Stage 07
From Montano Antilia to San Nazario
From Montano Antilia to San Nazario: Villages, Memories, and the Anticipation of Silence
The seventh stage is short but intense, leading to a place that is a threshold and turning point: San Nazario, where according to tradition St. Nilus was welcomed and received as a monk. It starts from Montano Antilia, leaving the village among gardens, olive groves, and stones, in a gentle descent on rural and paved roads.
The route passes through two villages with strong identities: Futani, with its clustered houses, and Cuccaro Vetere, perched and silent, overlooking a wide green valley. These are places that speak softly, but deeply. After the hamlet of Castinatelli, a detour allows you to reach the Church of Santa Cecilia, an ancient place of worship of Italo-Greek tradition, which introduces a more contemplative dimension to the journey.
From the locality of San Sebastiano, marked by a stone crucifix, one leaves the asphalt to climb towards the plateau of San Nazario, where the landscape opens up and the air becomes lighter. Here you’ll find a fountain, wooden tables for a rest, and the Church of San Nazario, the symbolic heart of the stage, a place of contemplation and silence.
San Nazario appears as a place out of time. The saint’s church, a fountain, and some wooden tables mark the arrival in this tiny village, where it is said that St. Nilus was welcomed and received his monastic tonsure. A few stone houses and a single minimarket: those staying here should consider bringing supplies or reaching San Mauro La Bruca, a village with additional services about 2 km away.
Here everything slows down. The landscape opens up, the noise fades away. It’s the point that prepares for arrival, but also for introspection. A threshold, in body and spirit.
Variant Route to Massicelle (+5 km)
Those who wish can take a longer variant that passes through Massicelle and adds about 5 km to the route. Not recommended in winter months and in case of rain, it involves fording the Lambro River under the SS18 Cilentana bridge.
This way, you reach the Museum of Poor Games and Toys, where you can get the Pilgrimage stamp.
After crossing the hamlet along Via Madonna della Neve, you take a path immersed in nature that leads back to Futani, rejoining the main route.
Stops and Silences
- A short stage without technical difficulties, to be experienced slowly and attentively.
- You walk on rural roads, paved sections, and dirt paths, through hilly landscapes, vegetable gardens, and olive groves.
- You pass through Futani and Cuccaro Vetere, and can take a detour to Santa Cecilia, an important testimony of Italo-Greek worship.
- The plateau of San Nazario welcomes you with a fountain, rest area, and a church rich in spiritual significance.
- The village is basic but welcoming: there is a minimarket; for greater needs, you can reach San Mauro La Bruca.
- The variant to Massicelle offers an alternative experience between nature and playful memory, but should only be undertaken with stable weather.
- A stage of inner transition, inviting to silence, gratitude, and preparation for arrival.
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