To get to the cache, one will have to walk up a steep path
that meanders around the olive orchards.
The cache is in a smallish coffee can (Illy caffe' - qualita'
rossa) and its hiding place is located on private property, but
don't worry about entering the private land: it belongs to a friend
of mine and he said it is OK. If you use the nice picknic table
that my friend placed there, please leave it nice and tidy.
The cache intially contained some items, like coins from
different counties, some little plastic toys etc. They have been
exchanged and new item have been added. So - what is in there right
now is a bit of a surprise.
However, there should still be a little notebook to leave your
notes or thoughts. Also: a horrible looking pen which
(surprisingly) works and a pencil (as a trusty backup of the
pen).
SPOILER - added 4 Sept.
2003
I know it is a spoiler, but after the
effort the geoseekers have made to come up that hill, I figured
that the disappointment of not finding the cache is just
toomuch.
So I add this little help.
The cache is inside a very tiny tiny hut (see picture). Originally,
I had left the can in one of the holes in the front wall, very
visible from the outside. Some fellow geocacher during his/her
visit must have thought that it was a bit too conspicuous and so it
put in the hole in the wall on the right of the (non-existing)
door (again: refer to the picture and you clearly see it -
circled in red).
In the picture you see two holes about 2/3 down from the top of the
doorway. Look at the hole onthe right. That is NOT the one you
want. Go above that - at the level of the top of the doorway and
you see a stone that seems a little more conspicuous. That is the
one you want. The hole is behind that protective stone -
which makes the geocache can not visible from outside.
While I am at it: by "popular
demand" I have upgraded the terrain difficulty one notch. yes: that
pathway/road is steep. Going up yesterday at full speed, took me
about half an hour.
Also: some advice on how to get started: Park in the little village
of Somavilla. There are two parking areas, one on each side of the
village. More or less, you should be at location
N45 43.605 E010 47.195
Take the street called "Via Della Pace" or "Via VI Alpini" -
depending on where you parked/started. If you come from Via VI
Alpini, take a right as soon as you reach the ascending
continuation of Via Della Pace. This is where the going starts
climbing up steeply. The "road" is a cemented cobblesone path that
goes more or less straight up. Stay always on the cemented path.
When you are thinking of giving up since it is so steep, you will
get to a fork in the road. Take the left fork (about 40 mt. before
that there is also a fork, but one can see that the left fork dies
off immediately. Stay on the main path and THEN take a left).
Almost at the end, there is also a left/right choice to be made:
take the left.
Happy hiking!
A.Z.
Added on 2 dec. 2005: now there is drinkable water at a little
fountain near the little hut where the cache is hidden. Especially
in those hot sommer days, having water available is VERY much
appreciated.
Thanx to the owner (Franco) who put in the pipes and the little
fountain.