Central Apennines of Italy - Walks, Scrambles and Climbs

Guidebook has walking, scrambling and climbing routes in Italy's Apennines. Known as Italy's mountainous spine, with secluded walks, rock climbs and scrambles on the Gran Sasso d’Italia, the Apennines also have some of Italy’s finest sport climbing crags. The central Apennines cover Abruzzo, Marche and Umbria. 26 walks, 10 scrambles, 20 climbs, 12 winter climbs, and several hundred sports climbs in Ferentillo and Grotti areas.

Over one thousand kilometres long, but rarely exceeding one hundred kilometres in width, the Apennines constitute the mountainous ‘spine’ of the Italian peninsula crossing thirteen of Italy’s twenty regions.

The central Apennines cover four of these regions - Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria. Here walkers can find secluded valleys and waterfalls, mystical gorges and beautiful woodland, easy mountain excursions and vast plains. Rock climbers and scramblers head for Gran Sasso d’Italia which boasts the giant, pyramidal ‘Paretone’ wall that towers above plains and farmland of Teramo, only a stone’s throw from the Adriatic coast. Corno Piccolo (2655m) is a rock climber’s paradise offering an abundance of very good routes from grade III to VIII.

In winter, the central Apennines assume the character of the Alps, offering a number of challenging snow gullies and some mixed ground in the Gran Sasso/Laga and Monti Sibillini National Parks.

Ferentillo and Grotti, situated to the west of the ‘spine’, are certainly two of Italy’s finest sport climbing venues and the mild climate hereabouts makes it possible to climb throughout the year.

General Information

1. Grading of Walk, Scrambles and Climbs
Walks
Every walk is graded according to its overall difficulty:

Grade 1 - Refers to routes mostly on good footpaths and/or up gentle slopes that can be attempted by any reasonably fit person.

Grade 2 - Refers to routes that are suited to confident walkers who can find the way when footpaths become indistinct or non-existent. Steep slopes may often be encountered.

Rock Climbs and Winter Climbs
The rock climbs and winter climbs in this guidebook have different gradings. They are:

F (easy), PD (not very hard), AD (fairly hard), D (hard), TD (very hard), ED (extremely hard), EX (exceptionally hard).

Climbs that fall between two grades receive a plus or minus sign depending on the difficulties of the routes. The overall grading for each rock climb reflects a free ascent, even if in situ protection (slings, pitons, etc.) may be found on most routes. All rock passages are outlined following the UIAA’s adoption of Roman numerals (III, IV, etc.) and the maximum difficulty is also given, eg. AD+ (max. IV). Occasionally the word clessidra will appear in the rock climbing descriptions. This is an Italian word for a rock handle usually shaped like an hourglass with a gap behind it, thus allowing a climber the chance to thread a sling around the handle. Clessidre are often encountered on the limestone walls of Gran Sasso and so you will often find old slings already hanging from them. However, you should still take a selection of nuts, camming devices, slings, karabiners, etc. There are so many choice rock routes in the Gran Sasso area that I hope the ‘top twenty’ I have selected for this guidebook will serve as an interesting and rewarding introduction. I have purposely concentrated on the middle grades (AD, D, TD climbs) and the limestone is nearly always excellent and compact.

The twelve winter climbs (mostly gullies) are perhaps the best known and most frequently climbed in this part of Italy. However, this certainly does not mean you will have to queue at the start of a route - on weekdays you rarely meet other climbers.

Scrambles
Scrambles have rock passages of grade I and/or II and perhaps the aid of ladders and fixed ropes in places. They are graded S I/II in this book.

The scrambles are all situated in the Gran Sasso area in Abruzzo.

Sport Climbing
French grades are used for all climbs in this section (6a, 6a+, 6b, etc.). All of the sport routes in this guidebook have lower-off points and bolts that are regularly checked. They are always listed left to right as you look at the wall in question. The length of each route is given.

2. Route Descriptions
The terms L and R (left and right) are always used with reference to the direction of movement of the walker, scrambler or climber. Other abbreviations include N (North), S (South), E (East), W (West), NE (North East) and so on. The walks and scrambles have round-trip times typical for a party walking/scrambling at normal speed, but these do not allow for rests, water breaks, etc. Total ascents (this also includes any uphill sections on the descents) are given, so that the walker/scrambler can appreciate the demands of the routes. For the winter climbs the overall ascents have been divided under two headings: Approach Ascent (snow plod to the start of the climb) and Climbing (the serious bit!). Each rock climb has a Climb Time and Total Climbing which I think are self-explanatory. Descents follow the routes of ascent unless specified otherwise.

3. Weather
Warm clothes and waterproofs should always be carried as strong winds and sudden storms can sometimes occur in the Apennines.

The rock climbs and scrambles are perhaps best attempted between June and October, and the winter climbs are usually in condition from the beginning of January to early April. June to November is the best part of the year for the walks, although snow patches may be encountered on mountain excursions at the end of spring/beginning of summer. The Valnerina walks can be done in any season. A compass and altimeter should be taken on mountain excursions and it is advisable to carry a whistle and first aid kit.

4. Mountain Rescue
If you witness an accident, or one is brought to your attention, and you feel sure that it is necessary to seek help, telephone 115 or tell the guardian at the nearest refuge.

Audible distress signal: Shout or whistle SIX times a minute, then wait a minute and begin again. Continue until a response is seen or heard.

Visual distress signal: In daylight wave a light/bright piece of clothing SIX times a minute, wait a minute and then begin again. Continue until a response is seen or heard. At night wave a lighted torch/headtorch SIX times a minute, wait a minute and then begin again until a response is seen or heard.

Response: Three such signals a minute.

Helicopter rescue: Do not request air rescue for accidents that are not serious. If the accident is serious and you DO need help then put BOTH arms up in the air, but do not wave. If you do NOT need help and a helicopter or light plane appears to be taking an interest in you, put only ONE arm up in the air, keeping the other by your side.