a point in which you can cross over to the other side, and you'll find a path that goes back up the course facing the rocky shores. Don't follow any path on the shore opposite the hermitage towards the valley; all get lost in the woods without leading anywhere.
The position of the marker on the map is approssimative.
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The town of Roccantica |
Departure point of the path |
Along the way... |
Galantina Valley among the clouds |
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San Leonardo Hermitage |
San Leonardo Hermitage |
San Leonardo Hermitage |
San Leonardo Hermitage |
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Galantina Stream |
Galantina Stream |
Galantina Stream |
Galantina Stream |
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Galantina Stream |
San Leonardo Hermitage
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