Photo: Magda Ehlers · Pexels
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Trail 00 · Alta Via dei Monti Lattari

Monte San Costanzo.

The last mountain of the Lattari range before Capri, and the highest point on the Massa Lubrense peninsula — climb it and the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno open at once.

Summit
485–496 m
Start
Termini
Difficulty
Moderate
Shade
None
On top
1560 chapel
Why there are two heights ↓
The short answer

Climb from Termini up trail 00 — steep, exposed and shadeless — for the one summit on the peninsula where both gulfs open at once.

Monte San Costanzo is the last mountain of the Lattari range before Capri, and the highest point on the Massa Lubrense side of the peninsula. There is no shade and no water on the way up; the reward is a bare limestone summit with a chapel of 1560 and a view over Naples and Salerno at the same time. SorrentoHikes does not publish a GPS distance it has not walked.

Quick facts
Summit~496 m (antenna peak) · church at ~485 m
StartTermini, comune of Massa Lubrense
WaymarksTrail 00 · Alta Via dei Monti Lattari
DifficultyModerate — steep and exposed
ShadeNone
WaterNone — carry your own
On topChapel of San Costanzo, built 1560
The thing nobody else says

Why sources give two different heights

It is not a disagreement — it is two peaks. As Pro Loco Massa Lubrense records, Monte San Costanzo has twin summits. The western peak, at about 485 metres, carries the white church of San Costanzo. The higher eastern peak, Monte Croce (~496 m), carries the radio antenna and is the true highest point. Sources give one figure or the other depending on which peak they measure; we give both.

~485 m · the church peak

The western peak carries the white church of San Costanzo. It is the summit most people mean — and the lower of the two.

~496 m · Monte Croce

The higher eastern peak, Monte Croce, carries the radio antenna. It is the true highest point, about eleven metres above the church.

What we can say with confidence: this is the highest point on the Massa Lubrense side of the peninsula, and from the top you see the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno at once. SorrentoHikes does not publish a GPS distance it has not walked.

Do this hike if
  • You want both gulfs — Naples and Salerno — from a single summit
  • You can manage a steep, exposed climb on bare limestone
  • You carry your own water and sun protection
  • You want the highest point on the Massa Lubrense side of the peninsula
Who should not
  • Anyone hoping for shade — there is none anywhere on the climb
  • Anyone without water — there are no refill points
  • Anyone expecting a GPS distance we have not walked
  • Anyone who has confused it with the short direct walk to Punta Campanella
What is on top

A bare peak and a chapel

The summit is limestone and nothing else — no shade, no water — but it carries five centuries of local devotion.

The bald mountain

The mountain was once called Canutario — the bald one — for its bare limestone summit. It still is. There is no shade anywhere on the climb.

no shade · no water
The chapel of 1560

On top stands a chapel dedicated to San Costanzo, patron saint of Capri, built in 1560 by three local families.

built 1560
The feast of 14 May

Every 14 May, villagers from Termini carry the saint’s statue up from the church below. The story goes the sanctuary was built somewhere hard to reach after a dispute with Massa Centro over the cult of the saint.

14 May
What the walk is actually like

The ridge from Termini

From Termini, in the comune of Massa Lubrense, the path to Punta Campanella forks. The uphill branch climbs the ridge of Monte San Costanzo, waymarked in red and white as trail 00, part of the Alta Via dei Monti Lattari.

The climb is moderate but steep and exposed. There is no shade anywhere — the mountain was once called Canutario, the bald one — and no water on the way. Carry everything you need.

At the top the two gulfs open at once, and the chapel of 1560 stands on the bare rock. Most walkers instead link this summit with the tip of the peninsula. → Punta Campanella

What you see

North. The Gulf of Naples, Vesuvius, Ischia and Procida.

South. The Gulf of Salerno and the Lattari mountains.

West. Capri, close enough to feel unreasonable.

4 km
One name, two different days

Do not confuse this climb with the direct walk to Punta Campanella — 4 km and two hours. The names are identical. The days are not. Most walkers combine the two into a single loop from Termini instead.

What to bring
· Water — no refill points
· Sun hat & sunscreen — no shade
· Shoes with grip — steep limestone
· Follow trail 00 (red-and-white blazes)

The summit is bare limestone: no shade, no water. There are no refill points anywhere on the climb.

The Termini loop
Distance7.4–9 km
Time3½–4 hours
Ascent450–547 m
CombinesSan Costanzo + Punta Campanella

Most walkers link Monte San Costanzo and Punta Campanella into one loop from Termini. These are the only distance and ascent figures we cite, because they cover the walked route.

Nearby
Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
The village named for the two gulfs the summit shows you at once.
Same loop
Punta Campanella
The tip of the peninsula, facing Capri — often walked as one loop from Termini.
More trails
All hikes
Every walk on the peninsula, documented honestly — figures included.

Common questions

How high is Monte San Costanzo?

It has two peaks. The higher, Monte Croce with the radio antenna, reaches about 496 metres — the true summit; the church of San Costanzo sits on the western peak at about 485 metres. That is why sources give both figures (Pro Loco Massa Lubrense). It is the highest point on this part of the peninsula.

Where does the trail start?

Termini, in the comune of Massa Lubrense.

Can you see both gulfs?

Yes. Naples to the north, Salerno to the south — at the same time, from the summit.

Is there shade?

None. The summit is bare limestone, and there is no shade anywhere on the way up.

What is on the summit?

A chapel dedicated to San Costanzo, patron saint of Capri, built in 1560.

How long does it take?

As part of the Termini loop with Punta Campanella, three and a half to four hours.

Sources & verification

The two elevation figures reflect the mountain's two peaks — the antenna summit (~496 m) and the lower church peak (~485 m), per Pro Loco Massa Lubrense — not a dispute. Trail conditions change, and we do not publish a distance we have not walked. Check the official source before you go — some are in Italian only.

Pro Loco Massa Lubrense  ·  CAI (waymarks)  ·  Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area  ·  Sources in Italian