Cala di Mitigliano is an isolated cove on the Massa Lubrense coast, inside the Punta Campanella reserve, directly opposite Capri. There are no beach clubs, no bar, nobody renting umbrellas. There is rock, water, and the island in front of you.
It is one of the few coves on the peninsula where you can still swim in silence in the middle of August — at the price of earning it on foot.
Getting there
By car to Termini, a hamlet of Massa Lubrense: about twenty-five minutes from the B&B. Parking in the village is limited and fills early in summer.
The path starts at Termini: about half an hour downhill between olive groves and dry-stone walls, with a steep final stretch over broken ground. It leaves from the same side as the Punta Campanella trail, but takes a different branch.
Remember the rule that applies to every cove on this coast: you walk down on the way out and up on the way back, and the return climb after a day in the sun takes more time and more water than you expect. Allow a good forty minutes to get back up.
By boat is the comfortable alternative: many excursions from Marina Piccola stop here, and a number of our guests choose that route to skip the path altogether.
What the cove is like
Rocks and flat slabs to lie on, no sand. You get into the water off the rocks and the bottom drops away immediately: you swim here, you do not paddle.
The water is the dark, transparent blue that is this coast's signature, a product of the depth and the absence of sand run-off. For snorkelling it is one of the best spots on the peninsula: being inside the marine protected area, life on the seabed is far richer than off the serviced beaches.
A little further along opens the Grotta di Mitigliano, a large sea cave reachable by strong swimmers or by boat.
Who it does not suit
- Small children: the path is long, you enter over rock and the water is deep.
- Anyone with mobility difficulties: the final path has no handrails or steps.
- Anyone wanting facilities: there is nothing. No water, no shade, no toilets, no reliable phone signal.
What to bring
Plenty of water — the most common mistake, and there is nothing to buy here. Rock shoes, a hat, sunscreen, a towel and a mask. Carry your rubbish out: you are inside a reserve.
When to go
June and September. In July and August the path is punishing in the middle of the day: set off before nine or after four.
In rough seas there is no point coming: the cove is exposed with no sheltered landing.
Our advice
Leave early, bring lunch and stay all day: there is no sense in walking an hour there and back for two hours of sea.
And look at Capri. The island is a few miles off, straight ahead, and on clear days you can pick out the Faraglioni with the naked eye: it is the same view that had Romans building villas on this headland two thousand years ago.