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Epomeo Mountain (787 m) is a green tuff, sloped block which became of this colour because of the constant contact with sea water. It represents about 34% of the total surface of the island and it was originated after a strong explosive eruption more than 50 thousand years ago. The mountain is reachable from different points of the island. The easiest way is the one starting in Fontana, fraction of the municipality of Serrara-Fontana, with a difference in altitude of about 400 m and a length of 3 Km. A small road leads to the top in only 40 minutes; the first part, which is surrounded by fields, some forest shrubs and many blackberry bushes, leads under the top of Epomeo from where it is easy to reach the peak, through a panoramic walk facing Forio. Anether possible path is the one which starts at belvedere Fatebenefratelli and ends in the Frassitelli wood, an area with specimens of Acacia spp. And undergrowth of Allium spp. with ferns. The rocks rolled down from Epomeo are covered by lichens and present cracks where specimens of Cotyledon umbilicus-veneris (Venus’ navel) grow. While walking towards the area of Falanga, people pass through a chestnut tree wood (Castanea sativa) which hosts ancient farmers’ houses used as shelters after passing entire days in the fields or when the watchers gave the alarm because of the arriving of Saracen pirates. At the top of Pietra dell’Acqua there is a narrow tuff path leading to a small rock space at the top of the Mountain. On the Epomeo peak is placed the church of Saint Nicolas together with an ancient friar hermitage which, together with the cells dug in the rock and the so called “fosse della neve”, caves realised by hand to store snow during Winter and reuse it in the form of ice during Summer, represent typical examples of rock architecture. These structures are open to the public on the day of Saint Nicolas on the 6^th of December; a religious manifestation takes place on this day; the Saint’s statue is carried in procession and the island’s product are offered on the parvis. The top of the mountain is reachable also by horse thanks to a group of young islanders who wanted to revive the traditions of the farmers of yesteryears, who arrived on the Epomeo’s peak on pack animals: “Epomeo in Sella” starts at the foot of the mountain and it crosses the chestnut trees’ wood to reach Saint Nicolas Hermitage, where it is possible to get a 360° view of the island, Capri’s coasts and other Tyrrhenian islands.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)