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COLLANA LUOGHI VERTICALI

DI ROCCIA DI SOLE

Climbing in Sicily

Climbing in Sicily

Trekking

Giuseppe “Peppino” Gallo, born in Palermo in 1965, has been climbing for 25 years both in the Alps and in Sicily, where he has opened several multi pitch routes and contributed to the bolting and maintenance of various crags. He has a great knowledge of Sicily and its territory and for some time now has been involved in the development of the various mountain disciplines (alpinism, ski-mountaineering and climbing) on the island, thanks also to the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) of Catania’s 30 mm “Estremo Sud” School of Alpinism and Ski-Mountaineering where he is Director. Together with Massimo Cappuccio he was one of the founder members of the San Vito Climbing Festival.

30 mm

DI ROCCIA DI SOLE

Massimo Cappuccio, born 1966, Naturalist and Environmental Excursion Guide, has been climbing since the early nineties on Sicilian rock where he has made numerous ascents and bolted many routes.

He has made classic ascents in the Alps and taken part in mountaineering expeditions to Alaska, the Andes and Kilimanjaro. A great traveller and passionate about trekking and mountain biking, he has covered some of the most beautiful and famous paths and itineraries in the world; in the Himalayas, the Andes, Africa, Borneo and on the volcanoes of Central America and across stretches of lava in Iceland. In recent years he has been involved in the organization of sporting events which promote the territory of Sicily through climbing and sports tourism.

CLIMBING TECHNOLOGY Logo CT per risvolto di copertina “Di roccia di sole”

Canyoning

Massimo Cappuccio Peppe Gallo

Massimo Cappuccio Peppe Gallo

Climbing

30 mm

Mountaineering

Boulder

Less than ten years ago vertical Italy was still undiscovered, few places had been explored and few walls climbed by some local climbers or a few from the mainland. Today this wonderful island has become one of the favourite desinations of climbers from all over the world and a reference point for climbing around the Mediterranean.

In this third edition the areas proposed have increased to nearly a hundred. What a change from 1994 when there were only 43! This innovation lies mainly in the area around San Vito Lo Capo in the Trapani region, and also thanks to the impetus from the now famous international gathering which links up with the most important European areas. But climbing Sicily is not only San Vito... Every year, there are more and more young Sicilians who discover and bolt new areas like Contrada Alfano near Syracuse or the new crags in the Ragusa region. There are also plenty of contributions from climbers of other Italian regions or from abroad, who together with the locals continue to offer new crags and beautiful routes up the highest walls. This makes for an enthusiastic collaboration with newer and more compelling pages to write on the story of 30 mm climbing in Sicily.

Mountain-bike

pertina “Di roccia di sole”

ISBN 978-88-96634-53-0

E 34,00 EDIZIONI VERSANTE SUD

First Edition October 2012 ISBN 978-88-96634-53-0 Copyright © 2012 VERSANTE SUD S.r.l. Milano via Longhi, 10, tel. 027490163 www.versantesud.it All rights reserved world wide. No part of this book can be translated, electronically copied, reproduced, adapted partially or totally by any means.

Cover

Mpacchiapecura, 7c+, Grotta dei Santi (ph. Klaus Dell‘Orto)

Text

Massimo Cappuccio and Giuseppe Gallo

Translation

Alexandra Ercolani

Illustrations

Chiara Benedetto

Symbols

Iacopo Leardini

Layout

Chiara Benedetto

Printing

Monotipia Cremonese (CR)

Acknowledgements The authors and editors thank the following for their collaboration: Ignazio Mannarano and Giuseppe Macaluso for western Sicily and David Gallo, Sergio Soraci and Fabio Failla for eastern Sicily. A special thankyou goes to Maurizio Oviglia, Eugenio Pinotti, Luigi Cutietta, Matteo Giglio and Rosario Lo Forti for the information and photos supplied on their routes.

Besides we would like to thank all the bolters

and those who opened new routes who have not been mentioned here, and who kindly supplied all the information on their routes.

Another thank you to all our friends and climbing partners who accompanied us during the repetition of the routes and in our long pilgrimages under the crags and also to our companions in life for their patience in both supporting us and putting up with us.

Note Climbing is a potentially dangerous sport in which participation is entirely at your own risk. All the information in this guide has been updated based upon information at the time of publication, however it is vital to evaluate every situation yourself before placing yourself in a life threatening situation or to seek the advice of experienced and qualified individuals.

Massimo Cappuccio Giuseppe Gallo

DI ROCCIA DI SOLE Climbing in Sicily

Index

Map Introduction Technical introduction Outline

6 8 14 21

Messina

Ragusa

1 San Fratello Rocche del Crasto 2 Nebrodi 3 Rocca Calanna 4 Capo Calavà 5 Molino 6 Castelmola 7 Stokolm 8 Mazzarò

Catania

22 24 26 28 34 44 46 52 56

9 Acqua Rocca 10 Bronte 11 Sarbaggio

60 62 64

Siracusa 12 Brucoli 13 La Pagoda Monti Climiti 14 Panettone 15 Bunker 16 Curvone 17 Sortino 18 Pantalica 19 Cassaro Contrada Alfano 20 Nome e Cognome 21 Paradox Wall 22 Pisciotta 23 Contralfano 24 Grotta Re Lucertola 25 New School 26 Arance Rosse 27 Arena 28 Cavadonna 29 Cava della Contessa 30 Cava Grande 31 Sant’Andrea 32 Gole della Stretta 33 Timpa Rossa

