Isola di Giglio - Sunday's Hike

We had such a nice hike on Saturday that we decided to make another one on Sunday, this time to the far end of the island.  For an extra treat, Ashley came with us on this one.

We got an even earlier start, going up the trail to Castello as before.

North end of island

Ashley in Castello, for scale on a door.

After our breakfast in Castello, we finalized plans for our trek to the end of the island (Capel Rosso).  We didn't want to be gone for too long, and weren't sure how we would hold up if we had to climb back to the summit on our way back, so we wanted to arrange a taxi to meet us at Capel Rosso, or at least as close as the roads got to Capel Rosso.

There are six taxis on the island.  We had seen them.  Identical white vans with the name and number of the proprietor on the side.  Nuncio's [name changed to protect the innocent] was parked at Castello, so Alexandra started looking for him...and sparked a classic Italian debate among the 8 people in and around the cafe where she inquired.

I can't do the debate and argument justice in writing, but the consensus was:

• Nuncio was still in bed, and he wasn't reliable anyway.
• We should call Antonio instead.
• It would take 90 minutes, or maybe two hours, to get to Capel Rosso.
• It would take 30-45 minutes to walk back out to where the taxi could meet us.
• We absolutely needed to call for the taxi now, because there was no cell phone service anywhere near Capel Rosso.

Alexandra made the taxi arrangements, I refilled the water bottles and bought some grapes for sustenance, and we were off.

Ashley in the lead on the trail

Along the way we passed many locations that clearly had been cultivated in the past but were now abandoned.  There were walls, terracing, olives, remains of vineyards, and little stone huts.

We had a delightful edible journey.  Alexandra found the wild mint growing right in the trail--something about the fragrance released by our tramping.  Then there were blackberries, wild and cultivated figs, wild grapes, and wild plums (sour and mostly pit, but still a treat).

Eventually, towards the far south of the island, we started running into plots under active cultivation.  Even here, though, one had to bear in mind that they were not on improved roads.  In many cases, produce would have had to have been carried out on ones back, on a donkey, or, these days, on a tiny three-wheeled truck.

Final push to the south end of the island

They built a stone path for the last bit to save wear on the delicate plants

Me at the lead of a tired threesome

The southern tip

One of the delightful things about the hiking was the varied flora.  Every twist of the trail seemed to introduce a different micro-climate with its own look and feel.  We walked through quiet pine forests, low scrub, grassy areas, and rocky gullies with the odd tree supported by a hidden trickle of water.  Here at Capel Rosso, we found succulents and other drought- and salt- tolerant plants hanging on amid the rocks.

You will be happy to know that Antonio met us right on time.  He also gave us some great history of the island on the beautiful drive back to Campese.

Well worth the effort.