MUNICIPALITY: Scala
NAME: Terraces
LOCATION: Loc. Pontone, Loc. Minuta, Loc. Pestrofa
DESCRIPTION: The area most affected by terraced areas is at the elevation of the fraction of Pontone. Precisely because it is located at the watershed between the valley of the Chiarito stream and that of the Dragone stream, the area is favorably suited climatically and topographically to the planting of crops such as lemons and vines. The lower part, both to the east and west, is characterized by lemon that is cultivated on arbors and a few small horticultural areas, especially in the vicinity of houses. In this area, in the part above the Dragon Stream, it is possible to see some terraces without cultivation, recently cleared of infesting vegetation, which represent one of the causes of garden abandonment. They were affected in the past by a landslide that took away part of the usable area, resulting in an economic aggravation to the already high cost of this type of cultivation. The highest part and the part that wedges into the valley of the Chiarito stream (loc. Pestrofa) contain lemon groves and vines. In the summit part of the fraction of Pontone, at the welding point with the locality Minuta, the terracing used as a lemon grove gives way to a few areas of olive groves that become one with the forest above.
SEE, VISIT, FIND: In order to traverse the whole area, it is worth starting from the locality Minuta, which can be reached from Scala center via the rolling road. Once in the small square of Minuta, it is necessary to walk along the staircase that, coasting the Basilica of S. Eustachio, leads to the upper part of Pontone. Near the Basilica one can choose to descend to the left or to the right always thanks to two pedestrian roads. If you take the one on the right the view will be over the valley of the Chiarito stream and over Amalfi, through the one on the left you will cross the terraces projected over the valley of the Dragone stream, over Atrani. When you reach the small square of Pontone, you need to take the staircase that leads to Amalfi and allows you to see the last part of the terraces, those that gradually join the urban structure of the coastal town. If one wants to see the area in the Pestrofa locality then it is necessary to take, arriving in the small square of Pontone, the road that leads to the lower part of the Valle delle Ferriere (Ferriere Valley).
OPPORTUNITY: the opportunity to see terraced areas both in use and abandoned allows the visitor to understand how this activity has influenced and still influences the hydrogeological structure as well as the economy of the Amalfi Coast.