4

68 70 72 74 80 84 88 90 100 102 104 108 110 112 114 116 118 120 122 130 134 148 152 154

34 Cava d’Ispica 35 Castelluccio 36 Iaddinara 37 Settore Ibleo 38 Cimitero 39 Ambiguità 40 Pandora 41 Umpa Lumpa

158 166 168 172 174 178 182 186

Agrigento 42 Rocca San Benedetto

188

Trapani San Vito Lo Capo Monte Monaco 43 Nuova Ossessione 44 Sperone Est 45 Cattedrale nel Deserto 46 Parete Nord 47 Pizzo Monaco Scogliera di Salinella 48 Calamancina 49 Campo Base 50 Grotta del Cavallo 51 Fakiro’s Beach 52 Bunker 53 Portella delle Vacche 54 Camping 55 Sinistra Pietraia 56 Pineta e Pineta Grotta 57 Scomparto Rifiuti 58 Torre Isulidda 59 Salinella Sud 60 Torre Radio Nord 61 Lost World 62 Crown of Aragon 63 Cinema Paradiso 64 Fiamme Gialle 65 Parco Cerriolo 66 Never Sleeping Wall 67 Scopello

190 196 198 202 208 214 222 230 232 240 244 248 250 256 260 264 268 274 276 282 284 286 288 292 296 300 304 308

Crown of Aragon (ph. P. Bagnara) g

Palermo Monte Pellegrino 68 Lo Schiavo 69 Discesa Valdesi 70 Spigolo Valdesi 71 Pablo 72 Valdesi Addaura 73 Mariella Crack’n Up 74 Preistoria 75 Antro della Perciata 76 Parete Nord 77 Anfiteatro 78 Parete dei Rotoli Monte Gallo 79 Bauso Rosso Capo Gallo 80 Grotta degli Svizzeri 81 Capo Gallo vie 82 Monte Santa Margherita 83 Quota 280 84 Punta Baloo 85 Pizzo della Sella 86 Kemonia

312 314 326 328 330 332 342 344 348 350 352 356 358 360 362 372 374 376 386 392 394 396 402

87 Pizzo Impastato Rocca Busambra 88 Parete Nord Quota 1245m 89 Rocca Ramusa 90 Pizzo Nicolosi Madonie Caltavuturo 91 Cabeci 92 Gazzara 93 Rocca di Sciara 2 94 Rocca di Sciara 1080m 95 Monte d’Oro 96 Contrada Croce 97 Passo Scuro

404 406 410 412 416 420 422 424 428 436 438 440 452 454

5

Trapani

Marsala

6 68-86

Palermo

Capo Gallo Mondello

Sciacca

Corleone

88-90

San Giuseppe Iato

87

Scopello Castellamare

Partanna Castelvetrano

43-67

San Vito

91-94

Caltavuturo

42

Agrigento

Caltanissetta

Gela

Enna

Castelbuono Collesano 97 95-96 Madonie

CefalĂš

19

Brucoli

Catania

Taormina

5

33 Modica 39-41 34-35Rosolini Scicli

36-38

Sortino 14-17 18 Floridia Siracusa 20-25 Monti Iblei 26-28Canicattini Ragusa 29-30

31-32

6 7-8

Zafferana

11

Peloritani

12-13

9

Etna

Nicolosi

Bronte

10

2-3

Buccheri

Nebrodi

1

S. Agata

Capo CalavĂ Gioiosa 4

Messina

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Introduction 8

In Sicily, there are certainly large hilly areas, but when these are uncultivated, they don’t have a soft character: on the contrary the land is harsh, difficult and steep. If it is not covered by woods it is covered in rocks: in short, the land is often wild. And then there are the large cliffs, miles and miles of rock between the blue of the sea and the sky.

I am lucky to conserve in my memory a complete and visual documentation of my many incursions around the island: the enchantment of imprisoned places, then freed on the wings of memories’ pages, or else taking a photo with a camera guided by a heart which has the ability to travel and then to know how to narrate.

In spite of the great experience needed to write Mezzogiorno di Pietra my journey through Sicilian nature and rock is a feat far from concluded, for which many are still seeking, through past and present history, a sense which can be proposed in this century to new mountain travellers. It will be necessary to reflect on the development of aggressive tourism during the twentieth century and on the speed with which the choices were made on the objectives and movements of tourists.

I would like the new traveller to distill the kind of journey which carries one to go in depth rather than across, more traditional than exotic, in which the nature of rock is not only part of our background experience but uppermost playing with our curiosity.

«Sicily, where all the songs are sad» is the title of a National Geographic report, March 1975, by Howard La Fay. The author says that even fun songs in Sicily, are born from tragic situations.

Even my Mezzogiorno di Pietra risks becoming a sad song, since it is the rock that is paying for thousands of years of domination. In Sicily there were the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans who dominated. Then there were the Byzantines, followed by the Saracens, and in turn the Normans. Then the Svevi, French and Spanish. When

Garibaldi arrived in 1860 to unite Italy, the majority of Sicilians saw him as another invader. First it was the inhabitants to suffer this domination and oppression by the lords.

