Destination Spotlight: Caposele, Italy with Casa Elisabetta

Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome! Italy is a country full of some of the most beautiful (and most touristy) cities; with about 61 million visitors per year. We want to host a Fit Trip in Italy but part of our ethos is to be responsible about the places we go and our impact on that environment. In order to not stress the overpopulated Italian destinations, we wanted to find the perfect spot-- somewhere near nature but full of culture. Some place you wouldn’t necessarily think of going.  We found Caposele.

Caposele? Yes! Caposele, a small city (village) situated in the Campania region of southern Italy.

Surrounded by idyllic mountain scenery and water springs, Caposele is the perfect place for a Fit Trip--a mix of active days in nature, restorative days among the beauty of Italy’s southern landscapes, and molto cultura.

We asked Pasquale Russomanno, owner of Casa Elisabetta and co-founder of Mountain Surfers Italy, why he thinks Caposele is the perfect place for one of our Fit Trips.

Hello, Pasquale! Tell us about Casa Elisabetta and Caposele?

I must say, first of all, that me and my family started to rent out our villa Casa Elisabetta to fulfill our wish of connecting with people from all over the world and sharing with them our culture and traditions. We started without any expectation, but it turned to be an amazing experience that changed our life!

Casa Elisabetta is a charming Italian villa located within walking distance from our village, Caposele, a genuine small and very peaceful village in Southern Italy. This two-story villa was built on top of a limestone cliff in the middle of an ancient olive tree grove belonging to our grandmother Elisabetta’s farm. Surrounded by a large outdoor area, wonderful mountains and nature, its unique location offers breathtaking views and a peaceful atmosphere. The only noise you can hear are the pleasant church bells from the village which remind us olden days.

The villa consists of several modern apartments inspired to outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing and biking. All apartments are fully furnished, have a fully-equipped kitchen, panoramic terrace, and balcony with an amazing view of the village, the Sele Valley, and surrounding mountains.

On the backside of the villa we have a panoramic pool perfect to refresh the body and mind while watching the fantastic panorama. The pool is set within a circular Mediterranean garden where plants such as topped lavender, oleander, Mediterranean dwarf palm, rosemary create a very special sensorial experience.  Included in the villa's outdoor area are also a spacious barbecue area and an ecological garden, where guests can harvest a variety of seasonal vegetables for their own use such as tomatoes, zucchini, basil.

Now let me tell you about our small village Caposele; immersed in the green heart of the Campania region (Southern Italy) and surrounded by wonderful and wild mountains. Caposele, which belongs to the Picentini Mountains Regional Park, is also known as the "ancient water kingdom" for the karstic water springs of the Sele River. The springs feed the world's longest aqueduct known as Apulian Aqueduct built in the beginning of the twentieth century and still to this day is one of the most extraordinary engineering works ever built by hand. Due to the importance of the aqueduct, our village was not shown on maps for many years.

Several unique churches tell Caposele’s history and culture in addition to representing a symbol of spirituality deeply felt by the locals. The Temple of Water of Saint Lorenzo, patron saint of the village, recalls the flow of the water representative element of Caposele. The tent-shaped Sanctuary of Saint Gerardo, protector saint of moms and kids, is the most famous church in the area.

Food and wine are an essential part of the local culture. Local products derive from the work of small breeders and farmers who follow traditional methods both in the cultivation and processing of the products. Nature, slow life, traditional local food and wine are the treasure of our territory and are essential to experience the true Italian culture.

You’re also co-founder of Mountain Surfers Italy. What do you guys do and stand for?

Our association, based in Caposele and operational also in Sweden where I live, aims to inspire people to protect nature and reconnect to it through a series of outdoor experiences and activities such as hiking, climbing, biking, river trekking.

Fun, adventure, sensorial involvement, challenges in nature are the way to find physical and mental well-being as well as to increase sociability and respect for people and things.

Our group consists of outdoor enthusiasts deeply bond to our territory. In order to create a social innovation based on human relations and generate sustainable development of local communities, we at Mountain Surfers Italy intends to make of activities in nature a key tourist attraction.

At moment we are involved in a very exciting project in collaboration with the local institutions and other associations which foresees the development of a climbing area in our village and the improvement of ancient hiking trails on Caposele mountains.

At Fit & Forest, our mission is connection; with our bodies, our minds, and souls through outdoor fitness and travel. Why do you think Casa Elisabetta is the ideal partner?

 Inspire to explore, create a deep connection with our place and experience the authentic Italian soul is what we stand for.

Casa Elisabetta as a whole is an ideal place to disconnect from the day-to day routines, engage in exciting outdoor activities, reconnect to space, nature and find inner peace. We love outdoor activities and are well connected with the local outdoor community as well as with many service providers like travel agency, restaurants etc. We have a very good knowledge of the area which allow us to give the best suggestions on what to see and what to do. We also love to share our culture and traditions with guests and make them feel part of the family.

We’re all about a balance of active days, rest days, and culture during our Fit Trips. What are some of the area highlights that can help us offer this to our clients?

Well, let’s start saying that just stepping outside the villa you can start hiking on Caposele mountains whose peaks offer fantastic views especially at sunrise or sunset.

In the fluvial park located at beginning of the village is also possible to make an easy river trekking and enjoy the pure waters of Sele river. 

Many others exciting outdoor activities and adventures into the wild such as climbing, mountain biking, rafting, zip line it is possible to experience in the whole area.

Following the Sele River course you can take an inspiring trip to discover ancient castles, ghost villages, mystic caves and wonders of the past. The breathtaking sceneries and beaches of Cilento and Amalfi Coast, the prehistoric caves of Castelcivita and the ancient Greek temples in Paestum, UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a must to see.

Food and wine are an important part of this journey. Homemade traditional pasta like ”matasse” with chickpeas, truffle, cheeses and many other different traditional products you can taste at local restaurants will make your trip experience even more tasty.

We talked about responsible tourism earlier. What does that mean to you?

I believe in the transformative power of traveling to places far from the crowds to make people happier, better connected with themselves and consequently to create a better world. In order to keep this process going on is necessary to contribute to generate social and economical development of the local communities and help preserve the local environment and culture. Responsible tourism is all about this: caring and understanding the value of a place and helping to preserve it!

If you could give people one reason to visit Casa Elisabetta and Caposele, what would it be?

Casa Elisabetta is the real alternative for enthusiastic explorers seeking a peaceful yet wonderful place to stay for an unforgettable holiday in a part of Italy far from the tourist crowds and pristine. Furthermore, Caposele’s strategic position between mountains and not far away from beaches, makes it the ideal base to experience Campania region in all its facets, discovering the breathtaking scenery, amazing wonders and local food of both mountain and coastal areas!

Wow, Pasquale! We’re counting the days for when we can get out to Caposele to visit Casa Elisabetta and the amazing surroundings. The mountains, rivers, coastlines, and nature in Campania are calling our name and we know they’ll be ready to receive us and our group of Fit & Foresters when the the time comes!

To all our followers: Covid-19 has taken a toll on our entire planet. We have faith that by staying put and being careful, we will soon be back to moving freely about the world. Until then, this is what we’re doing: identifying like-minded partners in beautiful destinations and preparing the most amazing Fit Trips just for you.

Happy hiking, Nicky & Brian