Cool beech woods a thousand metres above the sea, and the highest summit of the peninsula that holds the Amalfi Coast. From the Molare you look down on two gulfs at once: Naples and Vesuvius to the north, Positano and the Li Galli islands to the south.
The Monti Lattari are the limestone spine of the Sorrento peninsula. Monte Faito, named after its beech trees (faggi), is its green heart: a forested plateau around 1,100 metres where Neapolitans come to escape the summer heat.
From the plateau, paths lead through the beech forest and up onto the long ridge of Monte San Michele, whose highest point, the Molare, is 1,444 metres: the top of the whole peninsula. The final climb is rocky and steep but the view rewards it. North lie Castellammare, Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples; south the cliffs drop towards Positano and the Li Galli islands; west the peninsula runs out to Capri.
The cable car from Castellammare has not run since the fatal accident of April 2025, so arrive by road: an EAV bus from Vico Equense, or a car.
CAI paths, marked in red and white. Cloud can cover the ridge; carry a map.
From the plateau near the old cable-car station and the chapel of San Michele, follow the paths into the beech forest, cool and green in summer and golden in autumn.
The path climbs out of the woods onto the ridge, with views opening over both gulfs.
A rocky final climb leads to the summit. Look for Vesuvius, Capri, Positano and, on clear days, Ischia. Return by a loop through the forest to the plateau.
EAV bus 009 runs from Vico Equense (on the Circumvesuviana line from Naples) up to the Faito plateau. Services are limited; check return times before you set off.
A winding mountain road climbs from Vico Equense to the plateau, with parking near the top.
The Lattari's southern side is the Amalfi Coast: see the Path of the Gods and Monte Tre Calli.
Naples practical notes →
Bomerano to Nocelle, high above Positano.
The rim of the volcano that buried Pompeii.
Ischia's summit and a loop round pastel Procida.
A forest in a crater, and Europe's youngest mountain.
Capri's wild west coast past three forts.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their licences.