Now, as in the rest of Italy, it is often the land being attacked, in spite of the written word, brochures, books, publications, all trying to prove how beautiful Sicily is. But at Capo Zafferano we can only see destruction and boastful progress.

While for Monte Pellegrino, set between the sea and Palermo’s outskirts, I wrote: «The rock’s quality, the proximity to a large city, the almost permanent good weather conditions have deservedly made this one of the busiest climbing centres. Slightly… decentralized compared to other Italian regions, Pellegrino has not yet seen a great northern invasion. But it is only a question of time: the French will come, the English, Swiss and the Germans. All it will take is for the Patrick Bérhault of the moment to visit and open a crazy route and that is how the flow starts off …». So will the rock be saved by climbers?

Capo Gallo is an enormous steep promontory which rises between the beaches and the bays of Mondello and Sferracavallo. It is thus not possible to talk about wild and uncontaminated nature in this case: for example a coastal road starts off from Mondela reaching Sferracavallo.

Climbing at Capo Gallo is not like climbing at M. Pellegrino, where the city lies beneath you. Below Capo Gallo there is the sea or a satellite town, Sferracavallo and its small villas which unfortunately are continuously growing along the slope covered in sparse shrubs made up mainly of arboreal euphorbia, ferule asphodel with sparse wild olive bushes and grassy carpets of calendula.

When you pop out above the edge of the rock face, a karst landscape and desolate plateau appear in which for a moment one breathes a solitude which does not belong to Palermo and its outskirts. One hears a vague buzzing in the background, one feels surrounded by the city, and quickly the

Fabrizio Artino, Balù, Yoghi e Bubu, 7b+, Grotta del cavallo (ph. K. Dell’Orto) g

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Introduction 10

descent begins down steep screes enclosed in the gullies and the spell breaks.

Cava Grande is a fracture, a wedge of many kilometres, which splits the Monti Iblei, the «horizontal» mountains, the south-eastern part of Sicily. I say horizontal since the Iblei have been lifted vertically and their stratifications are perfectly horizontal, with no trace of side slipping or overlapping.

So even if the rock is very similar to the Appenines and the other limestone mountains in Sicily, these mountains are very different. Essentially a large plateau, with sections of high ground and large fractures like the Cava Grande of the Cassìbile river or the river Anapo’s and Pantàlica’s canyons. Looking over the Cava Grande belvedere is an unusual spectacle: a narrow V shaped valley which opens out at our feet, naked, green pastures and some old oriental sycamores near the river, white rocks which look like the pages of a book.

The general appearance seems to deceive its size, and the sense of void which emanates from this canyon without large vertical walls is probably larger than wilder canyons. A separate reality seems to live on the bottom.

Divided from us by two hundred metres of vertical height, which seem like a lot more. And one perceives that a portion of paradise on earth has remained down there, in its small waterfalls, in the impenetrable woods and in the meeting with animals which graze and seem lost here from time immemorial, while man still looks for them on the plateau. In the secret corners of the caves carved out by man, in the pure water our resigned soul migrates.

In Pantàlica there are hundreds and hundreds of square chambers carved out in the limestone rock. The overall vision of these Troglodyte and Byzantine abodes, as you reach the end of the road coming from Sortino, is striking: a narrow and enclosed valley opens up in front of us with horizontal stratifications. In the background it is possible to vaguely hear the sound of water trickling, the squre chambers can be

seen rising like barriers of inaccessible rock.

Maybe they are connected internally by communicating tunnels, maybe the people in ancient times had come down from above with ropes, it seems impossible this type of feat, similar to the crag of Dogon in Mali. The rooms are spread out apparently casually, but it cannot be excluded that they refer to the constellation. We’re not sure but they make an enormous impression, when the first sun reddens the white walls and the black pockets stand out even more, geometrical but inaccessible to rational minds, like the glance of a cat or the sublime expression of the Sphynx.

That evening it was raining, so Marco and Daniele slept in one of those cubicles. The day after we head into the canyon in search of rockfaces to climb, long overhanging bulges and natural caves to then surface onto the top of the plateau and walk by Pantàlica’s Anactoron.

In the western part of Sicily, off the beaten track between Palermo and Trapani, invisible beyond a conspicuous mountain chain a rocky and imposing promontory extends into the sea, a platform emerges from the shallow sea, situated not far from the coast and plunging into the sea’s abyss. But if one does not dwell on the sea’s depth and looks at Monte Monaco rising, marvelously white and vertical, and in some points yellow and overhanging, on the arid platform, without plants and windswept, a decisively different, singular phenomena appears. A cliff with a collar.

Behind this beautiful rocky mass it is possible to catch a glimpse of other mountains, sometimes covered in dark fog, sometimes as far away as the mountains on the moon, estranged from this coast that would like to communicate only light, sun and warmth, of life in the inhabited area of S.Vito lo Capo. Up there lies the kingdom of thirst and solitude, poor degraded pasture land; the arborial euphorbia sticks its roots in the rockiest land and taps into humid areas even if very deep, while the other

Gabriele Gorobey “Sbisighin”, Terra Media, 7c, Grotta dei Santi (ph. K. Dell’Orto) g

11

Introduction 12

living beings cannot do this and prefer to stay lower down.

