My home-office life continues blessing me and I am so grateful that I have had the luck in summer 2021 to be able to spend 2 months in Italy!
I have decided this time to focus on spending most of my weekends and time off on granite walls in the northern alps of Italy!
There are two places that are particularly special when it comes to pure granite stone.
Valle di Mello
North of Milan. About 2 hours drive. This paradisiac valley has some of the most amazing rock in the world in Italy. A black and white granite. On these walls history had been made. Mainly in the 70s, with the advent of clean climbing (meaning without the aid of gear to progress [ladders and hooks per example] but using ropes and gear only to protect an eventual fall).
In fact the valley still today preserves the typical traditional climbing style with zero to no bolts present on the walls (the few that were placed by strangers had been hammered away...). All the progression therefore needs to be protected with cams, nuts and slings.
Valle del Orco
This place is famous to be also a Mecca for Granite stone. It is actually considered the Italian Yosemite, cause it has a very similar stone then the American natural park, with long crack and corner climbs
In this amazing valley we have some big walls that are counterpose to the Yosemite names: The Caporal (nothing to envy to the Captain ;-)) and the Sergent (where in US they have the Sentinel).
This valley climbs are also preserved, to a large extent, to their natural state, with few to no bolts on the places where it is possible to use the fast protections. Bolts are relegated to the anchor points only and to some slabs (even though placed distant) where protection is otherwise impossible.
Thanks to my Friends climbing partners
Needless to say that my summer could not be anywhere closer to where it had been without the presence of all the friends that have accompanied my summer climbs! Thank you Debby, Nicola, Stefano, Sergio and Vova!
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