Rock climbing and bouldering areas of central Italy

The main climbing areas within central Italy are Tuscany, the Marches Region, and around Rome.

Pisa and Tuscany is well known for its beautiful landscapes, medieval villages and its rich artistic legacy. Within this beautiful landscape there are many fantastic crags that offer a wide range of rock climbing, from single pitch sport to multi-pitch bolted routes up to 550m long on limestone rock. The island of Elba is one of those magic places where it is possible to combine a climbing holiday with family and friends. The island offers everything from bolted sea cliff climbing to multi-pitch routes, with many mid-range climbs (F5’s through to low F7’s) on granite rock.

The Marches region of Italy is a popular holiday destination.  Behind the towns of Ancona, Urbino, Pesaro, and Ascoli Piceno are the Umbria-Marches Apennines.  Here there are over 40 sport climbing crags with routes to suit all styles and across a wide range of grades.

South of the Marches Region, near the towns of the Teramo and L’Aquila is the Gran Sasso National Park that is full of limestone boulders.  The Gran Sasso National Park is one of the best places to go bouldering in the summer in Italy, as the bouldering areas are at an altitude of between 1,500m and 2,500m.

In the hills that surround Rome, there are in excess of 120 crags and nearly 6,000 sport climbing routes on limestone rock. These routes are spread across a wide range of grades and are mainly single pitch.  There are some multi-pitch routes to be found in this area, including some stunning sea cliff routes at places such as Geata.