Monte Monaco’s northern wall, reddish and overhanging is carved out by slightly overhanging oblique cracks, interrupted by curved caves streaked with bird droppings in a few sections. The solitary sparrow lives here, with the wild pigeon, the kestrel and the peregrine falcon, in peaceful harmony with the climbers who climb the routes described in this guide. When there is no wind, it is possible to here the hum of the planes taking off at Punta Raisi airport: a vague and distant rumble which at first seems menacing but then our rational mind easily accepts it, without remembering that the first sensation is the one that counts and the threat is real.

On S.Vito’s Sballo we almost had to bivvy: we woke up late, soaking wet after an extremely damp night with a warm scirocco wind. Our nomadic party, five in a van, had camped out in the garden of a villa under construction and only after a long time were we ready to climb the pillar. On Pizzo Monaco, the ropes didn’t want to be recovered. I climbed up the rope using a prusik knot, fixed the abseil point, abseiled down but it was useless. Marco Bonamini climbed up successfully and managed to recover the ropes, which did not budge due to the rope drag of an unusual rock.

At Cala Buguto, with hands on hips we observe from the rugged coastline of flat cliffs, Monte Cofano’s bulky mass now partly shrouded in a damp mist, a promontory which heads into the sea dividing the Gulf of Cofano and the Gulf of Bonagia. Before setting off we take another dive into the hot October water of the nearby Trapani sea.

In front of us a Mesozoic limestone ridge rises: it vaguely resembles the Aiguille Noire de Peutérey’s ridge: especially one of the towers like Punta Welsenbach. Near the cars there are some agave still blooming, so are about to die. The midday heat hides the south face, and it is just possible to catch a glimpse of how rugged it is with its ridges

and towers and complex geography.

Last night we slept on the beach of Marettimo’s little port and it was not a night spent well: the wind blew fine sand all over us and into our sleeping bag sticking everywhere, it was scirocco sand and unpleasant. The traverse by hydrofoil had made things worse, the sea was rough, the vessel reaching its limit and we started to regret filling up with sandwiches from Marettimo’s bakery. In a few words Capo Còfano did not thrill us and we were reluctant to experience the daily adventure.

When choosing the gear on the asphalt which was harder than usual, even Marco was not motivated.

The result of all this operation was a beautiful route interrupted and concluded at night, risking a bivouac. Late during the day we realized that we would have never been able to continue beyond Tower Welzenbach and on the contrary we would have found difficulties descending it. Beyond the tower an abseil awaits us, with the ascent of a wall with yellow and red pillars which rise towards the summit in a disorderly manner: we could have hoped to climb it easily, even if we knew that the beauty of an itinerary depends on its verticality, searching the easiest route to the top, through the labyrinth of gullies and cracks. Well then that is what Roby Manfrè will go on to do, no doubt an earlier riser than we were.

That’s right, Marettimo…the furthest of the Egadi islands. When we reached the only inhabited centre, carrying the same name as the island, we could see a collection of houses of only one colour, squared up between the sea and the shrubs. It rose on the mountain above, which disappeared at a certain altitude amidst a thick mass of clouds, that made the island seem suspended between clouds and sea. A surreal effect.

If the eastern side of Merettimo is bare, stripped of vegetation, on the western side the island is even uninhabitable: deep valleys carve through it, parallel and un-

Alessandro Garetto, Hurien, 7b+/c, Nome e Cognome (ph. arch. A. Garetto) g

connectable, great Dolomite-like walls block even the sea’s access. Only hunters every now and then would venture into these valleys, not with the intent of traversing or linking, but only to hunt out the few animals that lived there. Today though it is possible to make an itinerary of the western coastline. The sign posts are rare, exactly so as not to distort the characteristic wilderness of this itinerary, to leave to others the taste of progressive discovery and adventure. A trek was thus born with alpine style passages which should not be tackled light heartedly or without experience. And climbing? Well, that is where most of the future lies.

These are my memories, off the top of my head. Not that I have never returned. I have been lucky enough to get other opportunities.

The development of sport climbing in Sicily has grown impressively thanks to the talent of young Sicilian climbers and visitors. The

territories where climbing is undertaken risk remaining intact for a long while, and this is great, for everyone.

It has been hard work looking for sport routes and bolting them in a way that does not limit the possibility of visiting these crags to only the more adventurous climbers, who are necessarily very few. This guide, re-edited and renewed is proof of climbing’s vitality and Sicilian rock, with a few areas destined to increase in approval and success.

Alessandro Gogna

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Technical introduction 14

Climbing in Sicily The region of Sicily is mainly mountainous, characterized by Mount Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, which with its 3300 metres overlooks all the other peaks and mountainous groups on the island.

As well as Etna the main reliefs are spread out along the mountain ridge which runs along the island’s northern coastline. This chain defined by the following mountain groups, listed from east to west: Peloritani, Nebrodi, Madonie, Monti del Palermitano and Monti del Trapanese. The peaks of these groups almost reach 2000 metres, and alternate mountainous areas of thick woods with other areas which are harsh and barren. Not all these groups offer attractive rock faces, the most interesting mountains in climbing terms are no doubt the ones found in the western section between Palermo and Trapani, apart from the beautiful and isolated Rocche del Crasto which rise up over the Nebrodi, which are further east.

Another interesting area of Sicily climbing-wise is made up of the Monti Iblei plateau situated on the south east side of the island. Many canyons, up to 200 metres deep, offer great potential for climbing with dozens of beautiful well bolted crags.

