A small island with a wild soul: this is Capraia, one of the gems of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is concentrated with nature, perfumes and colours which captivate anyone who visits it.
Among the most extraordinary inlets of Capraia, is Cala del Ceppo along the east coast of the island. It was once a useful landing place for locals, a couple of kilometers away from the current village.
Even today, Cala del Ceppo is loved and appreciated for its seabed of rocks and sand, to be explored with googles and a snorkel in the blue waves. To reach it, there is a trekking itinerary (about 8 km round trip) that starts in the center of the village, goes into the Mediterranean scrub in the Piana area and up to the bathing point.
You need trekking shoes, a hat to protect yourself from the sun, a bottle of water and you’re off! We are ready to begin our journey. The excursion, as mentioned, begins in the heart of the town of Capraia, that is, from Piazza Milano. We walk along the side of the Church of San Nicola and leave the village behind us taking a slightly uphill road.
We continue amongst dry stone walls and the typical vegetation, consisting of some rare oak, pine, cistus, broom, myrtle and mastic trees.
We pass an old, abandoned quarry: here the path of the Reganico intersects with the road that reaches Cala dello Zurletto. We ignore the detour and admire the splendid panorama on the right with reliefs of the 'ridge' that characterizes the whole island from north to south.
We enter the area protected by the Tuscan Archipelago National Park and, after about 2 km, we arrive at a crossroads that indicates the direction for Monte Arpagna on the right and on the left for Cala del Ceppo / Zenobito crossroad / parish church of Santo Stefano. We then continue taking the road on the left until we reach another fork in the road and continue taking the dirt road on the left.
After about 65 meters the path that will take us to Cala del Ceppo opens slightly to the right. The itinerary passes in front of the small Romanesque parish church of Santo Stefano, surrounded by greenery. In this section and in the following one, it is necessary to pay particular attention because part of the path is uneven.
After the church, at the third crossroads, we take the left turn to follow path 409. After about 30 minutes we reach Cala del Ceppo, passing through the characteristic Mediterranean vegetation of Capraia, which also includes heather and strawberry trees.
From Cala, before taking a dip in the clear sea, you can admire the cliffs of Punta della Civitata on the left and Punta del Patello on the right.
Along the rocky coast line it is not unusual to see octopuses, moray eels and some small groupers, while at about twenty meters from the shore, the sandy bottom allows you to observe sole, turbot and red mullet.
