Climbing in Calabria: where to do it

Have you ever thought about climbing in Calabria?

If you have never done it, now is the time to give it a try. Sport climbing in Calabria is among the most adrenalin-pumping and breathtaking outdoor activities to be practised by those who wish to combine a complete sport with the discovery of the region's most beautiful natural and scenic locations.

Not a sport for everyone but more widespread than you think, climbing requires training, concentration and a great love for nature.

Climbing in Calabria is possible from north to south, in locations ideal for this kind of activity. Let's discover them together!

Climbing locations in Calabria*

*For the safety and security of all, it is recommended that you always contact the official guides and local authorities in charge for information on the actual practicability at the chosen times and suggestions. 

What exactly does climbing consist of? In the climbing of a vertical rock face in free climbing at various levels of difficulty, practised solo or roped up.

Here are some places to climb in Calabria:

1. Falesia Frascineto-Eianina (CS)

In the province of Cosenza, on the Ionian slope of the Pollino National Park, the Falesia Frascineto-Eianina in the municipality of Frascineto is the magical place of the so-called "Little Pink Dolomites", a glimpse of alpine landscape in Calabria.

This pink rock outcrop, limestone in nature and exposed to the south, offers climbing enthusiasts numerous routes: from those of low difficulty, suitable for novice climbers, equipped with special via ferrata (artificial steel rope belaying and iron ladders), to those for professionals and free-climbing enthusiasts. Each sector is well connected to all the others.

2. Falesia Orsomarso-Mercuri (CS)

Also in the province of Cosenza, but in the municipality of Orsomarso, on the Tyrrhenian side of the Pollino Massif, we find the "Valle Argentino" Centre, one of the reference points for those wishing to climb in Calabria.

The indoor location, in an old disused sawmill, offers 50 square metres of climbing surface with a height of 7 metres and a dry training area with pan gullich, beams and system boards.

The outdoor outings, on natural rock, climb the Falesia Orsomarso-Mercuri, a spectacular limestone wall with sharp holes and notches, caves, reeds and stalactites. Divided into four sectors: Placche, Grotta, Chiesa and Ultimo.

3. Other climbing routes in the Pollino (CS)

Set in the beautiful landscapes of the Pollino National Park, also in the province of Cosenza, the Falesia Acqua Rossa in Cerchiara di Calabria is a very varied and compact rock face facing south. The same area hosts the Via Ferrata del Caldanello or Ferrata della Gravina, consisting of two equipped sections along the Caldanello stream.

Another climbing routes of the Pollino is the Ferrata del Raganello, near the municipality of Civita. Also known as the "Via delle Capre", it traverses the spectacular north wall above the Raganello Gorges, or Timpa del Demanio, with a total length of about 3 km and very strong emotions in the most exposed vertical passages, where one is suspended in the void 400 metres above the ground over a canyon.

Those who dream of ice climbing in Calabria can practice it at the summit of Serra Dolcedorme (Scaletta di Mimmo-Direttissima), at an altitude of 2,267 metres. You start from Valle Piana, in the municipality of Castrovillari, and reach the so-called "Scaletta di Mimmo" attack, i.e. 3 pitches of 60-metre ropes, until the descent along the east ridge and the "Faggio Grosso" valley.

Finally, two locations in the province of Reggio Calabria offer as many open-air thrills to those who wish to climb in Calabria.

The first is the rocky ridge overlooking the historic centre of Palizzi Superiore, Falesia Carmine in the locality of the same name. A true paradise for fans of this discipline: many stretches for bouldering and corners with verticals for rock manoeuvres.

Concentration is ensured by the surroundings, a panorama from which the entire Ionian coast can be seen. The modest altitude allows climbing all months of the year: in winter it is sheltered from winds and currents, in summer it is almost entirely covered by trees.

The second location is in Stilo and is the Mount Consolino Cave. It is a long, bolted wall, part of the mountain of the same name that overlooks the Ionian village. The Cave sector is an overhanging reed and drop crag, considered by experts to be one of the most beautiful of its kind in all of southern Italy. Given the overhang, it can be climbed in all seasons, even in the rain.

What to see in the surroundings

Each of the municipalities within which the climbing crags and climbing routes lie offers tourists and enthusiasts a variety of naturalistic and historical-cultural attractions.

Starting from the north, i.e. from the Pollino National Park, the towns of Frascineto and Civita (one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy) represent an interesting cross-section of the Arbëreshë (Italo-Albanian from Calabria) cultural minority, with folklore museums and traditions still alive and waiting to be discovered.

The Raganello Valley is an important naturalistic area where enthusiasts can also enjoy rafting and river excursions.

The centre of Cerchiara di Calabria, the "City of Bread", offers a taste of its prized De.Co. branded Cerchiara Bread and a visit to the suggestive Shrine of the Madonna delle Armi, set in the rock.

Not to be missed is a visit to Castrovillari, the "Carnival City", with its medieval old town, the monumental Aragonese Castle and the Franciscan Protoconvent Complex.

Lastly, the two towns in the province of Reggio Calabria, Palizzi and Stilo respectively, deserve an in-depth visit as the one, an integral part of the Grecanica cultural minority area, offers a taste of fine Palizzi TGI wine; the other, the birthplace of the theologian Tommaso Campanella and one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, is the village that hosts one of the most important and famous Byzantine monuments in the region, the Cattolica of Stilo.