Imposing and majestic, Mt Etna does not present any particular rock faces for climbing, except for the small sector Acqua Rocca, while further north of the volcano on the walls of Monte Ziretto you will find the historical crag of Castelmola.

From the morphology of Sicilian reliefs and their rocky structures, one can deduce that the areas suitable for climbing are situated along the island’s eastern and northern coastline.

This is where most of the climbing centres are found, in terms of the already bolted crags or other rock faces for multi pitch routes.

Even if inferior in size other areas present rocky outcrops which are equipped for climbing, but they represent isolated sectors compared to the areas mentioned above.

Over the last few years there has been a marked increase in the number of climbing

routes all over the island, thanks to the work of many bolters, both local and foreign, who with passion have never stopped discovering and equipping new areas, or re-bolting and renewing historical sectors, as has recently happened with the Schiavo crag at Monte Pellegrino.

Publications, meetings, festivals and, last but not least, this current guide book help make climbing in Sicily increasingly widespread.

Climbing schools, mountain guides with their clients or simply groups of friends who choose to come climbing in Sicily are definitely on the increase.

Travelling in Sicily A trip to Sicily, no matter how fanatical a climber may be, cannot stop you plunging into the Sicilian “sicul” reality, the proverbial hospitality of its people, the thousand tastes and flavours of its food, the enchanting glimpses of its old town centres and the beauty of its sea.

An invitation also to visit its numerous inland villages, still experiencing a rural lifestyle of long ago, but if you don’t love the bucolic country life, don’t miss the chance then of the city night life. Extremely beautiful historic centres in Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa have lots of night clubs open until dawn attracting lively crowds. Don’t be afraid to stay out late at night in the cities and remember to use your common sense in every situation. In many crags you can camp at the base of the walls, but some of these are on private land, so if you meet the owners or any local people it is a good idea to ask their permission and exchange a few words so that you can be accepted as friends rather than invaders and nobody will bother you. In Sicily much of the water sources are dependent on rainfall so are dry for most of the year, remember this when you are planning to camp away from a campsite and need water. Anyway it is easy to replenish this precious asset in the little mountain villages, where there are usually fountains. Remember that in many protected areas, or in the reforested areas

managed by the Forestry Corps, it is forbidden to light fires, a small camp fire out of control can burn vast areas and represent a danger for you as well as for many others. Limit your fire, where it is allowed, to cooking and don’t leave it unattended. Always be careful, especially in hot weather, of the very annoying ticks, present in almost all the crags and which can also cause serious health problems. Always check the place where you stop, where you leave your clothes, and periodically during the day check over your body. The removal of a tick requires a minimum of accuracy and it is worth reading up on what action has to be taken. If you have a fever or feel unwell after being bitten it is advisable to go to the nearest hospital for the appropriate treatment. Like every situation with different aspects, both good and bad, even in Sicily you might have to turn up your nose at some things, wild cementification, abandoned rubbish and devastating fires in areas of valuable naturalistic interest, but this too is part of the contradictions of this world.

Logistic notes Sicily is the largest region in Italy, and surely for the majority of Italian climbers it is the farthest away. If the long distance discourages people from weekend climbing it encourages instead those who want to combine climbing with a trip to a land that has a lot to offer. Sicily means a culture of thousands of years of civilization, historical monuments and archaeological remains amongst the most beautiful in Italy, popular traditions made of parties and folklore, delicious cooking specialities, but also the warmth and hospitality of a population which is always willing to help tourists and foreigners.

And if this is not enough for the most fanatical of climbers, then consider the fact that you climb in shorts and t-shirt on beautiful crags overlooking the sea, even during the cold winter months.

A visit to the most beautiful crags of the island requires at least a week. If you only have a few days available, we recommend you visit only one area among the most developed, for example Palermo (where you can reach the

crags even by public transport), San Vito Lo Capo, and the crags in the provinces of Syracuse and Ragusa. If you plan a long period, you will be able to visit the most interesting places and plan a tour of the island. For an itinerant trip we recommend you have a car; apart from Palermo, the majority of the climbing sites are not near any towns and are too difficult to reach by public transport. Keep in mind that moving from one end of the island to the other you need to cover many hundreds of kilometres, for example from Ragusa to San Vito Lo Capo there are roughly 350 km!

To plan a tour of the crags you can think of travelling along the coastal road, starting off from Trapani ending up in Ragusa or viceversa.

Transportation Sicily is easily reached by all means of transport. The airports of Palermo and Catania are excellently connected with national and international flights, and during many periods of the year airline companies offer convenient fares, making it a fast and cheap flight.

Arriving via sea, the port of Palermo is connected to Cagliari, Genoa, Livorno and Naples, while Catania is connected to Ravenna, Livorno, Venice, Naples and Malta.

For moving internally the viability is guaranteed by roads and motorways (most of them are toll free) that connect most of the main centres.

An efficient transportation network amongst the main cities of the province by means of comfortable and fast buses guarantees easy travelling internally, while the train is difficult to use due to the long time taken to cover distances between the various sections.

