Tirone Reserve

Departing from Herculaneum, the trail winds within the ?Tirone Alto Vesuvio? Forest Protection Reserve, which covers an area of about 1,000 hectares including the Gran Cono. The presence of panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius and the wealth of flora and fauna make it a memorable experience for nature and land lovers. The trail reopens to the public from March 12 until December 31, 2022, for two days a week, (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (last entry 3:30 p.m.). Vesuvius National Park Guides will be present on the trail. Access, from the Via Vesuvio gate, is free of charge and reservations are not required at this time.

N.B.: at the moment access is allowed only up to the close destination (locality forestry barracks) and back. After passing through the entrance gate, one immediately plunges into a dense forest, via a path lined with dry lava stone walls on which it is easy to recognize Venus's navel, a herbaceous plant that owes its curious name to its peculiar fleshy, round leaves with a central hollow. Many animal species inhabit these woods: among the reptiles, Aesculapius coluber, a harmless snake with a shiny yellow-brown livery, stands out. Past the Piano delle Ginestre (Broom Plain), the trail climbs faintly until it reaches the locality Baracche Forestali, where the house of the Disney-esque sorceress Amelia represents the close destination. Proceed until you reach the most striking section of the itinerary, with sweeping views of the Gulf of Naples and the majestic Gran Cono. A panoramic overlook of a secondary arm of the 1944 lava flow represents the intermediate destination. Continuing on, you reach the ancient Strada Matrone (trail No. 6), from which you resume the path in the opposite direction. On the way back, after about 2.3 km you come to a fork in the road and climb to the right in order to admire the '44 lava flow again. From here you backtrack a short distance, then descending to the right at the first fork until you meet the Forestry Shacks again and return to the entrance gate. The path also offers a pleasant variant, which from the lava flow proceeds to the fence of a restaurant, from which a track departs that, retracing the old route of the cogwheel train, climbs gently to the area of the former funicular; having reached the asphalt road, turn left to land at a beautiful panoramic square with a refreshment point.