Rock Climbing around Campobasso and Potenza

The terrain in the southern tip of Italy is very diverse. For the rock climber this means there is a great variety of climbing areas from climbing near the sea to hundreds of metres up in the mountains. Therefore, it is always possible to find somewhere to climb throughout the year.

Around the town of Campobasso in the province of Molise, the area is dominated by rugged mountains and breathtaking landscapes. 

The largest climbing area is at Frosolone (also known as Colle Dell’Orso), with over 400 routes across a wide range of grades. The climbing here is a mixture of sloping pockets and vertical slots, of which some are very sharp on limestone rock. The routes alternate between being sustained requiring lots of endurance, and bouldery requiring a lot of power. Due to its altitude of over 1,200m and exposure to the wind it means the best time to climb here is from the spring through to the summer.

Other significant crags in the Molise area include Oratino and Pescopennataro.  At Oratino there are around 100 routes on limestone rock mainly in the easy to mid-grade range. The climbing is spread across 4 different sectors, including some multi-pitch routes up to 100m long.

The Molise rock climbing guidebook describes the sport climbing in the Molise region, including the crags of Frosolone (Colle Dell’Orso) and Oratino, plus 15 other areas around Campobasso.

Around the towns of Froggia, Bari, and Lecce in the province of Puglia has a Mediterranean climate of warm winters and hot summers. Therefore, the ideal time to visit is from the autumn through to the spring. 

Statte is the largest crag in this region with over 280 routes mainly in the F5c to F7c grade range. The routes at Statte are spread across 19 sectors either side of a steep limestone gorge. This means it is possible to climb in the sunshine or shade depending upon the temperature or the wind.

There are also a number of other crags in this region, including Palombaio, Olimpo e Valhalla, Pulo, and Porto Ciolo, with routes available across a good selection of grades.

The Puglia rock climbing guidebook covers Statte along with 14 other crags including Palombaio, Olimpo e Valhalla, Pulo, and Porto Ciolo. It also gives an overview of the Deep Water Soloing (DWS) areas along the coast of Puglia.

Further south around the town of Potenza it becomes very mountainous with many of the rock climbing areas at an altitude over 1,000m. It is at these crags that it is ideal to climb during the summer as there is snow during the winter.

To the south of Napoli is the Sorrento Peninsula there is plenty of good quality rock climbing, mainly situated on the south coast around Amalfi. The vast majority of the routes are single pitch sport routes though there are some multi-pitch routes as well, all on limestone rock. The climbing here is generally at a low altitude with some routes straight off the beach.  Discover more about rock climbing around Sorrento.

The large sandstone bouldering of Bosco Gallipoli is situated in forests between Potenza and Matera. The woods are at a low altitude and the winter rarely sees snow making this an ideal year round location as the leaf cover allows acceptable climbing conditions even in the hotter periods. Unfortunately there is no guidebook available covering this bouldering area.

Southern Italy is well connected to the rest of Europe, with International airports at Napoli, Bari and Brindisi.