Climate Sicily is the hottest region of Italy, and has the least rainfall, during winter the temperatures are mild along the coast and harsh in the interior, summer is hot and windy along the coast, while torrid heat characterises the interior of the island. The majority of the rainfall is concentrated during late autumn and between winter and the start of spring. Sicily is the ideal place for those who want to continue 15

Technical introduction

climbing throughout winter and feel like touching sun kissed rock, as only one can do in summer. During the winter, even if in some areas it is bitter cold, especially in the internal mountainous parts, it is normal to find long periods of good weather, when it is possible to climb in t shirt and shorts. During the opposite season, summer, it is instead advisable not to climb in July and August when temperatures and humidity reach levels which are far too high to climb in. Nevertheless even during summer, depending on the exposure or the time of day, it is possible to climb a couple of pitches. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, because of mild temperatures and many hours of daylight, you can even have a swim in the sea after a day spent climbing on the walls.

Cartography The “Sicily” Touring Club map, scale 1:200.000 is detailed and up to date enough to easily reach all the areas mentioned in this guide.

For those who need more detailed maps the I.G.M (military geographical institute) maps with a scale of 1:25.000, cover the whole Italian territory, but often they do not have recent updates. Some maps of 1:50.000 scale edited by other institutes, show the territory of parks and protected areas in great detail but they do not cover the climbing areas.

USEFUL ADDRESSES Mountain Rescue Throughout the last years mountain rescue on the island has greatly improved in terms of its organization and operational capacity. It is important to realize that its main operative centre is based in the city of Palermo for western Sicily and the stations of Etna for eastern Sicily, two areas well covered, and where any rescue operation in the nearby areas can be tackled in a short time. Most of the rescue operations are undertaken by helicopter, but bear in mind that if your request comes from areas far from the rescue centre mentioned above, especially if at night or during bad weather, which prevents the use of the helicopter, the operation will take longer.

The reference number for emergency calls is the same as the rest of Italy: 118, but we recommend to specify the exact type of accident, specifically requesting the intervention of the mountain rescue teams present both in western and eastern Sicily. This will avoid other organizations connected with mountain rescue getting involved.

Other useful numbers for mountain rescue: For the central-western part of Sicily 334-9510149 this is the direct number for Palermo’s rescue team, active 24/7; For the central-eastern part of Sicily 095-7916069 Soccorso Alpino Guardia di Finanza Nicolosi-Etna, works 24 hours.

Regional Parks and protected areas Many of the climbing areas are inside parks, natural reserves and protected areas of which there are many in Sicily. We will limit ourselves to provide the main addresses, while other useful information can be found visiting the following web site: www.parks.it/regione/sicila/ Monte Pellegrino Natural Reserve: V.le Diana snc Palermo tel 091/6716066.

Etna Park: Via Etnea 107/a Nicolosi (CT) tel 095/821111.

Nebrodi Park: Via U.Foscolo 1, Alcara Li Fusi (ME) tel.0941/793904-5 Macedonie Park: Corso P.Agliata 16, Petraia Sottana (PA) tel. 0921/684011.

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Campsites and hostels Apart from a few isolated areas where you can sleep in your tent, the remainder of the crags are all close to large inhabited areas where you can find a number of solutions for overnight stays. Campsites, hostels, hotels and bed and breakfasts for any kind of budget can be easily contacted even through internet, so there is no use listing them all as they will soon be out of date. Anyway, in each chapter under “back up points” you will find some useful suggestions.

Back up points We have given a few recommendations and indications in the chapters which describe the climbing areas.

Routes This guide has been compiled choosing the crags with single pitch routes and sport, modern multi pitch routes. All the classic style trad routes have been previously covered in the complete guide CAI TOURING CLUB edited by Monti d’Italia. The single pitch and multi pitch routes are totally equipped, from anchor points with chains and bolts along the route. On almost all the new modern routes you will need to use a full rack (nuts, cams and kevlar threads for rock tunnels) to back up the fixed anchors (bolts) present along all the pitches. On these routes the anchors are always equipped and the bolts are placed where the crux move is difficult to protect. A few of the long routes have been opened years ago, still equipped with old anchor points. Maintenance and rebolting are being undertaken by a few keen climbers to make these routes safer.

or abseils and we recommend you always use a helmet. In any case the material needed for each route is always specified at the beginning of the route’s description. During the summer months if you climb on the sunny part of the rock face, you should always have enough water with you, make sure you bring plenty of water supplies if you think you will be climbing for many hours. During winter carry a fleece and a waterproof jacket at the bottom of your backpack, they could be useful in case of a sudden thunderstorm or a drop in temperature.

Time The length of time required for the walk in in and the walk out have been worked out conisdering the fitness levels of an average fit person. The time taken to climb the route has been deliberately left out since it varies with each roped team.

Criteria for choosing the selected itineraries In selecting areas and itineraries, we have taken into account the following criteria: natural beauty of an area, how well the route is equipped, how easy it is to access the area and problems related to prohibition or restriction of access to an area. Tiny climbing sites spread around have not been included due to their little interest, due to the scarce amount of routes and the worn out bolts. The same decision was made for some multi pitch routes, beautiful and historically important, but in terms of bolting they are in a terrible state, therefore far from the safety standards that we are able to give to a route to be classed as a sport or modern climbing route.

Gear needed On the multipitch routes and single pitch routes you need the usual rock climbing gear: climbing shoes, harness, chalk and a 60 metre rope, 12 quick draws, belay device and a locking carabiner.

For modern routes as well as the above gear you will need slings or webbing for the belay anchors, kevlar threads for tunnels, a set of nuts and friends, two half ropes for possible retreats 17

Technical introduction

EVALUATION OF MULTI PITCH ROUTES To be more thorough in classifying the multi pitch routes, we have used the extended grading scale which separates the general effort required on a route (environment, distance from the valley, length, psychological effort) to the relative distance of the protections. All this is separate from the technical difficulties, expressed using the French grading system. We will therefore use three parameters to grade and consequently three different scales to take into consideration the description of a route: the technical difficulty, the route’s possibility of being protected, the global effort. To have a precise idea of a route, it will be thus necessary to express all three parameters, because none of them considered separately will give enough information to the climber.

Technical difficulties For all routes we have used the French grading system. For each itinerary both the maximum grade and the obligatory grade are shown.

18

Protection We have used a scale that only takes into consideration the distance and the reliability of the anchors, using the letter “R” (risk).

In the case of bolted routes the letter “S” substitutes “R” and evaluation just concerns the distance between bolts. For mixed routes, we used “RS”. Taking the artificial scale as a starting point, this chart is divided into 6 grades, where R6 indicates a section that is difficult or impossible to protect with a high risk of fatal falls. Naturally, the scale is open.

Global effort This scale substitutes the classic French one (TD, ED, etc) in grading the global effort required on a route, it takes into account the surroundings, how difficult it is to retreat from the route, and the distances from the bottom of the valley. It is basically the American rating system used for big walls which utilizes Roman numerals from I to VII (it is an open scale) and given with the technical difficulty. As you can see on the chart, ratings aren’t at all connected to the level of difficulty, which should always be considered along with the Roman numeral rating.

PROTECTION S1

Regular bolting style for sports routes, such as on cliffs. Average distance between bolts: 3,4 metres.

Potential length of fall: some metres; fall without danger.

S2

Distant bolts and obligatory difficult moves from one bolt to another. Potential length of fall: a maximum of 10 metres; fall without danger.

S3

Distant bolts, almost always obligatory difficult moves. A distance of sometimes more than 5 metres between bolts. Long falls but not very dangerous.

S4

Very distant bolts (more than 7 metres), obligatory difficult moves. A fall can potentially cause an injury.

S5

Bolts more than 10 metres apart, obligatory difficult moves and parts where falls may cause injury (falls on natural terraces, ledges or ground falls).

S6

Partially bolted but bolts are far from cruxes, extended unprotected tracts (more than 20 metres) from which a fall could be mortal.

R1

Easy to protect, always solid, safe and numerous protection. Few obligatory difficult moves. Potential length of fall: some metres; fall without danger.

R2

Fairly easy to protect, always solid and safe protection, smaller in number. obligatory difficult moves between protection. Potential length of fall: some metres; fall without danger.

R3

Difficult to protect, not always good protection, bolts rather distant from each other. Long obligatory difficult moves. Potential length of fall until 7-8 metres, fall with possible injury.

R4

Difficult to protect, scarce and/or unreliable and/or distant protection which would only hold a short fall.

Long obligatory difficult moves. Potential fall up to 15 meters with risk of anchors pulling out. Fall with a high possibility of injury.

R5

Difficult to protect, scarce, unreliable and/or distant protection, which could allow just a small fall.

Long obligatory difficult moves. Possibility of long falls or ground falls and consequently serious injuries.

R6

Not possible to protect but for short and insignificant passages far from cruxes. A fall could be fatal.

I

Short route just taking a few hours, near the road and with a comfortable approach track, nice surrounding and easy downclimb.

II

Multi-pitch route on a wall of more than 200 metres of length, easy approach track, rather long, easy downclimb.

III

Long route of more than 300 metres that will take all day long, difficult surrounding. Long approach track and rather slow downclimb.

IV

Very long route of more than 500 metres, on severe wall far away from the bottom of the valley. It will take you all day long and the downclimb might be complicated, as you can't climb down the same route.

V

Very long route, big wall style, requires a bivvi on the wall. Difficult downclimb, difficult surrounding.

VI

Big wall which requires more days on the walls, High Mountain surrounding, difficult downclimb.

VII

All the features of the 6th grade, but exasperated, such as on big walls in the Himalayas, which need a real expedition.

OVERALL FEATURES

f

Mirto Monaco, Grotta di Calamancina, route not yet freed (ph. D. Arena)

19

COLLANA LUOGHI VERTICALI

Alessandro Tedesco Franco Tedesco

MOUNTAIN BIKE IN SICILIA 50 itinerari nella Sicilia Occidentale

EDIZIONI VERSANTE SUD

Number of routes present subdivided by grade

2 2

33

1 1 4

New School

Siracusa

33

10 <6 6a 6b 6c ?

180m

Altitude

W

450m

Esposure

Beauty Splendid

Worthy

Nice

Equipment

Terrible Pay attention Good Perfect

Number of visitors

Low Medium High Overcrowding

Comfort at base

Uncomfortable Uneven Comfortable

Parking

Difficult Sufficient Good Very good

Not exciting

For beginners Dry climbing in the rain Fit for families Trekking path

21

01

25

01

<6 6a 6b 6c 7a 7b 7c 2 3

San Fratello

4

San Fratello

Messina

6 7

1 2

W 600m

Historical and first climbing sector to be bolted in the province of Messina, this crag has seen its first climbs already during the 80s by S.Soraci, E.Pagano and G.Sturniolo, all from Messina. It develops on the western side of Monte San Fratello on a great band of excellent compact limestone on which cracks alternate with compact walls and strong overhangs. This leads to varied and fun climbing where climbers can express all types of climbing styles, also thanks to the excellent bolting and a good variety of difficulties. The crag is distant from the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main towns, therefore it is never very busy, the area thus results quiet and isolated with a beautiful view overlooking the valley below. Due to its western exposure it is pleasant to climb during winter afternoons or summer mornings. It is an excellent starting point for those of you also interested in trekking and mountain biking on the nearby Monti Nebrodi.

Access From the A20 Messina-Palermo motorway exit at S.Agata di Militello and continue towards Palermo. Take the S.S. 289 state road towards San Fratello and right after the 10th kilometre, leave your car after a hair pin bend which veers right.

Walk back towards the bend where you will find a small cattle gate which allows access to the crag within about 5 minutes.

Back up points There are some good local restaurants at San Fratello, with typical local food, and a modest hotel offering overnight accomodation. It is also possible to stay at the Rifugio Hotel del Parco situated beyond portella Femmina Morta about 20 kilometres from the town, a beautiful area immersed in the greenery of wonderful woods.

S. Agata di Militello SS 113 Palermo

motorway

PA

motorway exit S. Agata di Militello

5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

SS 289 10 km

S. Fratello 22

ME

SAN FRATELLO gate

1 SCIROCCO 2 FESSURONA 3 NEURO 4 ROCK BOTTOM 5 MOVIMENTI PARTICOLARI 6 MAGNESITE E SANGUE 7 PARCO DEI NEBRODI 8 GIUANNI 9 STRESS 10 FALCO 11 ASPITTANDO GODOT 12 ORIGANO 13 BANANA BAGNATA 14 TANGO PER UNA PSCICOFICA 15 SEBA 16 BARBAGIANNI 17 UMIDITÀ 18 PRUA 19 QE UAPA 20 ETRANGER 21 X=Y 22 GIULIA 23 SECONDA STELLA A SINISTRA 24 VOMITO 25 FREE SAC IN L.A.

5c 15m The first pitch of a classic multi-pitch route 5b 15m Slab with cracks 6a+ 15m Variation of route 2 with delicate moves 4c 15m Easy on rock with many features 6c 13m Slab 6a+ 15m Slab with cracks 6a+ 15m Vertical wall 5c 15m Easy featured wall 5c 13m Easy featured wall 5b 15m Easy featured wall 6a 12m Easy with boulder crux 6a+ 15m Compact wall 6a+ 13m Compact slab 6c 15m Technical slab 6b 15m Featured wall 6a 15m Featured wall 7b 15m Overhanging 7c+ 15m Overhanging 7c+ 15m Overhanging 7b+ 15m Overhanging with explosive move 7c 15m Overhanging 7c+ 15m Slightly overhanging wall, very technical 6c 15m Slightly overhanging wall 7a 15m On tufas and pockets 6b 15m Slab with roof at the end

SAN FRATELLO

7a

6b

18

6c 25

24 23

7b

7c+

7c 7c+ 7c+ 7b+ 22 21

2019

17

6a+6a+ 6c 6a 5c 6a 6c 5b 5c 6b 6a+ 16 6a+ 15 14 131211 10 9 8 7 6 5

4c

6a+ 5b 3

4

2

5c

1

23

Rocche del Crasto Rocche del Crasto, are a rock massif of remarkable dimensions that extend north of the Mount Nebrodi’s ridge line. There are various peaks with steep walls which are interesting in terms of alpinism, and are totally different from the environment typical of Monti Nebrodi characterized instead by round and woody mountains which represent one of Sicily’s main green areas. They essentially present two main summits, Rocca Traora and Rocca Calanna.

The first one has a remarkable wall with a westerly exposure that looks very interesting, even if up until now it is waiting for its first routes. still has not been taken into consideration in mountaineering terms.

Thanks to the opening of a new single pitch site and of another one which is being opened, a visit to this corner allows to pleasantly climb on every difficulty in a harsh and wild environment, with the opportunity of combining long treks to your climbing, which are interesting both in terms of the history and nature. The “Festa dei Muzzoni” is a very interesting festival

and is held every year in June at Alcara Li Fusi, a small town situated beneath Rocche and is one of the main starting off points from Rocche del Crasto.

Access From the Messina-Palermo motorway exit at Sant’Agata di Militello, continue for 15 km and reach the town of Alcara Li Fusi, situated right under the beautiful Rocche del Crasto.

Back up points The town of Alcara Li Fusi is the only inhabited centre close to the rock faces.

There are a few restaurants and a supermarket. There are plenty of fountains to collect water from. It is also possible to sleep inside the S.Nicola hermitage situated directly under the routes, by simply asking the priest for the keys. The area around the climbing wall is very beautiful and is ideal for free camping.

NEBRODI ROCCHE DEL CRASTO

Alcara Li Fusi

ROCCA CALANNA descent 30’ eremo S. Nicola

20’

descent 30’

Portella - Gazzana 24

A. Garretto, Toma, 7b (ph. L. Rabito) g